Mental Toughness

That Ref Cost Me the Match!!!

by Jonathan Clay on 03/31/10

How many times have you had one of those matches where you felt like the ref was against you? Or how many times have you asked a friend about a tournament and they would say, "I lost but the ref was against me" or "I was playing against my opponent AND the ref!"? We have all been there! It's one of the toughest situations to deal with in any sport, but especially racquetball. Referees are human, and they make mistakes, and it's easy as a player to misdirect our anger away from a bad day on the court and direct it towards a few bad calls in a match. These next few paragraphs will give you a few pointers on how to manage a situation like this, and not let it to cause you to lose a match again!

First and foremost, the easy answer to this question is to simply block out the bad calls and just play racquetball! However that is easier said than done, and if that was the be-all-end-all answer, I wouldn't have much to write about! One of the best quotes that I have ever heard on this issue came from one of my mentors in this game, Shane Wood. Shane once asked me - after I said something about a ref after losing a match: "Well who made more mistakes - you or the ref?" I looked at him puzzled, and he followed with, "Well if you skipped fewer balls than he made bad calls, then you can be angry at the ref, but otherwise, it isn't just his fault!" Of course Shane was right as usual. We as players make far more bad decisions and bad shots in a match than the few bad calls made by the ref that we cannot get out of our mind. Now while this isn't the be-all-end-all explanation, it's still a valuable quote that sticks with me to this day, particularly when I start to feel like calls aren't going my way.

This entire topic boils down to one overarching theme: focus. Bad calls happen in every sport, not just racquetball. However we have to remember something very unique to racquetball. Referees in racquetball aren't professional; they are players just like you and me, and they are human and are going to make mistakes. If a person can go through a match where 2 (or 4!) players are all moving quickly all over the court and hitting a small ball at 150 mph, and only make a few mistakes, I would say that's a pretty good job! However when we are on the court, this isn't going to help us one bit! I know!! We also have spectators who are going to give their two cents (opinions) about every call, and we can see their gestures through the glass which may make us even angrier at the ref! There is nothing more frustrating than knowing a ball skips, and having the ref call it good, only to have 3 people on a couch agree with you, and there is nothing you can do about it! Or even worse, when a call goes against you and you observe a group of your opponent's friends outside the court agreeing with the ref! Now you're not only mad at the ref, you're also mad at your opponent, and your opponent's friends, and you're probably mad at other people just for good measure! You can’t tell me you can play good racquetball with all that anger in your mind.

So how do we get over this? Here is what I have found to be the best way to focus during tough times in a match. Find one person you trust who watches your matches, and get them to sit in eyesight of you outside the court, maybe at one of the back corners. This could be your coach, doubles partner, family member, friend, etc. Then whenever you get a bad call, or need to refocus, you make your eyes go to that person. You don't look at the ref, your opponent’s friends, or anyone else. What this does is plays a trick on your mind. By focusing your eyes on one static and comforting thing, it refocuses your mind on the task at hand, and doesn't allow extracurriculars to creep in. This not only works for bad calls and referee issues, but is a great coaching tip for getting yourself refocused in general. The person outside the court doesn't need to do or say anything. Just the eye contact and physical/mental focus goes a long way. Try it next time you are in a big match and need an edge.

Also, don't forget, for every time you get mad at a ref, there are probably 2-3 more times that another player has been mad at you when YOU were reffing. So let's all make it a 2010 resolution to be nicer to our fellow players and racquetball ref's. It is not an easy job...

Until next time...

...take every shot as if it were your last!

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