Good Health Habits For Referees		Lifestyles
Physical Conditioning The best marathoner is the one that at the end of the race cuts the finish line and immediately after crushes down on the ground because of fuel-shortage, Conversely the best referee (at least from the physiological point of view) is the one that is able to do well without getting exhausted. Carlo Castagna Scientific Director of www.teknosport.com, Federal Fitness Trainer of Serie A Referees (CR and AR) on Behalf of AIA and CAN. Dr. Castagna�s observation is quite important. Officiating a soccer match is often a formidable physical challenge. The center referee in top level games commonly runs 8-9 miles during the match and much of that is at high speed. At the same time, he or she must be thinking clearly, anticipating play, preventing misdeeds and making difficult decisions. When people get tired they make mistakes. While a tired player makes a bad touch, a tired referee might mistakenly give or deny a PK deciding the game. You must be sufficiently fit that your physical capacities do not significantly impair your ability to perform. Detail Physical Demands Just as different player positions require different qualities so to do theresponsibilities of the center referee, assistants and fourth official. Although the physical demands of the fourth official during an average game are minimal, those of the center and assistants are considerable. Also, as Dr. Castagna has learned working with Serie A and B referees and the Italian Federation, these demands are quite different. His group studied the performance of Serie A officials seeking to correlate the results of the same physical tests US referees go through (50 meter, 200 meter and then 12 minute run with recovery between). Although they only studied referees, not assistant referees, they found a moderate correlation between 12 minute results and referee mobility during the match matches but a negative correlation between 50 and 200 times and referee mobility. Simply they found that the referees who appeared to have greater aerobic endurance did better than those who had better sprint speed. This is not at all surprising. The conflicting benefits of training for endurance versus speed are well known. In previous studies Castagna and D'Ottavio found that ARs needed less aerobic power but more agility and sprint speed. This certainly does not mean that either sprinting or aerobic capacity can be ignored. The nature of soccer and, to a lesser degree, soccer officiating is such that intermittent activity with varied running speeds is simply a part of the game. It does mean that some balance is required in your training considering your own abilities/weaknesses and specialization. I will argue that the recent World Cup controversies over the assistants erroneously calling goals back for offsides is evidence that given the speed of modern international and professional soccer, FIFA�s decsion to divide us into referees and ARs is necessary. I will close with one final note about the evolution of American soccer. My research for this topic led to many discussions with European colleagues in important positions within their respective soccer organizations. As expected, I received spontaneous favorable comments on the progress of the American team and our player development. In addition, I learned that our referees are becoming highly regarded at the highest levels of European soccer. Although we are still one of the "new kids on the block" that newness brings with it a fresh perspective. Perhaps one way we can help improve soccer is by setting the highest standards of professionalism in our approach to physical preparation for referees. This starts on the neighborhood field when youth players can see that their referee is fit and working hard to help them enjoy their game. Take your job seriously and prepare yourself so that you can do your best.
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