Physical preparation is an important part of each stage of preparation of the referee. It is mainly directed to development of the endurance, quickness and flexibility. Training of physical properties, as well as development of a set of motor abilities (endurance, speed abilities) connected therewith provide efficiency of the referee's activity. Resolution of the given tasks is exercised in the process of the general and specialized physical preparation.

Principles of the general physical preparation

General physical preparation provides the comprehensive physical development and increase of the level of general work capacity of the referee, creates preconditions for efficient manifestation of special physical properties. Referees and sportsmen quickly lose their physical shape if they stop any exercises for a long period of time, and they don't always manage to get the physical shape back and to lose the excess weight quickly and easily. Therefore, the basis, a foundation of readiness to competitions of a new season shall be laid within the period of preparation to main competitions.

For basketball referees the following expression is fair: "your legs are your eyes". The referee can get tired mentally from the psychological pressure at the end of the game, buy never physically. He always shall be in the right place, at the right time on the court to make a correct decision. It is necessary to understand that unprepared and untrained referee will not simply manage to track the process of the game and to react to action of players. Such a referee will mistaken for sure.

When officiating basketball games referees load their knee and ankle joints carrying the main load due to the great number of stoppages, shifts of movement direction etc. If you want to be a professional referee you should maintain the good physical shape constantly. Therefore, physical preparation is the one of determining factors upon preparation of well-qualified referees.

According to the data of researches, the basketball referee when refereeing two - person officiating runs about 4.5–5.5 kilometers, and in case three - person officiating – up to 4 kilometers per game. Therefore, basketball referees shall be well prepared to the physical work within the whole game, i.e. to be able to perform their work at the necessary due level for a long period of time without any visible ultimate exhaustion.

High tension of games requires from referees constant manifestation of the endurance, i.e. the ability to withstand the exhaustion appearing as a result of the load. The referee having a sufficient endurance can retain high productivity for a longer time and demonstrate stable performance of his work. And the good endurance give the referee an additional opportunity to adapt to the emotional and stress background in the game situation and to restore after the load quickly.

Aerobic capabilities of the human increase by trainings of the moderate and high intensity with the heart rate of 120–150 beats per minute and duration of work of from 30 to 45 minutes. Aerobic training lays the base for faster restoration of the organism after the load, as well as for more efficient oxygen consumption and its delivery to working muscles for production of the energy. Aerobic trainings are held with the periodicity of 2–3 sessions per week with the duration of up to 1 hour. These are ordinary cross running, walking and swimming with the subsequent graduate increase of the volume.

Improvement of the endurance is exercised continuously within the whole season. In order to determine intensity of physical exercises they use the heart rate indexes. If the heart rate at training exercises lies within the limits of 150 beats per minute, the load is directed to increase of the aerobic abilities of the referee (general endurance), if the heart rate is about 180 beats per minute or higher – the load is directed to increase of the anaerobic abilities, i.e. the speed endurance. Therefore, upon preparation of the referee to the forthcoming season it is necessary to provide correspondence of training loads and influence on the organism to the functional abilities and the level of preparation of the referee, as forcing of the load will only harm and may result in unforeseen injuries.

Special physical preparation plays the leading role in formation of motor abilities of the referee and directly depends on the development of the speed ability and of the special (speed) endurance.

The distinctive feature of manifestation of quickness with referees is the quick change of game situations. Quickness of the start acceleration and the distance speed are the foundation of quickness in the basketball. The main means to train quickness are exercises of the speed nature (various types of speedups, shuttle running, running with change of the direction, outdoor and sport games), which shall be done with the extreme (maximum) intensity. All types of training exercises shall approximately replicate motions and movements of the referee during the game.

Using of exercises of the aerobic and anaerobic nature in training is the main thing in preparation of the referee as the given exercises imply the load constantly met in the game. Competent using of all methods of training can give the positive effect upon performance of the work. For the given purpose it is necessary to use all available means of physical training in one's preparation consecutively, not forcing and systematically. The value and duration of the load in training exercises shall be strictly individual, i.e. in accordance with the age, season and level of readiness of the referee.

In the scientific literature there is a little attention paid to the interrelation of the physical and psychological preparation of basketball referees. There no data on the interrelation of reduction of the quality of refereeing, occurrence of the exhaustion (physical) and emotional excitation with referees during competitions. In other sports on the example of refereeing it has been shown that weak psychological and physical preparedness causes a negative effect on the game, prevents the referee from appearance of abilities and capabilities with him. Ability to withstand the fatigue can influence on the quality of refereeing.

Some authors have developed a system of pedagogical tests for evaluation of the physical shape of referees, which includes tests evaluating quickness, speed properties and speed endurance. It is necessary to note that the mechanics of movement of referees on the basketball court is closely connected with the run technique and is also an important section of the special physical preparation.

One of the main reasons of the low efficiency of the work of sport referees is their emotional instability, lack of confidence in decision-making and insufficient development of such volitional qualities as the will, dedication, initiative, determination, independence and persistence. The referee's ability to withstand the emotional influence and to perform his immediate duties, to make objective decisions and in case of need to have to admit and correct his mistakes is equally important.

