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TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES FOR THE

EVALUATION OF BASKETBALL REFEREES

Fabiana MARTINESCU 

martinescu_fabiana@yahoo.com  

ROMANIAN­GERMAN UNIVERSITY, SIBIU, ROMANIA 

ABSTRACT In recent years, the theme of umpiring has been increasingly studied, being

also a starting point in an effort to revolutionize the basketball game as a team game. Like the athletes, referees who want to achieve performance should follow training programs throughout the entire year.

Also, if we discuss the training as a well-established and thorough program, then you must talk about training components that referees are subject to. On the basis of a thorough training there is the theoretical preparation without which one can not start as referees. It is very important to understand and apply the existing rules with its interpretations for each level we attend in part. In our research we must also take into account the fact that a referee should be prepared physically to be able to perform at the highest standards. He must have a very well defined training program both during and outside the competitive season.

Keywords

Basketball, Referee, Evaluation

Evaluation, according to the Explanatory Dictionary of the Romanian Language is the “action to evaluate and its result; counting; calculation; assessment; appreciation” [1].

In reality, Romanian basketball referees, as the foreign ones are evaluated by many categories of participants in a competition: players, fans, coaches, and not least by journalists. All these categories do the empirical value judgments and filled of emotions and therefore relevant. Sometimes, pertinent journalists, unfortunately very few, attempt to make objective analysis of the referees’ performance.

The most competent evaluator of the referee’s performance must be the federal observer, or the commissioner. This person

is designated by the Romanian Basketball Federation to ensure the smooth running of basketball competitions, to control if the proper organization of the games is ensured, if the competition rules of conduct are properly applied and not least to assess the performance of the referees. The federal observer’s judgment may sometimes be subjective, so large-scale international competitions the video analysis of the referees’ performance is used.

Due to the importance of assessing the referees, the delegation of observers to junior games was established since 2013-2014 season.

In the evaluation process there are many limitations, the evaluation effort being difficult.

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The assessment techniques of mature and decision-making behaviour in individual sports are incomparably simpler than in sports, because the number of players is relatively high and their evolution takes place over a small area, and the rules of the game are numerous.

In the game of basketball, the referees’ performance assessing is more difficult,

since during the game they evaluate the performance of players and coaches in the field. For example, we mention the plans written by C. Tătaru (Basketball – shooting improvement, 2005) on the frequency of attack phases in the game of basketball and shooting efficiency depending on the duration of the attack:

Frequency and Efficiency Depending on the Duration of the Attack (after C. Tătaru)

Duration Total Positive Possessions Negative Possessions From 0 to 6 sec. 21,25 61 % 39 % From 7 to 13 sec. 31,50 48 % 52 % From 13 to 20 sec. 27,75 47 % 53 % From 21 to 24 sec. 9,00 41 % 59 %

Noting only this aspect of the game, but

extremely important, we can say that it is extremely difficult to assess referees.

We can classify the forms in which a referee can be evaluated; therefore we start with the simplest, namely:

Control trial is the simplest evaluation operation (measurement, identification, observation, verification) of an attribute or component. The check trial is a useful tool, indispensable to assess the training level of the referee. It is the tool that checks the level of physical training and theoretical training of referees.

In establishing the check trials, the following aspects should be considered:

referees’ readiness, according to the competition period;

possibility of accurate measurement of exercises (units, repetitions)

difficulty of trial in relation to the level that the referee operates in

The control standard is a standardized scale. The control scaling is the activity with responsibilities for assessing value share of a property acquired after a period of training. They should be modified to confirm or disprove the expected process.

When it comes to admission or selection of referees, the control standard can have a minimal level. It is in connection with the control trial. Over time, the level of training and adaptation to effort has to be revealed.

The test is the standardized examination procedure, in which all referees have the same control trials.

When we want to assess certain structures of the referees’ performance capacity, the “battery of tests” can be used:

physical training tests, technical training tests, psychological tests. The work we are interested in, namely

assessing referees, these tools such as the trial, standard control, test, battery of tests, are particularly useful. In the medium and long term planning of referees’ performances, an ingenious and elaborate work, which is determined by the conditions that optimize the investigation process, is required. So we tried to adapt to our own requirements the sensitivity and validation factors (after Dragnea, 1984).

