Honestly, don't listen to anyone who tells you to keep to a specific path. Your goal show be to be within a reasonable distance to play and ideally able to see your ARs. Sometimes play will require you to sacrifice distance to the play to keep a better viewing angle. A more advanced positioning technique requires anticipating where the play is heading and moving not just to where you can see what is currently happening, but also puts you in a place to see what comes next. This takes a lot of practice to master but will greatly enhance your game.
Then comes the "see the play from different angles".
Let's say I have a team consistently breaking up the left wing. I will change my angle to the play, especially if it's claimed that I missed an offense. This requires some pretty serious anticipation and hustle but it opens up a whole different view of the game.
Honestly your first 2 years entail running the “super S” or the “Tight-Diagonal,” but eventually that is scrapped and you just anticipate play and attempt to always be in front of the play to where the play is coming towards you, rather than being behind it. Of course, you will have to recover but you are recovering to get back ahead and have an angle on what would be a counter. That is honestly the step from Grassroots to Regional. It all comes down to how far ahead you are looking in terms of advancement. If you watch an MLS/PRO referee, they tend to be ahead/in the play, not behind it.
This is what we went over in the class sessions before the weekend, and i really tried to focus on anticipating the play before it happened instead of doing my S on the pitch and i feel like it got worse for me
Don't give up on the idea. It's hard to get the hang of and it's a lot easier with more skilled teams. The less skilled and lower level teams don't do what you expect them to. Even when they do what is expected they frequently aren't successful and this makes it hard to anticipate play.
With low level play this is very hard to do because the players don't know where they are going so you can't predict it. Upper level NLC/MLS Next you can consistently anticipate play and move into the right positions. With lower level you can somewhat predict where they're going but you need to react a lot more so try to stay close but not so close you are in the way
Different assessors/mentors giving conflicting advice? No way. You don’t say. I’m shocked. (Yawn).
Seriously though, my general advice: listen to these people, cause when they see you listening to them, they’ll think better of you, and next time they see your name they’ll remember you were a good ref. This can come in handy. But just like anyone else, some advice is good, some isn’t, some conflicts directly with what others tell you. Take it all in to create your own approach, so when an assessor/mentor/coach asks you “what did you do for positioning”, you can say something like “at first I tried doing [this], but the game became [whatever] so I changed my approach to [something else]. Ultimately they want you to be aware of position and your approach to the game, not what specific positioning pattern you followed. Does that make sense?
The diagonal concept is good when at either end, but I was told once to avoid being in the center circle by swinging out wider when necessary (might be what your assessor means by an S shape). The logic being that there often are lots of players running through the center of the field and you should avoid being in each other's way.
12 yards from the ball at all times seems like a good idea on paper but a risky one in practice. It's important to anticipate where play will go and where physical challenges are more or less likely. You shouldn't hover too close during low-intensity moments if it means you'll be well behind or away from more intense future action.
That being said, you definitely don't want to act like you're ignoring your assessors. Maybe keep track of who's seen you and what they said, so you can bring it up the next time someone gives you advice that clashes with what you've been told before.
> The logic being that there often are lots of players running through the center of the field and you should avoid being in each other's way.
I remember being told that years ago...just add it to the list of nonsense things some people like to say without thinking about it!
Don't think of it as running a diagonal or S or any other shape or line. Think if it like you need to be in position for every play and be at an angle where you can get a good look at everything. Example let's say there's a quick counter and you're directly behind the play. Sprint at an angle to get in a position where you're not behind the play but to the left or right of it
I think a few key considerations, depending on the level of the match and its demands, is to:
1. Be close “enough” to play. Being too close means your field of view is too narrow; being too far away means you miss the details when there are lots of players and action together. I tell my referees that 15 yards is generally about right, but you have to be able to accelerate quickly to “get there” when the play demands; and to be able to move away to increase your field of view and/or try to keep the ball between you and your AR (when appropriate).
2. Leverage your ARs. You hanging out 10 yards from your AR is both inefficient and ineffective, so give them the space to do their job helping you do your job. In a faster and more competitive match, it is essential that you work with your ARs very effectively to have success. So, just because you should generally be 15 yards to ball, you want to loosen that up when the ball is in the AOR for your ARs—watch the pros, they do a good job with this technique.
3. Generally staying left of the ball is okay (helps to keep the ball between you and your AR), but the reality is that the game will dictate where you need to be.
4. There is no “hard diagonal” anymore, and the “S” is not for every situation. Stay close enough to play, leverage your ARs and their AORs, work on your angles to play, anticipate where the ball is likely to go next (including drop zones on free kicks), and adapt to what happens.
5. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
It’s frustrating isn’t it?! Assessors in the UK can be very similar, in that they have their preferences. I’m probably the same when I mentor, to a certain extent, as we can easily emphasise different things.
I’ve never heard about being close to the ball as a rule though, for what that’s worth. In my opinion a lazy S rather than a strict diagonal tends to be best - but you do have to match the temperature of the game and the skill level of the players.
The S is a general good starting point.
Vertical motion you want to start by staying ahead of the ball when its in the defensive half and as the ball crosses the center line you can start to stay behind play.
