The ABC of Conflict:
The ABC of Conflic.t
The Advanced Buffer Circle.
The aim of this article is to encourage referees to think positively about the best place to stand when disciplining players. Whilst it is all well and good focusing on a perpetrator during a period of admonishment, a referee should also keep a wary eye on the remainder of the players. It very often happens, that when a referee is dealing with a player, he sometimes ignores everything else. The ‘ABC of Conflict’ method provides some thoughts on how the referee can better position himself, so as to maximise his observation and increase his safety, without having to lessen the control and view of all the players (not just the perpetrator). Therefore, the next time that you (the referee) need to administer a public warning, or issue a yellow/red card, try to consider whether you would be better off standing in a different position, rather than remaining static where you are.
1. As soon as conflict materialises, and you need to speak to a player, think about the best position to manipulate the perpetrator, so that he is standing in front of you. Your position should be such, that it allows you to view all (or most) of the other players, over the perpetrator's shoulder. In other words, don’t just stand in the centre circle amongst the other players, most of whom you will not be able to see as you are dealing with the perpetrator.
2. In addition to this, the perpetrator should be positioned between you and the nearest active Assistant Referee. This maximises the officiating team’s visibility and control of the conflict area. It also allows the Assistant Referee to make a note of the perpetrator's number written on the back of his shirt.
3. Try and move into a position where you have your back to one of the boundary lines surrounding the field of play. This will give you a panoramic view of the remaining players whilst you are dealing with the perpetrator. If a boundary line is too far away, move to a position where you have your back to an area of the field of play that has the least number of players in. This way, you can at least keep an eye on most of the other players. The technical area is also something else that you will need to keep an eye on! Therefore, never place your back towards a nearby technical area when you are dealing with a player.
4. Aim to have an empty safety zone behind you. There are two reasons for this:
(a) So you don't have to worry about being attacked or abused unseen from behind
(b) So that you have an empty ‘back-off’ retreat zone should things get out of hand, and you need to take a few steps
backwards.
5. When you have reached your position, make sure that you leave a protection zone between yourself and the perpetrator. This zone is commonly known as your ‘personal space’, and should not be invaded by players. It should be of sufficient distance that makes it impossible for a punch to be thrown. In other words, it should be at least an arm’s distance. If you allow a player to invade this space, you are jeopardising your own safety, and the intimidation stakes will quickly rise!
Inner Ref. circle: Now that you have gained your optimal position, think of the ‘ABC of Conflict’ as you (the Ref) standing in the centre, surrounded by three wide circular rings (like sugary doughnuts with holes in!) Each doughnut is progressively wider than the other, and they are all surrounding the Referee
1-metre circle: The Referee stands in the middle, and is surrounded by a 1 metre wide ring (or doughnut!).This is the buffer zone, the no-go, or no-mans area and should be at least an arm’s length away from the perpetrator.
2-metre buffer circle: Surrounding Circle 1, there is a 2-metre wide ring. This is the area where the perpetrator should be positioned. The perpetrator must not enter the inner buffer zone (Circle 1), as this could be seen as invading the Referee's personal space, but he must be near enough to be dealt with quietly and politely, without the referee having to shout.
3-metre advanced circle: Surrounding the two inner rings (1 and 2), is a further 3 metre wide ring. This is theadvanced
exclusion zone that applies to ALL the other players. In other words, when you prepare to caution or send-off a player, shoo away any others who want to get involved – and this includes the captain!
To summarise: The ‘ABC of Conflict’ is a simple visual concept, which you can refer to, when considering the best place to position yourself, when dealing with major conflict on the field of play. When you need to deliver a public warning, or to issue a card, don’t forget, that your duties and responsibilities extend to all the other players, and not just the one you happened to be dealing with. You can't do this by turning your back on them - unless you have eyes in the back of your head.
The Advanced Buffer Circle.
The aim of this article is to encourage referees to think positively about the best place to stand when disciplining players. Whilst it is all well and good focusing on a perpetrator during a period of admonishment, a referee should also keep a wary eye on the remainder of the players. It very often happens, that when a referee is dealing with a player, he sometimes ignores everything else. The ‘ABC of Conflict’ method provides some thoughts on how the referee can better position himself, so as to maximise his observation and increase his safety, without having to lessen the control and view of all the players (not just the perpetrator). Therefore, the next time that you (the referee) need to administer a public warning, or issue a yellow/red card, try to consider whether you would be better off standing in a different position, rather than remaining static where you are.
1. As soon as conflict materialises, and you need to speak to a player, think about the best position to manipulate the perpetrator, so that he is standing in front of you. Your position should be such, that it allows you to view all (or most) of the other players, over the perpetrator's shoulder. In other words, don’t just stand in the centre circle amongst the other players, most of whom you will not be able to see as you are dealing with the perpetrator.
2. In addition to this, the perpetrator should be positioned between you and the nearest active Assistant Referee. This maximises the officiating team’s visibility and control of the conflict area. It also allows the Assistant Referee to make a note of the perpetrator's number written on the back of his shirt.
3. Try and move into a position where you have your back to one of the boundary lines surrounding the field of play. This will give you a panoramic view of the remaining players whilst you are dealing with the perpetrator. If a boundary line is too far away, move to a position where you have your back to an area of the field of play that has the least number of players in. This way, you can at least keep an eye on most of the other players. The technical area is also something else that you will need to keep an eye on! Therefore, never place your back towards a nearby technical area when you are dealing with a player.
4. Aim to have an empty safety zone behind you. There are two reasons for this:
(a) So you don't have to worry about being attacked or abused unseen from behind
(b) So that you have an empty ‘back-off’ retreat zone should things get out of hand, and you need to take a few steps
backwards.
5. When you have reached your position, make sure that you leave a protection zone between yourself and the perpetrator. This zone is commonly known as your ‘personal space’, and should not be invaded by players. It should be of sufficient distance that makes it impossible for a punch to be thrown. In other words, it should be at least an arm’s distance. If you allow a player to invade this space, you are jeopardising your own safety, and the intimidation stakes will quickly rise!
Inner Ref. circle: Now that you have gained your optimal position, think of the ‘ABC of Conflict’ as you (the Ref) standing in the centre, surrounded by three wide circular rings (like sugary doughnuts with holes in!) Each doughnut is progressively wider than the other, and they are all surrounding the Referee
1-metre circle: The Referee stands in the middle, and is surrounded by a 1 metre wide ring (or doughnut!).This is the buffer zone, the no-go, or no-mans area and should be at least an arm’s length away from the perpetrator.
2-metre buffer circle: Surrounding Circle 1, there is a 2-metre wide ring. This is the area where the perpetrator should be positioned. The perpetrator must not enter the inner buffer zone (Circle 1), as this could be seen as invading the Referee's personal space, but he must be near enough to be dealt with quietly and politely, without the referee having to shout.
3-metre advanced circle: Surrounding the two inner rings (1 and 2), is a further 3 metre wide ring. This is theadvanced
exclusion zone that applies to ALL the other players. In other words, when you prepare to caution or send-off a player, shoo away any others who want to get involved – and this includes the captain!
To summarise: The ‘ABC of Conflict’ is a simple visual concept, which you can refer to, when considering the best place to position yourself, when dealing with major conflict on the field of play. When you need to deliver a public warning, or to issue a card, don’t forget, that your duties and responsibilities extend to all the other players, and not just the one you happened to be dealing with. You can't do this by turning your back on them - unless you have eyes in the back of your head.