“The ideal of objectivity in assessment can be made of errors and fluctuations of the evaluator” [2].

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Sensitivity and Validation Factors (adaptation from Dragnea, 1984)

“The ideal of objectivity in assessment can be made of errors and fluctuations of the evaluator” [3].

The evaluator most often is the commissioner, instructor, evaluator, or even the referee himself. The most common situations concerning the evaluator’s activity are, according to G. Roman, the following:

1. The “Order” Effect Due to lack of an ongoing and objective

evaluation, the evaluator maintains approximately the same level of appreciation for more results of different referees, but without making any value discrimination.

2. Effect of Contrast Here, the same results are valued

differently, depending on the situation arisen (the game, the pressure of the game, field partners). Passing over of mistakes during matches, where games with great differences between the two combatants, are the best examples of negative effect of the evaluation “by contrast”.

3. “Halo” Effect There can be identified two variants of

this effect, the first is the “mild effect”, which is characterized by the treatment with the indulgence of the referees, and the second “generosity error”, when the evaluator, for some reason, hides the real

characterization and becomes unprincipled in the assessment.

4. Pygmalion Effect or the Oedipal Effect The assessment of a referee’s performance

is influenced by the fixed opinion of an assessor about its capabilities. He not only anticipates, but also facilitates the phenomenon.

5. The Evaluator’s Personal Equation This is the situation in which trainers

find themselves most often, who, having the opportunity to observe and evaluate the referees’ performances during tournaments, structure their own evaluation criteria. Some are more generous and use positive values; others are more demanding and often use negative criticism. Desirable is that these evaluators do not distort the referees’ own evaluation system and to use both values.

6. Logical Error It consists of substituting the evaluation

objectives and its parameters through secondary purposes. That means that are the progress made by a referee and not the result achieved are being evaluated.

After significant evaluation studies in general and especially the evaluation in physical education and sports training, we have developed a model for assessing the basketball referee, required for the

Law of Probability Distribution

Interdependence of Criteria and Tests

The Steps of Preparing

the Tests

Type of Evaluation

Criteria

Homogeneity of Referees

Level of Competence

of Referees

The Size of Measurement Errors

(Devices, Tests)

Processing Mistakes of the Gathered Data

Degree of Sensitivity

and Validation of Tests

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consideration of the reference point of the temporal perspective for analysis and promotion.

At any stage of its evolution a basketball referee must be properly assessed. In this regard we must consider the following aspects:

to know in detail the game rules, game rules interpretations, specific regulations of certain competitions as well as competitions’ schedule;

to know and put into practice the movements and signs of the current regulation and the „mechanics of umpiring”;

to know the development trends of the basketball game;

to make his own training program for continuous improvement of his performances;

to know and apply the advice and recommendations of referees’ boards.

Currently “A” divisional basketball referees are evaluated in the national championship on the basis of observation, more or less objective, from the basketball commissioners.

They are former basketball referees, players, coaches assessing the referees’ performance quality based on qualifications. These qualifications are “poor”, “satisfactory”, “good” and “very good”. We thus notice that the referees’ performance nowadays is not easily quantified in terms of quantity, which we can say that it is very subjective. Also, the referees who are proposed for promotion or degradation do not have a well-established grid for the accumulation of points, but only the average of marked performances and the current test results from the national training sessions.

Cumulative Assessment Cumulative Assessment – trials and standards – game performance – championship performance – international game performance – evaluation

– trials and standards – game performance – championship performance – international game performance – evaluation

Reference Point of the Temporal Perspective Initial Assessment Continuous Assessment Final Assessment

– contact – delegation – curriculum – prediction

– training – adjustment to effort – game/performances – progress

– analysis and interpretation – classifications – rewards – promotio

The Relationship between the Evaluation Strategy and the Referee’s Training from the Temporal Perspective

Based on the above we propose an evaluation model that can be constantly perfected by

those who are interested in this, especially the Central Board of Referees.