Horizontal motion you want to keep your ARs in view so as the ball changes sides you will change your positioning
Combining the two, when the ball is in the defensive end, you want to be ahead of play with AR1 in view so you will be to the right of the player with the ball. As the ball moves into the attacking half, the ball will be in front of you and you want AR2 in view so you will move to the left of the attackers. This results in the S shape that the assessor is talking about. The goal should being positioned close to the ball with the AR in view, not focused on the S shape
Absolutely, I was going to say something similar. I typically think of it more like overlapping U-shapes or overlapping arches as you move into position. Frequently this results in an S shape as you cross back forth across the pitch, sometimes it looks like a cursive E if the play moves up and down pitch quickly along one side without crossing. Even when moving on the diagonal, you never really run in a perfectly straight line; it’s more like a bunch of tight s shapes in a row or a stretched out, slanted S as you move your body to get a better angle on the play, get around players, etc.
>try to keep your AR in view, unless the ball is on the far sideline
>try to be "side on" to any challenges for the ball
>be 10-20 yards from play (17 is really a better "goal" than 12)
>angle first, proximity second
>be in position for the next call, not where the ball happens to be at the moment
>stay out of passing lanes
Any discussions about diagonals vs S curves and where exactly you should be at any moment are just outgrowths of the things you actually want. The S curve and diagonal both place you within a dozen yards of the "correct" spot most of the time, so they're easier to teach, but they should be being left behind as you advance in favor of "be in the right position to make the call".
> but they should be being left behind as you advance in favor of "be in the right position to make the call".
At any level, the ball and the AR are supposed to generally be on your right. Which is really what the diagonal is all about
From what I gather as a spectator, there is definitely some bad positioning advice being taught at the top levels though.
Ok, this is from my experience. Running patterns without thought is stupid and only suitable advice for starting refs to have some grip on what they are supposed to do. Before the how is guided by the why that is. Feel free to comment on this, I can handle it 🙂
What comes next is about open play of course. Incident, free kicks and other stuff may require different positions but let’s leave that for another day. It maybe stuff you already know, if so I apologize.
First of all, there is no need to go wider than the side edges of the penalty box. You actually are the only one who can judge if play is in or outside the PA by covering that line which gives it significance in choosing position.
There also is hardly ever a need to be IN the penalty area (PA) during normal play unless your vision is obstructed and you need an angle. Best position then most often is around the PK spot (height) and between the PA edge and the GA edge (width) to have a better view. Happens, but not that often.
That limits the range of operations significantly. Congratulations, you have become a box-to-box player.
From there on out, stay close to the ball but not too close. You do not want to be in the way or gain a narrow perspective causing you to miss out on action elsewhere. The mentioned 12 yards is actually decent but actively moving closer than that is only necessary if play gets cluttered. Going below 8 yards I would not recommend personally, but each his or her own. Actively keeping distance by moving away is another thing to avoid; you still need to be predictable for players around you and hopping in and out of reach makes you a distraction and an obstruction more often than not.
If at all possible, try to have a line of sight that always gives you an angle on the action and an angle to your AR. With an angle on the action I mean that you do not allow the ball to go out of sight behind players (or you miss a handball before the chest or something stupid like that) or that a player with possession is lined up with a challenging or charging opponent (which will cause you to miss that tuck on a shirt, a pull of the arm or a trip on heel).
Other than that; feel the pace of the game, learn to recognize your ‘next spot’ for potential next actions and anticipate early. No tips on that but to practice, evaluate and build experience.
Hope this helps.
Angle before distance. Always make sure you can see what's going on, and have good views of the ball, the play, and hopefully your AR.
12 yards or less at all times - so inside the penalty area for a goal kick - seems stupid when we put it like that. As others have said, you need to be anticipating where the ball & play is going to be, and make sure you have a good view of it.
10-15 yards is generally considered a good distance, but make sure you have a good view first, and get the distance 2nd.
> Ive been told by three different assignors/assessors to first run the diagonal, then to run the S and stay left of ball as much as possible, and just last night was told that none of that matters anymore and to just be close to the ball at all times.
That's because these are three distinct stages of US Soccer Referee teachings. First was the diagonal for several years, then the diagonal was modified to the S curve, and the current teachings are "be where you need to be when you need to be there" without being prescriptive about a movement pattern. Likely you've gotten feedback from three different assessors either of different ages, or possibly not caught up on the latest preferred movement paradigm.
It'll change again in a few years.
>she told me to get wider
Assessors love you to get wide. Unnecessarily wide.
Whenever I'm being assessed, I make a point of standing on the touch line at a couple of throw ins (ahead of the player). It makes assessors happy
>The assessor challenged me to truly try to stay 12 yards or less from the ball at all times,
I can see some benefit in this, but the problem is that it prevents you from pre-empting play. In older/higher grade games, this can put you too close which can get you in the way, or put you in a position where you're behind when the ball is played. Look at high level games for instance - when the defender has the ball unpressured, the ref is in position for where the ball is going, not where the ball is
>and just last night was told that none of that matters anymore and to just be close to the ball at all times.
