MIES (Switzerland) – Anticipating the plays and mastering the shift of the secondary defender are the core of elite officiating. In the latest FIBA Referee Operation’s Monday Special webinar hosted by Greydy Diaz, Referee Instructor Roberto Chiari breaks down the tactical shifts required to officiate help defence. This session goes beyond the basics. We’ll show you how to use Individual Officiating Techniques (IOT) to stay sharp and make the right decisions during one of the toughest plays.

 

A proactive approach to the help defender 

The discussion featured deep technical insights into how the Lead, Centre, and Trail must coordinate to cover the "help." Chiari addressed a key challenge: while many focus on the ball, the elite referee anticipates the help defender moving into the play before the contact occurs. Referees are able to "pass the play" between areas of responsibility called “dynamic coverage”, allowing each referee of the Crew to focus only in one defender / match-up. Same concept applies for the Help Defender.

 

Elevating your game preparation 

This webinar is a must-watch for any referee looking to elevate their coverage of more complex defensive plays. It provides a roadmap for identifying the "crash" early and offers practical methods to analyse team help-side tendencies effectively. You will learn how mastering the transition from primary to secondary coverage leads to better decision-making, and higher-quality officiating in a 3PO system.
 

Watch the Full Webinar            

 

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Monday Special Webinars – FIBA Referee Operations’ monthly webinar series running during the basketball season. The webinars provide referees and other basketball enthusiasts with wide-ranging insights into basketball and officiating topics, featuring diverse viewpoints and learning opportunities from a wide range of experts.