I am short. Not exceptionally short, but I'm definitely below average in height. As shown in this picture, compared to most other referees, I am a head and shoulders below. This follows through to quidditch players, particularly the biggest drivers and tacklers on a team. As such, the general positioning of a head referee in the UK - basically just going up and down one side - doesn't work for me. I can't see above enough of the players to follow the quaffle adequately.
As a head referee, I'm much more in the middle of the action than a lot of other head refs. I will be running alongside the main quaffle carrier, and I'm quite often between them and their passing option - I'm short enough that they can make a straight pass over my head without even having to duck. This means I can see a lot more of the incoming contact on both players than being on the outside. It does mean that I can get rather close to some of the plays, but I have improved a lot in my get-out-of-the-way skills which includes running backwards and jumping over bludgers. I'm also fairly amenable to players running very close by me, or even moving me out of the way (gently). I've yet to have feedback that this has negatively impacted someone's game, and as I generally get a better position out of doing this I'm going to carry on until I hear otherwise.
Most of my positioning skills have been learnt as a highly defensive beater - it's all about seeing where the player/pass is going to go and covering that space in the least time and distance possible. I have little legs as well as being just generally slow, so this is very important for me to be good at. Generally speaking, I try to be slightly ahead of the quaffle carrier so I'm nearer to whoever they pass to and so I also have a decent angle on whatever contact happens. You're never going to have the perfect angle on a tackle, so it's better to just maximise your chances of seeing the key aspects - navel position, whether or not the shoulder is dropped, and where their other arm is.
The worst thing is when someone makes a long, loopy pass and then you have to leg it down the pitch to try and see what is happening behind the hoops. I don't think it's controversial to say that plays made behind the hoops are the most poorly refereed ones in all of quidditch - even the fastest referees often can't get there fast enough and it's bad practice to regularly be behind the hoops. So the best thing to do in this situation (at least in my opinion) is to create an angle where you can see the most. Being directly behind the person with the quaffle is going to make judging contact very difficult. So if the person with the quaffle is behind the left hoop, you want to be at least as far right as the right hoop if not further.
As much as head referees move a lot more than assistant referees, I still don't think we move enough. I think a lot of HRs - myself included - get too complacent with the position they are in at that moment, and don't move closer. We should be constantly on the move, myself even more so to compensate for my height and lack of speed. There will be lulls in play from time to time, and I try to use these to position myself better - for example running from a pile up behind the hoops to in front of the advancing keeper who is only walking. Then you have a step up when they make a fast break.
As much as head referees move a lot more than assistant referees, I still don't think we move enough. I think a lot of HRs - myself included - get too complacent with the position they are in at that moment, and don't move closer. We should be constantly on the move, myself even more so to compensate for my height and lack of speed. There will be lulls in play from time to time, and I try to use these to position myself better - for example running from a pile up behind the hoops to in front of the advancing keeper who is only walking. Then you have a step up when they make a fast break.
Too slow, Zoe. Too slow. Ajantha Abey Photography
One thing referees have to be aware of is not getting in the way of play. However, at some point you have to accept that you are on pitch, and you are going to be in someone's way wherever you are. You are only one person - you can get surprisingly close to what is going on without being in the way of someone being able to throw a tackle, and there are very few circumstances where you're going to be obstructing beater play in a way which impacts the way the game goes.
That brings me on to an important point - general awareness of where the beaters are when you are the head referee. I have a massive tendency to get quaffle-vision, which is excellent for not being distracted by the beater and seeker games but not so good for accidentally running into people when you're so focused on the chasers/keepers that you honestly just did not register their presence. So it's important to know where all the other people on pitch are. Humans generally have pretty good peripheral vision, so I find it helpful to utilise this every once in a while - also a quick glance to each side means I have yet to be taken out too spectacularly whilst refereeing. Though of course the main thing is running backwards, which isn't advisable over great distances unless you particularly like falling on your butt. (All of this applies to off-quaffle chasers and such too, though to a lesser degree.)
