Performance

The night of the game is not the time to figure it out.

Everything before, during, and between assignments either sharpens your edge or dulls it. This is the work none of us talk about.

01 The Pregame Window

The 90 minutes before game time are yours to control.

The only part of the night you fully own. What you eat, how you warm up, what you let into your head — all of it compounds.

"Get your mind right before anyone else tries to."

Pregame Protocol

:90 min Arrive. Headphones on. Let the drive or flight settle before you prepare.

:75 min Light carbohydrates. Hydrate — you're likely already behind.

:60 min Pre-game, no phones...lock-in.

:45 min Film review. Situational plays that have potential to happen.

:25 min Dynamic movement (leg swings, high knees, walking lunges). Elevate your heart rate. Your body needs to know what's coming.

:10 min One minute of controlled breathing.

02 Composure

We will be tested. That's the job. The question is what happens next.

A coach gets in your ear. A player erupts. The crowd turns. These aren't disruptions to your performance — they are part of it. Every time you let someone else's emotion trigger yours, you've ceded the decision.

"Three seconds interrupts the emotional cascade before it compounds."

After any high-emotion moment, run the 3-second reset:

The 3-Second Reset

Step 1 Drop your shoulders.

Step 2 Breathe out.

Step 3 Look to the clock.

Three seconds interrupts the cascade before it compounds. Walk the final stretch with the same pace and posture as the opening — controlled movement is its own signal.

03 The Back-to-Back

Nobody talks about what it takes for us to travel for hours and officiate well the next night.

Finish at 10. Hotel at midnight. Different city by noon. The recovery window is short.

Sleep is the non-negotiable. Six solid hours outperforms eight fragmented ones. No film or social media in the 30 minutes before bed — your nervous system needs time to downshift after a high-adrenaline night.

Eat something real before you leave — protein and carbs within 45 minutes of the game ending. Options after a late game aren't great at any level: a locker room sandwich, a drive-through exit off the highway. Pack something before you leave instead: a protein bar, nuts, a piece of fruit. It doesn't need to be a meal. It does need to be in your bag.

"It's not more stamina. It's less energy wasted on things that don't matter."

04 Play Calling

Your physical state directly affects your ability to make the right call.

Fatigue and elevated cortisol impair decision-making and memory retrieval. Late in a contested game — exactly when you need your sharpest rule recall — is when your brain is working against you.

Train your recall under pressure with this drill:

The Recall Drill

Step 1 Read a rule.

Step 2 Do 60 seconds of hard exercise (burpees, pushups, jumping jacks — whatever spikes your heart rate).

Step 3 Answer a situational question from memory.

Do this enough and it shows up in your assignments. The officials who keep getting the call aren't the ones who know the rulebook best in a quiet room — they're the ones who can access it when everything's loud.

The physical and mental preparation content on this site reflects personal experiences and practical knowledge gathered from officials, not clinical or medical guidance, and isn't a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new exercise, nutrition, or supplement routine — especially if you have an existing injury or condition.