Table tennis referee
A table tennis referee is a referee who is tasked with directing a single table tennis game . He can be assisted by an assistant referee .
The games of the 1st women's leagues and the TTBL , as well as in the 2nd national leagues and from the 2014–15 season also in the 3rd national leagues are played by a head judge and referees at the table ("Counting SR" / "SRaT") directed. Head referees are also used in the regional and major leagues. In addition, head referees are appointed according to the respective regulations of the member associations and at the request of a participating association.
In the lower divisions, there are usually no official neutral referees. Instead, one player from each team acts alternately as referee at the table to count the matches. In terms of rules, there is no difference between a team referee and a certified, neutral referee.
There is no head judge in these encounters. The host is responsible for keeping the match report. There are also different regulations depending on the association. In the past, the team captain of the guests was sometimes considered the OSR. Often the two team captains of the match collectively perform the functions of the head referee and are encouraged to consult the trained referees who are present. If no agreement can be reached between the captains or if there are still disagreements, either of the two can write a protest in the match report. The game then continues "under protest" and the responsible bodies (game director, sports court) will then make a decision.
At events of the European association ETTU , since the resolution of 1988, the referee may not be more than 65 years old.
Duties of the referee
According to the rules, the referee and, if applicable, the assistant referee performs the following tasks:
The referee is responsible for
- To check game material and game conditions and to inform the head referee of any deficiencies;
- to pick a ball at random;
- To choose service, return or side;
- to decide whether the provisions of the service rule can be relaxed for a physically handicapped player;
- to monitor the order of service , return and sides and to correct any errors;
- decide each rally as either a point or a let (repetition);
- announce the score according to the established procedure;
- to introduce the switching method at the appropriate time ;
- to ensure uninterrupted play;
- to intervene in the event of violations of the provisions on advice and conduct.
- to determine by lot which player, which pair or which team has to change jerseys if the opponents are wearing similar jerseys and cannot agree who will change theirs.
- that only authorized persons are at the play area (the box).
The assistant referee
- decides whether the ball has touched the edge of the playing surface on the side of the table facing it or not.
- informs the referee of violations of the provisions on advice and conduct.
Either the referee or the assistant referee may
- decide whether a player's serve is wrong;
- decide whether in an otherwise correct service the ball touches the net as it travels over or around it;
- decide whether a player will stop the ball;
- decide whether the playing conditions have been disrupted in any way that could affect the outcome of the rally;
- stop the duration of the impact, the game and the breaks.
Either the assistant referee or an additional official can act as a stroke counter to count the strokes of the returning player or pair when using the exchange method.
Areas of application
There are the following referees who must qualify through appropriate training:
- District Arbitrator (KSR)
- District Arbitrator (BSR)
- Association referee (VSR)
- National Arbitrator (NSR)
- National Head Referee (NOSR)
- International Umpire (IU) - "International Umpire - White Badge" (since 1973)
- Blue Badge Umpire - "International Umpire - Blue Badge" (IU-BB)
- International Referee (IOSR) - "International Referee" (IR)
- Outstanding International Referee (no official translation) - "Advanced International Referee" (AIR)
Referees can be used at the table or as head referees.
A table referee and, if necessary, his assistant lead a single match. Among other things, he pays attention to correct serves, shows the points and ensures that this game runs smoothly.
A head judge supervises the entire course of the competition, but not a single match. Among other things, he checks the proper conditions of the venue, the correct team line-ups and the uniform playing attire of the teams. In German team games, referees are deployed in the national, regional and major leagues as well as on request. At larger international competitions, a head judge and several "deputies" are on duty, to whom the head judge assigns clear areas of his competencies.
The tasks of the head referee are mostly conveyed and examined to an increasing extent from the license level onwards. The above license levels do not form a purely hierarchical order, but are split up according to the national referee. The IU and IU-BB qualify to work at the table; the license levels NOSR, IR (after passing the IU examination) and AIR, however, for use as head referee.
There are also differences in the previous license levels. Not all associations have all levels of referee and the designations differ. The Lower Saxony table tennis association TTVN begins with the VSR as the lowest level. The West German table tennis association WTTV also officially abolished the BSR in June 2009. The Fachverband Tischtennis Bremen FTTB begins with the BSR (training as SRaT) and moves on to the VSR (training as OSR). The Bavarian Table Tennis Association BTTV has a similar model with BSR-B, BSR-A, and VSR. The following table gives an overview of the license levels of the individual associations. Corresponding licenses correspond to one another. All associations are up to date with the training for NSR by the DTTB (right column). This nationally standardized training is followed by the others.