From beaters to bludgers. It's important to remember that as a referee, you can interact with bludgers in a way which gives a team an unfair advantage, and you have to correct that should it occur. Of course, the easiest way to do this is to not interact with them in the first place. Leaps over low-flying bludgers and ducks under higher ones have been effective for me in the past, as a relatively small target. These are the ones which are usually slower moving because you can see and avoid them, but if you do catch them with a limb then make sure you loudly instruct which beater should have the bludger. However sometimes there are fast-moving bludgers that whack into you ('beat, ref') and really there's nothing you can do about one that hits your face or your back. You get to decide whether you think you have given one team an unfair advantage with your positioning or interaction, and it isn't always necessary to make a call.
Finally, we have a whole referee team on pitch for a reason - you aren't infallible, and no-one expects you to be, so there are lots of other pairs of eyes watching various things. Goal referees are there to constantly watch the hoops, with hopefully a more consistent and thus better angle for seeing if it is good or no good, so the head referee can focus on the players and not the quaffle. However, it's not uncommon for goal referees to be lacking in confidence or just not paying attention, and then ask you. This can lead to some tricky calls if you didn't see, so it's probably best to always try and see if it went in or not. Or just shout at the goal referees until they become competent (no don't). Sometimes the nearest assistant referee will see it. It's always good to clock in with your assistants regularly, to make sure they are moving and not getting stuck in certain parts of the pitch, or watching the same things as each other. Don't be afraid use your top authority on pitch, but make sure to stay respectful.
This has spiralled from how to position yourself as a short person to just tips in general - take all with a grain of salt. You'll find your own style of refereeing which will grow as you do more games and take on advice from all sorts of sources. Obviously I feel what I do would be a good start for anyone, but so would the notes from other top head referees! You'll work it out. I still am, to a certain extent.
That brings me on to an important point - general awareness of where the beaters are when you are the head referee. I have a massive tendency to get quaffle-vision, which is excellent for not being distracted by the beater and seeker games but not so good for accidentally running into people when you're so focused on the chasers/keepers that you honestly just did not register their presence. So it's important to know where all the other people on pitch are. Humans generally have pretty good peripheral vision, so I find it helpful to utilise this every once in a while - also a quick glance to each side means I have yet to be taken out too spectacularly whilst refereeing. Though of course the main thing is running backwards, which isn't advisable over great distances unless you particularly like falling on your butt. (All of this applies to off-quaffle chasers and such too, though to a lesser degree.)
From beaters to bludgers. It's important to remember that as a referee, you can interact with bludgers in a way which gives a team an unfair advantage, and you have to correct that should it occur. Of course, the easiest way to do this is to not interact with them in the first place. Leaps over low-flying bludgers and ducks under higher ones have been effective for me in the past, as a relatively small target. These are the ones which are usually slower moving because you can see and avoid them, but if you do catch them with a limb then make sure you loudly instruct which beater should have the bludger. However sometimes there are fast-moving bludgers that whack into you ('beat, ref') and really there's nothing you can do about one that hits your face or your back. You get to decide whether you think you have given one team an unfair advantage with your positioning or interaction, and it isn't always necessary to make a call.
Finally, we have a whole referee team on pitch for a reason - you aren't infallible, and no-one expects you to be, so there are lots of other pairs of eyes watching various things. Goal referees are there to constantly watch the hoops, with hopefully a more consistent and thus better angle for seeing if it is good or no good, so the head referee can focus on the players and not the quaffle. However, it's not uncommon for goal referees to be lacking in confidence or just not paying attention, and then ask you. This can lead to some tricky calls if you didn't see, so it's probably best to always try and see if it went in or not. Or just shout at the goal referees until they become competent (no don't). Sometimes the nearest assistant referee will see it. It's always good to clock in with your assistants regularly, to make sure they are moving and not getting stuck in certain parts of the pitch, or watching the same things as each other. Don't be afraid use your top authority on pitch, but make sure to stay respectful.
This has spiralled from how to position yourself as a short person to just tips in general - take all with a grain of salt. You'll find your own style of refereeing which will grow as you do more games and take on advice from all sorts of sources. Obviously I feel what I do would be a good start for anyone, but so would the notes from other top head referees! You'll work it out. I still am, to a certain extent.
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