- PRACTICE RESOURCES FOR REFEREES-

 A DIFFICULT BUT WORTHWHILE QUEST - RESOURCES!

    Yes, it is really hard to find resources! 

    At least as a referee who is not satisfied with just practicing from the video!

    In this article I will give you some resources to practice refereeing, all of them individually helped me a lot. Especially to visualize new actions and to strengthen my analysis.

USA REFEREE EXAM PAPERS

    The United States Referee Examinations are the best possible form of written examinations. The exams include information on all three disciplines, and then the exam is divided into sections, making it easier for the referees of the disciplines to solve their own sections. However, the exam is not only about actions or the use of cards, but also about the usual situations that the referee encounters in every tournament. In this way, it measures what the referee would do in these situations. 

     The entire quiz is multiple choice and is available to you as a PDF. The exam starts with questions about the uniform (i.e. the fencers' equipment). There are 7 questions about equipment within the general questions.

    Afterwards, general information about the rink is mentioned and questions about the rink are asked. There are 6 questions from these questions.

    Information and templates of kart applications are presented to the candidate on the following pages. 15 questions are asked from this section. 

    Then the exam continues with a section on basic actions and it is tested that the referee also knows the actions available in all three branches of fencing. 5 questions are included in this section.

    Then comes the duration of the match, injury time-outs and etiquette. Brief but concise information on these three topics is followed by 13 questions. 

    At the end of the general information, three questions about video refereeing are asked and then the questions about the branches are asked. 

    The questions pertaining to the disciplines of flute, epe and sabre aim to verbalize the situations and actions in order for the referee to choose an appropriate approach to the situation. 

    The answers to the questions are found on the last page with explanations and the referee understands why, how and on what basis he/she should make the right decision. 

usarefereeexamresource: 2019 Referee Examination Study Guide v3.pdf

QUARTE RIPOSTE REFEREE TEST

    Quarte Riposte's referee tests are software that allows you to analyze clips from different matches by playing them fast or slow. It is as if you are watching the footage from many matches that have taken place so far for the first time and you can simulate it as if you were watching it for the first time and analyzing it. 

     As I used this resource, I would watch the same footage over and over again, sometimes making different decisions depending on my point of view. The software is still in development, so you may be presented with videos more than once. At the same time, the answers to the decisions are often inconclusive! Because the analysis of the people who use this software also depends on whether your analysis is mostly in line with theirs or not. 

quarteriposte-referee-test quarte-riposte-referee-test

RULE BOOKS

    Rulebooks, yes, it's a really old-fashioned way of working.

    But if you read the rulebook over and over again, you may find that there is a counterpart for things that you never even thought of when you were an athlete. That's why sometimes you have to go through the rulebook to find out things that you didn't even come across or think about when you were a referee. 

     But they are really a waste of a lot of time...

rulebooksource: Eskrim_kurallari.pdf

That's it for the written sources, stay tuned for more!

Junior Ref