The third session of the 2004 FIBA Europe Referee Clinic kicked off on 6th June in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria.

During these six clinics, approximately 225 referees face one of the newest challenges to European refereeing as they are trained in three-person mechanics.

		Practice for Three-Person Mechanics

“The style of European basketball is different from that of the NCAA or NBA,” FIBA Europe Referee Co-ordinator Miguel Betancor clarified. “It doesn’t make sense to just copy their systems, so we have had to adapt these techniques to the European style and teach the referees the philosophies behind it.”

These philosophies and techniques are being taught to the referees in two ways. First of all, the referees are studying the proper positions and movements three-person mechanics through flash animation on FIBA Europe’s new referee Web site.

The second aspect of their three-person mechanics training is practical. The referees practice officiating two games each day of the clinic. Each referee wears head phones through which Betancor and other instructors can indicate what he or she is doing correctly. For example, if a referee is standing too closely to a situation, he or she may hear, “Take a step backward,” on his or her head phones.

“Three-person mechanics are easier, but only if the three persons work together properly,” Betancor said. “Every person has to know his responsibility, what he has to look for, etc.”

“The goal is to increase the quality, not the number of calls.”

Though only 30-40% percent of the referees attending the clinic have used three-person mechanics in their countries’ leagues, teaching this technique will be necessary for the future of basketball in Europe. Still, there are a lot of basic principles that are virtually the same as in Two-Person Mechanics.

“This training will result in FIBA Europe using the Three-Person system for the FIBA Europe League and Division A of the European Championship for Men in the 2004-2005 Season,” Betancor said. “Of course, the overall goal is that it will improve officiating.”

Keep visiting FIBAEUROPE.COM for further updates from the FIBA Europe Referee Clinics 2004 in Maspalomas.