Reply to Do you think your kids' travel sports coach knows the rules?

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[quote=Anonymous]I've become a sports official -- umpire. Been doing it now for two years after my kids played and I coached, including one of their travel teams.

One thing I've become acutely aware of is how ignorant I was of the actual rules when I was a parent and coach. I always THOUGHT I knew them but it wasn't until I trained as an official, which included classroom instruction and on-field clinics that I learned just how much I did NOT know.

Now, as I officiate youth games (I'm certified in sanctions all the way to varsity high school/NFHS but not NCAA or pro), I've really come to notice that coaches today are exactly the same as I was. The better coaches are at least humble about it. The worst coaches have egos and often insist they're right when they're wrong -- their understanding is either flat-out wrong, they believe a myth (like "the hands are part of the bat" or "tie goes to the runner") or their information is just outdated (i.e. it might have been a rule when they played 20 years ago but the rule has since changed).

These coaches tend to be the ones who say "I always heard xxx, yyy, zzz." To which I always reply, "but did you READ it?"

Anyway, in this era of complete dilution of travel sports and rampant Daddy ball, I'm curious what your experience has been. I CAN say that now that I wear the officials' uniform I see things a whole lot more differently and cringe at my own ignorance years ago.

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