Officials, just like athletes, need to keep focused by regularly upskilling their techniques in all aspects of becoming the best officials we can, not just for our athletes but also for ourselves.
With most countries still in lockdown and many International and local events having to be cancelled or postponed, we need to find other avenues to help us with educating ourselves so when our future events take place we are prepared.
Now more than ever we have an opportunity to spend some time reading through and understanding the IFMA rules and regulations, especially the new updates. Many officials have been fortunate enough to attend in person, a seminar given by some of the most experienced and knowledgeable people in Muaythai. So now is a great time to really delve into the rules.
Another way to keep progressing individually is to put what we have learnt into practice, there are many ways this can be achieved:
- Watch previous footage of yourself and see where you may have made some mistakes and if improvements can be made.
- Watch other officials/mentors that you admire so you can learn and educate yourself on protocols and procedures, such as ring entry, equipment check etc.
- Practice hand signals, such as “Chok, signals for fouls, performing 8 counts, etc”. Film yourself and re-watch or practice in a mirror to see where you can improve your posture and your gestures.
- If possible go to your local clubs or development days and offer some time to referee their athletes sparring, this is a great way to give you practical experience in different scenarios.
These are a few suggestions that may hopefully help you in your R&J journey.
We have seen NF holding webinars and online seminars for their officials, which is great to see them stay committed to improvement as there is always room for improvement. With many more online educational platforms being developed for the future, our officials will have plenty of opportunity to continue to grow.
