I got nominated to National CORE at the end of the season and had a goal to aim for throughout the end of the season and summer (being the fitness session on the selection day). It’s hard as a lot of referees (including me in some ways) have lost motivation to keep fit because their county cup final has been postponed/cancelled. I think recently I’ve started running a lot more to improve fitness and compensate for the lack of games and actually think I’ve got fitter since the lockdown, using the motivation of being fitter for next season and passing the CORE selection day. I’ve mainly been using RefSix’s fitness programmes which has helped massively, but running has been the main thing. It feels good to see my times improving and being much better than the start of this (19/20) season
How your fitness has changed as a result of Covid-19
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Completely agree. I've also advoated the idea they should rewrite from scratch for years. They've tried, in most cases, to keep the evolution of Law 11 within the old structure--but it's become more and more of a square peg in a round hole. Far too many times have I heard a new ref justify something by "gaining an advantage" (or justifying a non-call of what was an offense by saying they didn't gain an advantage). Gaining an advantage has become nothing more than a bass-ackward way of explaining when the OS restriction is reset for IWP. (And the Law really isn't clear as to when it ends for IWO--it should be.)
We have two ways to be active in the modern game: touch the ball or interfere with an opponent. And each has a slightly different way in which the restriction is relieved. It just wouldn't be hard to write that much more clearly than it is written today. Seems the people that matter are just too used to the old language and don't see the need to fix it.
At least they fixed the language so that it no longer literally says the involvement has to come at the moment the ball is played . . .
Mine has also improved. Did a mock fitness test last weekend and was a little disappointed I was reaching about 2050m in the 12 minutes.
Out of curiosity I mapped the route I was using and there’s a 20 metre change in elevation. Those hills are killers. Be interesting to see what I can do when I get onto a track where it’s more or less level and also get that bit of propulsion/spring from the rubber.
Out of curiosity I mapped the route I was using and there’s a 20 metre change in elevation. Those hills are killers. Be interesting to see what I can do when I get onto a track where it’s more or less level and also get that bit of propulsion/spring from the rubber.
Justylove
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I found that from doing a cooper test on the road, it equated to around 100m further on the track.
I moved house 2 years ago and my old house route and my new one are very different, however I found in both cases it translated to roughly the 100m onto the track.
I’ll happily take that. Means I’m achieving a greater distance than last year. My supply league has 2 distance markers so at this rate I’m comfortably meeting the minimum standard for junior line on the Premier division. Since it’s only April if I keep on improving I’ll be in with a shout of the senior line/division 1 middle standard too
Why do liners need to run to any level, it’s normally a sedate sideways crabbing style! How do you measure that action as jogging isn’t the same surely?
Justylove
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Interesting assume 1 marker is at 2000 metres, what's the second at?
It's not a test of how far you can run it's a test of your fitness and is correlated to your vo2 max, another fitness indicator.
You do need to be able to run/sprint on the line. At a good standard contrib game I can easily do upwards of 5 km, with max sprint speeds exceeding 20km/h.
The test is to determine your aerobic fitness levels are able to meet the demands of the games you will referee.
You might get away with having positional nouse in the middle if you can't keep up, but on the line there is only one place you needed ever be, and you need to be there to get it right otherwise, angles will play tricks on your mind.
You actually have to be faster on the line than in the middle. As the referee it doesn't really matter if you lose a bit of ground on the nippy forward as he runs away from you, whereas on the line you've got to try and keep up with him in case there is an offside or a ball in and out of play decision.
In ran the line in a Tottenham U19 this season that was totally end to end and I was absolutely blowing by half time let alone full time, probably as hard as I've ever had to work on a football pitch.
I was on a semi final last year and the AR was in his early 70s and in his last season. He was very good and made up for his lack of running ability by staying deeper than the 2nd to last defender when the ball was in my half. It looked odd but it allowed him to get back in line if there was a quick break rather than having to sprint with defenders running back. Looked odd but i thought it was very savy.
For me I often sprint more on the line than in the middle for academy games. You can pretty much always see the next pass or two due to how well coached each side is with their shape and tactics and how good the surfaces are. I find that despite the games obviously being faster, theres alot of predictability on where the next pass/tackle is going to be and that makes positioning yourself much easier and therefore negating the amount of sprints.
