The Importance of Referee FLOW

FLOW is a psychology term describing a mental state where a person or persons are performing an activity in which they are fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In sports, FLOW occurs when players, or officials, attain a level of optimal functioning. As basketball referees, we are pursuing that level of optimal functioning as a team of two or three every night we take the floor.

FLOW is comprised of three elements: mastery, mindfulness, and mattering.

Mastery is the desire to get better at those things we do – like refereeing. It’s a devotion to a craft, coupled with the need to progress and to continually improve. Mastery is a deep-seated hunger that drives us to become better and better at what we do.

Often when I work with younger officials, they will ask me “How did you know that coach was going to call a time out?” or “How did you know that player was going to try to take a charge?” The reason I might know those answers and a younger official may not is a big part of building FLOW – it’s called repetitive occurrence. Through repetition or seeing plays and experiencing situations over and over again, a veteran official may have a hunch at what might happen in a game way before the newer official. But, with that stated, do not let repetitive occurrence impact your ability to “see the whole play from beginning to end,” “anticipate the play, but not the call,” and “maintain strong whistle discipline” as you referee.

Another big part of pursuing mastery is our ability to celebrate small wins. When we referee, few games are judged to be officiated well because the crew gets one “big” call correct. Instead, most games are well-officiated when the crew exhibits their ability to achieve small wins throughout the contest. Don’t get me wrong, crews must work hard to get the important calls right throughout the game, but I’ve seen many games slip into mediocrity when the officials are not taking care of the small matters on the court.

Mindfulness is the second element of FLOW. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of all the elements of the present moment without being lost in the past or the future. It is paying attention when the mind wanders to negative spaces where there is no creative outcome possible. FLOW is interrupted if basketball officials are not cognizant of mindfulness.

Mike Krzyzewski, Hall of Fame inductee and former head coach at Duke University, talks about the costs of interrupting mindfulness while performing when he says:

“To waste time lamenting a mistake or celebrating success is distracting and can leave you and your team unprepared for what you are about to face. It robs you of the ability to do your best at that moment and to give your full concentration.”

Referees that tell themselves about how great a call was, or how bad it was, are not preparing themselves for the next play, and, in the case of we officials, the “next call.”

A third element to FLOW is mattering. Mattering happens when one exhibits meaningful purpose, and knowing about the impact our work or our presence has on others. Providing weight to our actions defines mattering. For officials, a good topic to discuss in your pre-game is the concept of “Being Present.” “Being Present” means that each official makes a promise to help each other in time of need. We all have been caught in the wrong position, have experienced a couple of back-to-back questionable calls, or have become flustered by an angry coach. “Being Present” suggests that when that time of need appears, the other member(s) of the crew step up, help their fellow official, and “be present” in the moment.

“Being Present” also means something else. After 45 years of basketball officiating, I can tell you that most games come down to four or five calls your crew needs to get right so that you are judged to be an excellent team that evening. We must work to get those plays right. As veteran officials will tell you, you can miss a call in the first few minutes of the second quarter but missing that call in the last 20 seconds of a game could make the difference between winning and losing. “Being Present” means getting the plays right that matter, whenever they occur in a game.

So the next time you get ready to discuss pre-game topics with your partners, surprise everyone by talking about FLOW. Talk about the importance of mastery. Discuss how the crew will referee certain plays that evening, and how the crew can build an excellent performance on small wins throughout the contest. Talk about the importance of mindfulness, and how a “next play, next call” mentality will allow the entire crew to move on through the game. Finally, talk about how all of you will matter to each other as you collectively work the game. By “Being Present” for each other, you will perform better as a team and provide an excellent opportunity for both teams to win the game that evening.

And that’s, “The Primary Focus.”