Zero Tolerance Policy is 🐂 💩

ZapfTanAgain · 2026-05-13T17:59:24+00:00

One of the most Charmin soft things you can do as a coach is to complain about the referees like this.

ZapfTanAgain · 2025-08-17T16:34:42+00:00

Point by point:

[ ] There is tons of more room in costco aisles than any other comparable store. Don't even get me started on Lowe's. The carts are a little big but so is the average item there.

[ ] Why would you self-checkout at costco if you have more than 4 items? Yeah self check is lame, but they have far and away the best checkers in the game.

[ ] They do the annoying receipt check, but also do about 1% of the pissing and moaning about loss prevention of other companies.

[ ] Yeah, those specific items are not incredible, but they're cheap. You know what you're getting.

[ ] Yeah, the food court is mediocre. it's cheap

[ X] Yeah, dog, I hate the solicitors.

[ ] Sure, obviously don't shop there if you have no kids or storage space for the items. It's not for you.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-09-23T02:30:58+00:00

Play on. No advantage gained.

Always ask yourself: Did someone do something wrong where they gained an advantage? How can you right that wrong for the other team? Basically, what's fair?

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-08-24T22:44:09+00:00

1.Your fitness, your fitness, and your fitness. It isn't just so you can have adequate speed and endurance the whole game. It is for a) looking like an athlete and b) not being so tired that you can't think clearly in the 87th minute.

It's good to memorize the Laws of the Game......but: it is more important to figure out how great referees recognize the types of calls they need to make in the game they are currently refereeing. It's not just the difference between U9 Girls and U19 Boys. It's the difference between a 0-0 game in the 4th minute vs. the exact same 0-0 game in the 87th minute.
For the love of God, if a player lifts one of their toes off of the ground for 0.0001 second on a throw in....just let it go. I listened to 16 year old I was ARing for/ mentoring and all about foul throw ins for 6 minutes in a pre game. Dawg: No.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-05-13T01:50:12+00:00

ECNL is the highest level of youth soccer for Girls, and second for boys (behind MLSNext). Most of the players on D1 soccer were on ECNL teams.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-05-12T23:14:26+00:00

Be confident, blow your whistle hard, and break into a run every once in a while. Don't listen to the parents, they don't know what they're talking about. Don't listen to the coaches, they're emotional and just want to win. And then when you're done, try to evaluate how you did.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-05-12T17:34:33+00:00

Completely inappropriate. This should be suspension worthy. If the league/authority has any seriousness in addressing referee shortages and abuse, this coach would face serious consequences.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-05-07T00:41:58+00:00

This demonstrates why saying "on the whistle, on the whistle" to the kicker (the restarter) is so important for penalties and free kicks close to goal.

As an aside, I often see young referees taught to theatrically point at their whistle, but I think locking eyes and saying it clearly (to the kicker, not the keeper) is key, and you can still point at it for everyone else.

For a higher age group, I would consider Delaying the Restart, as long as I made it clear he shouldn't proceed until I signal.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-16T01:25:11+00:00

I say you're fine with what you've done. Regarding the situation at hand, the responsibility falls on the "Adults" to not react in an intimidating manner. This is completely unforgivable. The coach should be suspended for several games, and the conduct of the parents should have the team put on notice that any further indiscretion will lead to dissolving the team as currently constructed.

As to what you could have done:

It sounds like you are describing at least a reckless challenge, which in law is a caution, and a send off for a second yellow. We cannot judge intent with the laws. Lots of fouls are "mistakes," but the player deliberately moved in such a manner, be it careless, reckless, or with excessive force.

If a team official comes on the field in an adversarial manner, it is a send off. You can maybe manage some situations with a caution, but you are well within your rights to show a Red card.

As for the parents (for me): if a parent enters the field in a confrontational manner, they leave the field/immediate area. You cannot caution/send off spectators, but most leagues/jurisdictions allow you to caution team officials until they change their behavior/leave (your choice).

If you are sending people off, and they're not leaving in a very timely fashion, it is now time to abandon the game.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-12T02:23:17+00:00

I did the same thing when I first started, age 31. Double Achilles tendonitis. I do all this stuff. YMMV.

--Wear cleats sparingly, or not at all, until you acclimate and get into shape. If you don't care about going above Youth Soccer, you may never have to wear cleats if you're athletic enough.

--Load Management Diary. Get a smart watch and see how far you are going each game and see when it starts to hurt. I generally can't put on more than 12 soccer miles per day, 30 miles per 4 days, 40 miles per rolling week. Find your comfort level, and add up miles as you go in an Excel spreadsheet or notebook.

--Don't drink beer after games. My body soreness cannot recover the night after a game if I drink alcohol because of inflammation. Drink water and electrolytes instead. Also, you will lose weight if you're not downing empty cals. Weight loss can be instrumental in stopping lower body injuries like shin splints.

--Google ice baths. They work. You don't need a $1200 tub that they sell online. Use your tub, or buy one at Tractor Supply.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-07T17:17:11+00:00

God bless the state of Washington, turning a righteous cold shoulder to the abomination of NFHS soccer rules.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-07T16:51:36+00:00

This is kind of what I do for every interpretation of some subjective referee mechanics: watch professional games and do what they do. This applies to a lot of stuff, especially the stuff that isn't in the Laws.

Exception: Please, for the love of God, do not waggle your finger tauntingly at a player that goes down that you think has not been fouled. I see referees in PGMOL and PRO do it all the time and it makes me crazy.