In the context of the general problems with young people in voluntary work, the associations also try to make the voluntary position of table tennis referee more attractive. In addition to cross-association support and retention measures, various measures also make it easier to get started. The associations are doing this in different ways: In Bremen, the minimum age for district arbitrators is 14 - there is the possibility of additional exceptions; in the West German TTV, however, the "junior referee" has been introduced. Ultimately, this is a VSR license, with the holder being accompanied by a mentor during his assignments. The license is valid from 14. – 17. Year of life and expires on the 18th birthday, unless it becomes a regular VSR license (via training and examination). The WTTV also knows the license of the "association referee at the table", which waives parts of the competition rules and OSR use; it corresponds to the content of the KSR / BSR training courses of other associations and is valid for two years, after which the training must be converted into a "normal" VSR license. This, too, is expected to result in a reduced entry threshold.
| Association / level | Association levels | National | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badischer TTV | VSR | NSR | ||
| Bavarian TTV | BSR | VSR | ||
| Berlin TTV | VSR | |||
| TTV Brandenburg | VSR | |||
| FTT Bremen | BSR | VSR | ||
| Hamburg TTV | BzSR-B | BzSR-A | VSR-B / A | |
| Hessian TTV | KSR | VSR | ||
| TTV Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | BSR | VSR | ||
| TTV Lower Saxony | VSR | |||
| Palatine TTV | VSR | |||
| Rheinhessen TTV | VSR | |||
| TTV Rhineland | VSR | |||
| Saarland TTB | VSR-B / A | |||
| TTV Saxony-Anhalt | VSR 1st class | VSR | ||
| Saxon TTV | BSR | VSR | ||
| TTV Schleswig-Holstein | KSR | VSR | ||
| South Baden table tennis association | VSR | |||
| Thuringian TTV | KSR | VSR | ||
| TTV Württemberg-Hohenzollern | VSR | |||
| West German TTV | JSR or VSRaT | VSR | ||
Variants of the WTTV. VSRaT, "Association arbitrator at the table" corresponds to the KSR / BSR of other associations; JSR, "junior referee" corresponds to a VSR from 14-17 years of age who is accompanied by a mentor.
Blue Badge Umpire
The Blue Badge Umpire - also called International Umpire - Blue Badge - is the highest qualification level for an international referee. Only Blue Badge Umpires should be used at World Championships and Olympic Games .
In order to ensure an internationally uniform high level of performance of a referee, a so-called blue badge program was defined and implemented in the early 2000s . This includes the following qualification measures:
- Participation in a one-day seminar in English, the Advance Umpire Training (AUT) .
- Written test of the knowledge of the rules with 60 questions (English).
- Four missions under observation at at least two international events with the rating "meets expectations".
- Oral telephone interview of around 30 minutes, small talk in English.
After passing the exam, IU-BBs will continue to be observed and evaluated and must continue to receive 3 "meets expectations" in the past three calendar years in order to maintain the status.
As of January 2020 there are 14 German referees with Blue Badge Umpire qualifications:
- Karl-Josef Flühr (TTV Rhineland)
- Lars Czichun (West German TTV)
- Klemens Rank (TTV Hessen)
- Hartmut Essl (TTV Hessen)
- Frank Brunssen (TTV Hessen)
- Stephan Lödige (West German TTV)
- Klaus Seipold (West German TTV)
- Gert Selig (TTV Lower Saxony)
- Stefan Wollschläger (Hamburg TTV)
- Anja Gersdorf (West German TTV)
- Jürgen Schödel (TTV Württemberg-Hohenzollern)
- Kerstin Duchatz (West German TTV)
- Christoph Geiger (TTV Württemberg-Hohenzollern)
- Nico Zorn (FTT Bremen)
Advanced International Referee (AIR)
In 2011 the world association ITTF started the Advanced Referee Project for further training of their international referees. In this sense, it can be seen in the same way as continuing education to become a Blue Badge arbitrator. There are 10-15 referees in this project at any given time. The selection is made using a catalog of various criteria: In addition to knowledge of the rules, social skills, experience, English skills and communication skills also play a role. Another important point is availability: An AIR should lead at least 2 tournaments per year and a weekend should be available for further training. Such a two-day training course is compulsory every other year. Knowledge and experiences are exchanged here.
The qualification measures include several meetings as well as an oral and a written examination. The first eight Advanced International Referees passed their exam in March 2014. Among them is the German Michael Zwipp.
Trivia
In the 1940s, Charles Medick, who was blind from birth, acted as arbitrator. Among other things, he directed the 1949 final at the US Championships between Marty Reisman and Dick Miles without a mistake.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Table tennis rules Part A 5.11 and 5.12 ( Memento from January 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 597 kB)
- ↑ DTS magazine , 1988/4 p. 25
- ↑ Table tennis rules, Part B, Section 3.2 ( Memento from January 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 863 kB)
- ^ Statutes and regulations of the West German TT Association (as of August 27, 2015) Online ( Memento of December 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Referee regulations of the BTTV from July 5, 2015 last changed on March 18, 2017 (bttv.de, accessed on August 27, 2017)
- ↑ http://ittf.com/URC/PDF/Referee_Career_Dev.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ittf.com/URC/PDF/ITTF_URC_Ref_Newsletter_07_2014.pdf
- ↑ tischtennis magazine , 2020/3 page 53 + A great game at the table , article from August 4, 1949 in "Der Spiegel" (accessed on March 8, 2020)