I like this approach, I really do. It is the epitome of refereeing. The only problem is if your decision making and communication is crap in the first 5 minutes are you going to make it to 90 minutes before having to throw around cards like confetti to retain match control?
I made it to L5 despite being crap. Sure I could jog around for 90 minutes, had a big enough personality to face down and calm down any 6'6" Sunday morning Rooney or Keane. I only became a better referee when I took the time to look at other people refereeing, but in a critical way. I don't mean finding fault with them, but seeing their faults, thinking about how they could improve and communicating that to them. I think it should be obligatory for every referee who reaches L5 to become a referee observer and to undertake at least one observation each month. I think we would have a more effective and consistent referee workforce, who felt better supported and would be more likely to hang around when the going got tough (retention through the roof!).
Not everyone wants to progress. Some are happy with their level of commitment, particularly those whose jobs require long hours in the office or at home. I've always wondered why there are so many policemen and teachers who are referees or is it the other way around? As for 8% body fat, you've missed a zero off that
I agree about the robot production line. If you're not 6' tall, athletically built with dark hair/shaven head, you might be on a hiding to nothing.In the professional game, it is no longer football as the majority of us experience it. It is entertainment, theatre and a performance. It has more in common with WWE than the original Corinthian ideals.
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If that CCTV operator was brilliant at his job but took a little longer to get up some steps to work be the same guy that ran to work, could fill in a few tick boxes at the interview but was clueless when he got to doing something live??@Sheffields Finest It's like judging a CCTV operator on their ability to run a marathon. Hang on, that sounds like VAR
one
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I can spend a few hours typing here or you can read an observers manual. Yep it's all subjective.
I have the current Observer's manual and have, through various workshops and online FA forums, contributed to the content and supporting materials for the last 5 years. It has one section of ten referring to Fitness and Work rate. It has 3 other sections referring to Application of Law, Decision Making and Match Control which contribute far more to a referee's performance. There's a high probability you've not a lot else to do, so please by all means, spend a few hours educating me and others on here on how fitness makes a referee "better".
Detailed reply. Can't argue with any of it. I'm sure @Russell Jones will have me observing a game or two sooner or later!I like this approach, I really do. It is the epitome of refereeing. The only problem is if your decision making and communication is crap in the first 5 minutes are you going to make it to 90 minutes before having to throw around cards like confetti to retain match control?
I made it to L5 despite being crap. Sure I could jog around for 90 minutes, had a big enough personality to face down and calm down any 6'6" Sunday morning Rooney or Keane. I only became a better referee when I took the time to look at other people refereeing, but in a critically way. I don't mean finding fault with them, but seeing their faults, thinking about how they could improve and communicating that to them. I think it should be obligatory for every referee who reaches L5 to become a referee observer and to undertake at least one observation each month. I think we would have a more effective and consistent referee workforce, who felt better supported and would be more likely to hang around when the going got tough (retention through the roof!).
Not everyone wants to progress. Some are happy with their level of commitment, particularly those whose jobs require long hours in the office or at home. I've always wondered why there are so many policemen and teachers who are referees or is it the other way around? As for 8% body fat, you've missed a zero off that
In the professional game, it is no longer football as the majority of us experience it. It is entertainment, theatre and a performance. It has more in common with WWE than the original Corinthian ideals.
There's also an disproportional percentage of long distance lorry drivers and postmen who are senior referees. There's no doubt that jobs with early starts and finishes make senior refereeing easier, as those with traditional 9-5 jobs need to have understanding bosses to let them get away early. I often had to leave the office as early as 1pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to get to National League games in time, made worse by the fact that I can't drive to work so first had to go home and get the car.
one
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Oh it appears you have misread my post in regards to what I value most Ina good referee. I can relate it to your. "The same referee" means keep all other sections, with their high conributing factors, and apply them as you would otherwise. Fit vs unfit mean keep or leave it out the fitness section. Surely you are not saying the fitness section is worth nothing.
2400to referee Division 1 (Step6) middles and senior line. Level 4s do the Premier middles.
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