“I WAS ONLY THE JUDGE”

On more than one occasion I have heard a disappointed referee grumble about not getting a final.   When I ask the individual, if they had a bad tournament, they clarify by saying, “I didn’t referee a final; I was only the judge.”  Wait, what did you just say?  With my eyes wide open and mouth agape, I have to give the disappointed referee a double take.  Hopefully, my shocked expression is not too obvious.  Did I hear you correctly?  Do you realize what you just said?  Do you understand the importance of the judge?  From your simple statement, I do not believe you appreciate the judge’s position or scope of responsibilities.  “My friend, please, sit down.  We need to talk.”

The judge is an often overlooked member of the referee team.  They sit emotionless, quietly doing their job, not drawing any attention to themselves.    The judge is a quiet leader, with the ability to inject peace or chaos on every call, in every bout.  The strength or weakness of a judge can make or break the officiating team. 

Anyone can sit at a table, mirror the referee, raise a paddle and write down a score down.  How much thought or effort does that take?  Zero in my opinion.  An individual who views the judge’s position as a place to stash a weak referee or doesn’t take the role of the judge seriously is simply “chaos” looking for a place to happen.  An inferior judge is someone who does not pay attention, does not take their job seriously, or is slow to respond to actions on the mat.  They erode any cohesion among the officiating team.  Conversely, a superior judge is someone who takes the job seriously and is able to manage/evaluate a multitude of things simultaneously during a bout.  This includes items such as; evaluating actions, maintaining clock awareness, evaluating the impacts of penalties such as passivity and cautions, understanding when to offer an option to the chairman and when not to make an offer, using proper paddle mechanics, understanding the right time and the right situation to use the white paddle, assisting the referee in order to keep them out of chaos, nonverbally communicating with the referee, writing the score on the bout sheet, etc.  The judge has an incredible amount of responsibility during a bout, yet they get very little credit. 

The judge is the referee’s teammate.  The judge and referee work very closely during the bout ensuring the right calls are made at the right time.  The judge is not required to blindly agree with the referee.  The judge must call their own bout.  With every action, the judge will determine whether or not the chairman gets involved in the decision-making process.  Including or excluding the chairman is the option.  When the judge determines an alternate call should be made from what the referee has offered, an option is offered to the chairman.  Options should only be offered to the chairman when they are pertinent.  The judge should never offer options to the chairman just to offer something different.  I have seen this happen too many times and the option gets confirmed and the wrong wrestler is awarded undeserved points or wins the bout.  It is important to think and be selective when offering options.  For example, red executes a feet-to-back throw and the referee offers two points.  As a judge, you saw blue land in danger.  This would be the time to invite the chairman into the decision-making process and offer a four point option.  Now on the same action, the referee holds up four points, why would the judge offer anything different than four points?  You shouldn’t.  Offering something different, just to be different, is disruptive, injects chaos, causes frustration and makes the referee team look bad.  The judge’s ability to understand what is taking place in the bout and when to offer an option, can help or sink the referee. 

A superior judge is also very skilled using the paddles.  When observing a superior judge, you will notice they resemble a conductor leading a symphony; very fluid.  Their motions are effortless and with purpose.  Gaining comfort and proficiency with the paddles takes time and practice.  In my opinion, the number one cause of disruption for the officiating team is a slow judge who has poor paddle mechanics.  A slow judge who’s trying to figure out what to call and which paddle to raise, unnecessarily, disrupts the flow of the bout and injects frustration for everyone involved.  As a chairman or referee, I have wanted to stop the bout, walk across the mat, and place my arm around the judge, smile, and say “If you don’t speed up and use the paddles correctly, I’m going to kill you”.  Now of course, I won’t stop the bout and I definitely will not kill my judge.  However, anyone who has been in this situation as a chairman or referee, and had a slow judge, understands my point. 

Proper paddle mechanics are critical to the flow of the bout.  Mechanics for using the paddles are fairly easy and straightforward.  Score the action by raising the corresponding colored-number paddle straight up over your head (not out to the side), pause, lower it straight back down and place it back on the table.  If the referee offers red-2pts and you agree, raise the red #2 paddle straight up over your head (not out to the side), pause, lower it straight back down and place it back on the table. Continue watching the action.  Once the action has stopped, mark the score card.  Do not look down at the score card until action has stopped. You may miss an action.  When scoring multiple actions, raise only one-colored paddle at a time in the order the points are scored.  Do not hold up multiple paddles at the same time.  The sequence the scoring occurred is important to for tie break criteria.  The proper mechanics are as follows.  Referee offer blue-4pts, red-2pts and blue-1pt.  The judge will raise the blue #4 paddle, pause, then back down.  Raise the red #2 paddle, pause, lower the paddle and place it on the table.  Then raise the blue #1 paddle, pause, lower it and place it on the table.  Do not hold up the blue #4 and #1 paddles in your right hand and the red #2 paddle in your left hand.  That causes confusion in understanding the scoring sequence.  The same principles apply if the judge does not agree with the referee.  For example, the referee offers red-2pts.  In your opinion, as the judge, it was blue who scored.  You would hold up the blue #2 paddle.  At this point, the chairman is part of the decision-making process.  Keep observing the action and chairman for the confirmed call.  The same mechanics apply to passivity as well.  If you agree with the referee’s passivity call, confirm the call by holding up the corresponding colored paddle over your head, not out to the side), pause, lower it straight down and place it on the table, and mark your bout sheet.  Simple, right?  Of course it is. 

What happens when the judge and referee disagree on passivity?  This is where the art of offering options and proper paddle mechanics come together.  Passivity disagreement is a unique situation and the white paddle is the tool of choice.  Now before you reach for the white paddle and show disagreement, ask yourself; has the referee communicated with the wrestlers, has the referee communicated through the wrestlers to the referee team, and has the referee set up the call?  If they have, are you sure you really want the white paddle. What impact will the white paddle have on the bout?  Every passivity situation is different and I am not saying you should, or shouldn’t, white paddle passivity.  I am telling you to THINK!   Raising an ill-timed white paddle could throw the bout into complete chaos.  As the judge, you have the power to help or sink the referee.

You still disagree with the referee. Raise the white paddle, expressing disagreement, to the chairman.  The judge should never raise the opposite colored paddle to show disagreement.  Raising the opposite colored paddle gives the appearance the officiating team is dysfunctional and not working together.  If the referee asks for passivity on one color, the judge has three options.  Option one; “agree with the referee” by raising the corresponding colored paddle.  Option two; “disagree with the referee” by raising the white paddle, expressing disagreement, and inviting the chairman to become part of the decision-making process.  Option three; “disagree with the referee on one color and offer the opposite color” by raising the white paddle, expressing disagreement with the initial call.  Pause, lower the paddle and place it on the table. Then raise the opposite colored paddle to indicate which wrestler you are identifying as being passive. The judge has expressed disagreement, offered an option, and invited the chairman into the decision-making process.  Each passivity scenario is unique and requires thought.  Don’t be overenthusiastic with the white paddle; think.

As you can now appreciate, I believe the judge is absolutely critical to the success or failure of the referee team.  Judges with superior skills can quickly process and understand what’s occurring in the bout and assess how passivity, cautions, white paddle and options affect the bout.  Experienced chairmen appreciate having a judge with superior skills on their team.  The goal of a chairman is to keep their mat flowing smoothly and a quality judge is the center point of that effort.  So now my friend, I ask you, “do you still believe you were only the judge?”