Happy feet
I got CR feedback from an observer a few weeks ago. He mentioned it's a good best practice to always have 'happy feet' as a referee.
When I heard him say this, I immediately liked the idea. It clicked into place and just made sense.
I also find it easier to internalize things I should do while refereeing when they’re packaged into fun, pithy wordplay like this. It’s just easier to remember in the moment.
Initially, I thought the concept of happy feet meant always having your feet moving. But the more I think about it and after the few games I’ve worked since being told this, I think it means you should always:
be moving your feet, or…
be ready to move your feet
It’s about having a good mix of kinetic and potential energy.
If you’re predicting where the play is going and are moving your feet to get there, great.
If there’s a break in play and you’re mentally preparing for your feet to get you somewhere, that’s also great.
But it needs to be one or the other. And often both at once!
I was working a couple adult league games last night…
Every game I work, I learn at least one new thing and try to add it to my repertoire.
Last night it was to make sure I have happy feet when the ball is bouncing around the penalty area.
Once in each game last night, there was a handball shout that would have resulted in a penalty that I legitimately did not see (and thus did not call).
In one instance, a player came across my vision of the play right when it happened and in the other, the potential handball happened on the other side of the player.
Could both handball shouts have simply been the attacking team trying to win an undeserved penalty?
Of course. It’s very possible. I didn’t get any real complaints after either no-call so maybe neither should have been penalized.
But the fact remains I didn’t see either handball…
I believe it’s because I didn’t have ‘happy feet’ in the very moment I needed them.
If I had been one step to my left or right on either play, I might have given myself a better angle on the play as it was unfolding and seen enough to make a legitimate call one way or the other.
Either way, that’s something I'm going to focus on moving forward. When the ball’s bouncing around the penalty area, I need to be on my toes and readjusting my position really quickly to make sure I have a good line of sight.
Know a soccer ref? Feel free to share this with them 💙