Transition and manipulation!

That's certainly a loaded title, isn't it?  Actually it's two words a fellow official "handed out" at a recent clinic.  Funny how some people have the knack for taking complex things and breaking them down into one easy word.

Jackie Skryd was our clinician for volleyball.  Trying to decide if the setter did a poor job on ball handling?  Well, she offered, think of it this way.  Did the setter play the ball or did he/she manipulate the ball?  Okay! Easy to make that quick decision.  There you go.

Transition - it's the word for what I see all the time, but didn't really think about it .Was that a back row attack on that player?  Jackie said watch the transition.  Did the player transition back to the back row or come out of the back row?  Easier to see with the setter, but first part of that decision making is much easier now.

I'd like to develop a whole dictionary of one word wonders that help us officiate!

Why do people do it?

People ask me this all the time.  "I would NEVER want to be an official! People are always yelling at you.  Why would anyone want to do it?"  I guess some of the reason we do it is because we enjoy the sport.  Some officiate because they enjoy seeing the level of competition between area teams.  Some officiate to help teach the sport.  Some to see youth grow and acquire skills.

Every official I've known had his own "personal stamp" of style in their officiating.  They don't make themselves the focus of the event, but you remember which matches/games they officiated.  One of my old-time favorites was Teddy Cameron.  He was a baseball umpire back in the late 1970's in western Illinois.  His trademark - "Hustle In Hustle Out" boys let  you know Teddy was in control.