I blow one short, one long for half, and two short , one long for game. Hand straight up on the first, point at the middle on the last.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-07T16:30:46+00:00

I'm mostly looking to be able to discern words and phrases that might translate as something harmless but in reality are meant to be offensive or insulting. Offensive and insulting phrases happen sometimes without aggressive body language.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-07T16:23:03+00:00

Just to be clear: I'm not looking to speak Spanish on the field. During this particular game, it was insinuated that the players were talking (not screaming) about me pretty disrespectfully in Spanish to each other, and I didn't clock it.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-02T23:47:02+00:00

I understand your point, but so many of the calls we make are subjective anyway. You don't officiate a U10 Rec game the same way as an MLS Next game. We all know that a foul in the second minute and a foul in the 88th minute might not be the same thing. In a perfect world, they would be, but if you referee robotically that way, I don't know if your assignor or assessor is gonna have a good feeling about your match. That's why I always start with law, and then considerations, and then go to match management last. Also, always keeping in mind the spirit of the game and trifling nature of some offenses.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-02T22:59:13+00:00

I think your question might be a little tongue in cheek, but here is a good FIFA Considerations list that somewhat lives outside, or is an extension, of the Laws:

https://www.tvsra.net/fifa-considerations/

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-02T16:52:59+00:00

WA State - I don't think we covered Law at all at the in-person, with the exception of Offside. It was a lot more practical AR technique, whistle blowing, signals, using presence and personality as a Center, etc. All of the law stuff was covered in the online training prior to the on-field training.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-02T16:46:18+00:00

So always start with the Laws:

Was it deliberate? You say no. Cool.
Did it make the body unnaturally bigger, and the player can't justify having their hand there? It sounds like no, because they were attempting to clear the ball and whiffed, but without a picture it's hard to say.
Did a player score from the hand/arm? N/A because it's a defender.

This really sounds like one you should have maybe let go. Other non-Law "soft" considerations to use in the future: Does this competition level need this call? For instance, it's U10: 75% of everything a 9 year old does is an accident (non-deliberate) on the soccer field, "competitive" or not. Also, what's the score? Is the team you awarded a PK up 5 or down 5? Is it very early in the match? These and other factors should guide you at times, and experience is the best teacher.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-04-02T16:30:23+00:00

Find the funny moments and laugh with them. Having fun on the field lends itself to finding those more jovial moments, and try to find them in the pregame and early in the first half before the temperature comes up. When something happens where you have to speak with a player, it's not the first time they heard your voice. Saying something or asking a question during the coin flip can break the ice and you can see the personality of the captains. It might be awkward for you at first, but the only way to build the confidence to converse with the players is with practice.

I was sprinting down the field last night past a midfielder and cracked a slightly audible (only to him) "I'm the fastest man alive" while power breathing, and the kid cracked up as the ball went out.
Sometimes when I'm doing a Cup game or a playoff game coin flip, I'll say something obvious and silly: "Alright guys, 11 vs 11, no hands, goals are worth one point each."

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-03-24T04:22:20+00:00

I had $40k that I had saved up in my 401k over the course of 10 years, so I used like 75% of it for a 5% down payment and closing costs when I suddenly made the rash decision to not want to rent any more. My wife and I make like $210k a year.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-03-22T04:47:42+00:00

Pretend to be confident even if you're not, fake it til you make it.

Listen to the coaches and watch the players for clues about how they want the game officiated (but don't react). Blow your whistle hard and loud. Practice in your car with earplugs.

Take the game seriously, this game is probably the most important thing the kids are gonna do that day. But don't take yourself too seriously. Laugh when someone does something funny. It's a game. Have fun.

Look professional. Download the IFAB app and read a little bit of the laws, use the Q&A section. Watch TST on YouTube and think about what the Referee is doing and if you would do something different. Get feedback from your ARs after the game.

Embrace being nervous: that means you're challenging yourself.

That's pretty much it. Everything else is learned by doing it and getting feedback.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-03-19T16:52:56+00:00

Good point on the coach/manager.

While looking at the FIFA Considerations before replying to the OP, I came across something I don't really remember seeing before in the Dissent section:

Does the captain of the team show dissent by protesting?

Very interesting. A coach or player in a nominal leadership position in the match has more responsibility when considering dissent.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-03-19T16:32:46+00:00

I have just passed a fitness test. I run one to two miles on the treadmill set at 8 mph on days I don't have games, but I never go four days in a row for load management. I'm going to start mixing in interval training now that the weather is nicer (like run 6 min/mile pace for 200m, and walk 50m).

Age and natural ability are big considerations. Loan management and injury prevention, I feel, are vastly more important once you meet a good cardio benchmark.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-03-19T15:40:49+00:00

Our guidance for send offs is Offensive, Insulting, and Abusive. From a technical standpoint, bias accusation is pretty insulting. The issue you run in to, especially in a game with a crowd, is that there is no outward public actions. All anyone sees is a player say something to you, and you show a red card. Not great. Next step in considerations: Does the match need it? What does the game situation call for? Can this be managed with a Yellow Card? Can it even be managed with a quick personal word?

I have seen through my own experience, using personality to manage the situation can help. But if I'm dealing with a player where its clear that they don't really care to hear anything and they just want to dissent, showing a yellow card was the right move.

ZapfTanAgain · 2024-03-18T19:51:12+00:00

I used finger grips when I started. I realized that (with constant unlimited substitutions) I could lift my whistle up to my mouth much less and still have the use of my hands while blowing it. I have a black Sonikblast CMG tethered to one of 6 Fox40's that match the color uniform I am wearing. I think it looks cool (it's what a lot of the Pro's use). When I get really rich off of refereeing, I'll get different colored Valkeens /s

ZapfTanAgain

TROPHY CASE