Evaluation Strategies

of the Referee

 TRAINING  

AND  EVOLUTION  

OF  THE  

REFEREE 

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Model of the Referees’ Evaluation Content

Content of the Evaluation Means Used by the Evaluator Et. 1

Biomedical evaluation (medical certificate)

History, somatoscopic examination, annual clinical test (general practitioner)

Evaluation of bio-physical potential

Anthropometric measurements, tests of balance, coordination, motor skills (physical education teacher, the local committee of referees)

Psychological evaluation Specific tests (psychologist) Social evaluation Level of studies, courses taken (local commission)

Et. 2 Biomedical evaluation (medical *certificate)

History, somatoscopic examination, annual clinical test (general practitioner)

Evaluation of bio-physical potential

Anthropometric measurements, tests of balance, coordination, motor skills (central commission of referees at the annual at the annual stage)

Evaluation of specific physical capacity

Trials and control standards (central commission of referees at the annual at the annual stage)

Theoretical evaluation Specific tests with questions from the regulation (central commission of referees at the annual at the annual stage)

Psychological evaluation Specific tests (psychologist) Evaluation during competitions

Evaluations of FRB (Romanian Basketball Federation) observers sent at semi-finals and finals tournaments

Et. 3 Biomedical evaluation (medical certificate)

Biannual medical examination to the sports doctor in the territory

Evaluation of specific physical potential

Specific control trials (CCA at the national stages)

Theoretical evaluation Specific tests (CCA at the national stages) Evaluation during competitions

FRB and CCA observers’ evaluations

Et. 4 Biomedical evaluation (medical certificate)

Biannual medical examination (sports doctor)

Evaluation of specific physical potential

Specific control trials (CCA at the biannual stages)

Theoretical evaluation Specific examinations (CCA at the biannual stages) Evaluation during competitions

Observer and national instructors

Special evaluations (for international promotion)

Testing of communication in a foreign language Video testing (CCA at the biannual stages)

Et. 5 Biomedical evaluation (medical certificate)

Biannual medical examination, tests at the beginning of the season (sports doctor, Clinical Hospital)

Evaluation of physical potential

Specific testing at the national (biannual) and international training stages(FIBA Europe)

Theoretical evaluation Biannual theoretical testing Evaluation during national and international competitions

Observer and national instructors FIBA Europe observers and instructors

Et 1 – locally, city, county, school

competitions, friendly games Et 2 – children and juniors, county,

inter-county, school inter-county, region, finals Et 3 – juniors and League I female and

male, inter-county, region, finals and promotion tours

Et. 4 – female and male National League, regular championship, play-off, final CR

tournament, list of referees for promotion Et 5 – LNBF (National Female

Basketball League) LNBM (National Male Basketball League) and European Cups

The field of officiating is open. But it is understood that in a job so exact as officiating, where one is always observed and criticized, only the best get to be referees. You must have the right attitude

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towards the game and the skills required few but which need to be strong enough to get you over all obstacles with firm determination towards the top: good view, a sense of fair-play, courage of opinions,

sense humour and diplomacy are essential. “A good referee must have the ethics of

a doctor, the blood of a thief, physical qualifications of an athlete, be an extrovert and be devoted to the religion of umpiring” [4]. 

References 1. Dicţionarul explicativ al limbii române (ediţia a II-a revizuită şi adăugită), (Bucharest:

Univers Enciclopedic Gold Publishing House, 2012). 2. C. Tătaru, Baschet, perfecţionarea aruncărilor la coş, (Sibiu: Alma Mater Publishing House,

2005). 3. Ibidem, 125. 4. Federaţia Română de Baschet – International Referee Candidates Clinic, (Cluj Napoca:

1995).

Bibliography Dragnea, A. Antrenamentul sportiv. Bucharest: E.D.P.R.A. Publishing House, 1996. Negulescu, C. Compendiu cu regulile jocului de baschet şi tehnica arbitrajului. Bucharest:

IEFS Publishing House, 2000. Roman, G. Evaluarea în jocul de baschet. Cluj-Napoca: Star Publishing House, 2003.

www.fibaeurope,com Tătaru, C. Baschet – Bazele teoriei şi metodicii. Sibiu: Mira Design, 2000. Tătaru C. Baschet, perfecţionarea aruncărilor la coş. Sibiu: Alma Mater Publishing House,

2005.