When considering the psychological preparation it is necessary to note that the main problem of the referee in the game is inability to control his emotions and to regulate his emotional state. Having learnt to manage one's emotions it is possible to manage oneself and to control the surrounding reality.

In sport games the referee's time-and-space perception of game situations enabling him to make correct decisions quickly is of the great importance. At that it is important within a short period of time to make a decision necessary for the given game situation. However, it is rare to find in sport games referees with the equal dynamics of nervous processes. In this connection it is important that referees should have balanced processes of excitation and retardation. The closer the referee to such a balance, the more stable he is in his behavior in responses to various irritations. When the tension arises in the team of referees during the game, the role of the leader is especially important. In such situations it is important at the beginning of preparation to the game to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding. Such an atmosphere can be in the collective with the sole goal and equal tasks only.

Preparation of the referee starts long before the competitions. Each referee shall conceive tasks, volume and intensity of the training process. He shall prepare to the forthcoming sportive season purposefully, with full mobilization of the will and motivation to success. An especial role in preparation of referees is played by the competition practice.

In the modern sport many methods of regulation of the psychological state of participants (sportsmen, coaches) are applied, but they do not always effective. As the game develops, the level of training and competitions load increases, as the emotional tension in the work arises it is required from the referee to use various methods of regulation of his internal state. In the sport refereeing it is important to be able to manage one's emotions and to activate the processes of retardation in the game.

Nowadays in various sports a set of methods of the psychological influence representing various types of preparation - autogenic training, ideomotor training, breathing exercises, pedagogical mindset etc. - is used. The most recognition have been deserved by the following ones:

1. Variants of the autogenic training (G.I. Kraynov, O.R. Arnold, 1980).

2. Ideomotor training (A.A. Belkin, 1983; R. Naydiffer, 1979).

3. Breathing exercises (K.V. Dyneyka, 1986).

4. Emotional and volitional preparation (A.T. Filatov etc., 1979).

5. Different variants of relaxation (K.V. Dyneyka, 1986).

6. Pedagogical mindset (G.N. Sytin, 1990, 2007).

The main thing in the process of preparation of referees is reduction of the level of the emotional excitation before the game and in the process of work of the referee, determination of the balance between the processes of excitation and retardation. Besides the psychological methods of preparation reduction of the level of the emotional excitation is facilitated by the availability of the optimal physical preparedness which gives a reserve of confidence upon work connected with the emotional excitation. The referee shall withstand physical loads, his internal organs and respiratory system shall work under his control, which is necessary at the decisive moments of the game. Methods of self-mind-setting used in the process of preparation assist to reduction of the excess excitation, reduce nervousness, give confidence, tune to work, mobilize especially in difficult times.

An important factor affecting the efficiency of the referee's work is the mind-setting enabling the referee to manage himself, his state and acts at difficult moments of his work consciously. Pre-game setting regulates the level of excitation of the referee and helps him to cope with emotions and nervous excitation. In the national and foreign literature on the given topic of preparation of sport referees there are no enough publications describing tricks and methods of self-regulation of the psychical state applied by the latter. Nevertheless, such researches have been performed with sportsmen. However, in the given papers there is no strict sequence and the number of repeats.

The autogenic training as a method of management of one's state was offered by the Austrian psychiatrist I. Schultz in 1932. It positively affects restoration of the psychical, physical activity and of the work capacity in general.

The emotional and volitional preparation represents a system of autogenic and hetero-psychological influences applied both within the training sessions and competitions and outside them. According to A.T. Filatiov, the given system includes the following stages:

1. Education of personal properties upon selection of adequate methods of the psychological regulation.

2. Education to calming methods of self-regulation.

3. Education to mobilizing methods of self-regulation.

4. Self-mind-setting to formation of the goal and tasks.

5. Regulation of the emotional state during the work.

6. Pacification after the work.

Practical refereeing is extremely necessary for formation of the referee, especially under the control of the trainer-teacher, a mentor. The most specialists in the area of the sport refereeing coincide that the most effective methods of increase of the quality of refereeing are the game and competitive ones as they are maximally close to working conditions. It requires a high level of the discipline, concentration of attention, mobility and cooperation from the referee. Such games help to acquire stability, reliability, experience and mastery and to fix skills.

Competitive or game preparation gives real feelings, brings the referee closer to the situation in which he will be during official games. The refereeing practice is the main criterion of the growth. Game method provides a complex development of physical qualities and improvement of motor skills and abilities as in the process of the game they appear in the close interaction. The factor of emotionality assists to formation of a stable positive motivation, increase of the level of readiness of referees, stimulation of the maximum manifestation of motor abilities and detects the level of their development, evaluates the quality of mastering of motor abilities, provides the maximum physical load and assists to training of the volitional qualities.

Quality of work increases when the referee has an ability to perceive instantly and evaluate the changing information quickly and to make the relevant decisions operatively, to react to situations. It depends on the personality's qualities of the referee. Foreknowledge of the referee, his abilities to forecast any further process of the game affect the quickness of receipt and processing of the incoming information. A well-qualified referee does not look for and wait for fouls, but manages the process of the game and fixes fouls only when they really occur. Thus, upon selection of sport referees it is necessary to account such factors as the intellectual, psychological, pedagogical and physiological ones.

Methods of education to referee's acts are the one of the poorly studied problems in the sport science. At the same time the interest of specialists to the given problem currently grows. It is connected, first of all, with new data on the referee' activity in various sports expanding the borders of knowledge and opportunities upon preparation of referees.

Resolution of tasks of staffing of the referees' corps by well-qualified referees is complicated by the poor volume of the professional information and slow ingress of scientific researches to the given area and their substantiation. In specific works there were attempts to interpret the matters of refereeing from positions of the sportive science, however, on the most important aspects the problem has been developed insufficiently and many of them have become obsolete due to the quick progress of the game and development of the modern technologies.

Works of some authors are aimed, first of all, to research of the problem of preparation of already experienced and acting referees. In the first place, we should name the works of the veteran of the referees' corps of Russia M.A. Davydov who contributed a lot to the system of preparation of referees. M.A. Davydov in his work dedicated to selection and special preparation of the referees' corps evaluated referees from a bit different positions. He studied already prepared referees of various referee categories. M.A. Davydov offered tests for attention and lability of the nervous system.

The authors virtually completely ignore the matter of training of the functional abilities, a complex control of preparedness of referees. Actually there are no data on the experimental verification of the efficiency of proposed preparation programs, and qualitative assessments of a set of the most important factors of preparedness and quality of refereeing as well as strict criteria of the efficiency of work of referees have not been developed.

Information on education and preparation of referees at the initial stage is rather fragmentary. Methods, means, types of exercises for assimilation of skills of basketball refereeing have been described in the published tutorials insufficiently. Description of the movement technique (mechanics of refereeing), control over areas of responsibility on the court is outdated.

Meanwhile, a new mechanics of refereeing appears, i.e. the two - person officiating is being replaced by the three - person officiating, i.e. by the work of three referees on the court. Technique of movement of referees on the court has changed in accordance with the increased speeds in the game. It became more adaptive: instead of running backwards the referee uses the smooth running: acceleration or basketball side-step. All this has been made for the purpose of improvement of the referee's work, his adaptation and maximum control over the game.

There is a valuable material from the practical point of view available in methodical manuals. They describe the technique of interaction with partners, types of preparation of referees before the game, technique of management of the game process. The most of their provisions is topical nowadays as well. However, there is no clear structure of education of referees in the given sources. Therefore, it is necessary to research the given problem both from the theoretical and practical points of view.

In the sport literature the idea of the complex preparation of referees, which includes not only the theory and practice of refereeing but also such important section of preparation as the psychical and psychological preparation, has been reflected.

It is necessary to note that complexes of control normatives have no unified methodical structure and that the level of requirements under specific sections differs significantly. Thus, in the basketball they have removed the reliable and informative test for determination of the physical preparedness of referees – the Cooper test of the endurance, the informative test of the quickness offered by the Euroleague is used not everywhere, the shuttle test, which by its content closely repeated the scheme of movement of the referee during the game, has been cancelled. Despite the importance of normative requirements to referees reflecting the level of their physical shape and theoretical knowledge the main criteria of qualification and preparedness of referees is the immediate analysis of the quality of the practical refereeing.

Matters of preparation of basketball referees have been insufficiently reflected in the scientific and methodical literature. In connection therewith development of the complex methods of preparation of referees, which would be a part of the existing program of preparation of sport referees thus improving it, seems to be actual and topical.

The main components of the complex methods of preparation of referees, in our opinion, are the theoretical and practical parts that are the interrelated ones. Tasks of the theoretical preparation are knowledge of official rules, their interpretation and of the mechanics of officiating. Efficiency of the practical preparation directly depends on the practice of refereeing of basketball games, i.e. on the strict application of the theoretical knowledge.

For the high-quality practice a special physical preparation (quickness, speed endurance) is needed as the referee performs the sufficient volume of the physical work. The criteria of efficiency of the referees' activity developed by us would show an objective picture of their preparedness. Thus, the detailed analysis of the special literature and of the practical experience formed the basis of the complex methods of preparation of basketball referees offered by us.

Fedor Dmitriev, International referee, PhD

The 13th FIBA summit was held in Postojna – a small town in the South-Western side of Slovenia.

This camp was intended only for women - 2 players from each country under 15 years old plus 1 referee and 1 coach.

Every morning began with warm-up.

Camp's lecturers were FIBA referees Özlem Yalman (Turkey) and Susanna Karolina Andersson (Finland).

Each referee was trying to show their best and in the last day an All Star Game was organized - the best players and coaches were selected for this.

As we had too many referees here, lecturers decided to make 4 teams of 3PO each quarter. I was a crew chief of the first team of referees.

At the end of the match a closing ceremony was organized, where best players, coaches and referees got their awards.

The best trio of 29 referees was outlined – officials from Russia, Slovenia and Austria.

This summit gave me unforgettable emotions, new experience and I met a lot of new friends. I'm so grateful to each and every one who gave me the chance of being here!


Dinara Safarova.