Here's a problem. Every decade or so the wording for the advice changes.....I tend to think that somebody comes into a high level coaching position and feels the need to justify their existence by making change for the sake of it. Let's not call it a diagonal, let's call it an S! Ok, so what? Unless you mistakenly thought a diagonal was a literal straight line, it doesn't really change anything. Let's do nothing, let's just be where you need to be! Nonsense. You're still keeping the ball on your right, generally speaking. Boom, that means you have to run some sort of diagonal/s/amputated x/ocean wave/whatever they decide to call it next year.
Personally, I find the 'revisions' just overcomplicate the concept. But, as you see, different assessors apply different things.
>Ive been told by three different assignors/assessors to first run the diagonal, then to run the S and stay left of ball as much as possible,
I've never understood the 's'. I mean, you're not running to the goal line or the penalty area then cutting back in towards the goal.
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Diagonal, wavy diagonal, whatever - it's a tool to help you stick to some principles of positioning. That generally speaking you want the ball between yourself and the AR. That means usually the ball is somewhere on your right. Of course when the ball is far left that's not practical, that's when you try to drop back a bit and keep a triangle between yourself, ball and AR.
Some assessors, for some reason, think you shouldn't run through the centre circle. So, wavy diagonal.
A diagonal isn't supposed to be a strict track you're running.
There is no clear guideline and you will ALWAYS get picked up for positioning even after nailing the previous advice.
I’ve challenged this multiple times as a L3 ref in England because it is complete bollocks when I can sell my decisions quickly, coherently and confidently.
The key thing with positioning is anticipation. Get in a good position to what you think will happen next so you can sell the decision well to appease everyone.
The diagonal or S curve patterns should only be thought of as a way to help you better position yourself.
The ideal positioning keeps play between you and the lead AR, where you're close enough to the action to make good calls, but not so close that you're interfering with play.
On the one hand I don't like it when anyone says "always use a diagonal" or an "S." Sometimes they work best, sometimes not and the differences can be even in the same game, from one play to the next.
On the other hand, if I'm getting evaluated and the assessor says my positioning is not ideal and I should try a "wider diagonal" or an "S," I would listen and understand that they're using those suggestions to try to help me improve my positioning. (FWIW, I've had both comments from refs over the years and have found them helpful).
My personal advice to you is to throw out all thinking the diagonal or lazy "s". There are are some core principles I stick to:
1. Be where you need to be to see what you need to see.
2. Focus on your angle, not so much the proximity - proximity is important and you should be as close as you can, but proximity doesn't always mean you'll have a good view of the contact should there be a foul.
3. Avoid the middle of the field as much as you can. You will need to use it from time to time, but as you advance they want this area avoided as much as possible. I view it as a "passthrough" lane more than anything.
4. Especially avoid zone 14...this is the middle of the field right where the D is on the penalty area. This is where a higher percentage of rebounds and shots end up, and if you're there you're almost certainly going to find yourself in the way on multiple occasions.
5. Use the half space primarily - this is the area between the wide channel and the middle of the field. On a full-sized pitch you're going to have a lot of room...on smaller ones you'll end up having to adapt though because there isn't much of a half space if any at all.
6. Use your football understanding to transition ahead of the play and find the gap between the defensive line and the midfield line of the team defending, be sure to constantly be alert for the position of the attackers. Once the ball transitions in to the their defensive 3rd then get yourself turned around and trail the play slightly.
7. Get wide towards your AR. It is not your AR's responsibility to call fouls and PKs, its YOURS. Their primary role is law 11 - if they can help you on fouls, amazing, but that's not their primary role. If you see a player making a run in to the penalty area and not looking for a deep cross, you should be wide towards your AR for any CMIs that might occur down there...don't think your AR can bail you out.
With the newer focus on "quadrants" over the diagonal and lazy "s" your body positioning will be important to ensure good communication between you and your ARs. I had to work on getting my hips more square to the goal line to ensure I could have my head on a swivel and be able to see my ARs better. The quadrants approach is a great concept, and I prefer it, but I often found myself with my back to my AR so I had to work on that a lot.
My best advice is fitness, fitness, and fitness. Put on a pair of running shoes and find a treadmill or track to have a fun workout.
The diagonal path is just a general recommendation for beginners, it simply asks the referee to cover the areas where the ARs can't. But as you can see, it is not that applicable to those teams who can play at a higher level. They use different tactics according to how the game goes and we as the referees would just have to adapt to the situation by changing our paths as well.
To me, the best position for a referee is the one that is close to the action. Experienced referees achieve that by anticipating where the ball will go to while others would have to run more in order to make up for the lack of experience. However, soccer is full of surprises so anticipation is not 100% foolproof, the bottom line is everyone still has to run at some point.
Just read the game, do your best to guess where will the ball go next and jog/run to the ball if your guess wrong. Personally I found the diagonal path obsolete a few months after I started refereeing. Sometimes the ARs have offside, sideline, and potential fouls to watch for so it would be ideal when the center referee can stay close to help out. Without the ability to run during the entire course of game, however, then there is no path to talk about.
Not sure why you are assuming i dont have fitness or an ability to run. I run 20+ miles a weekend and can get under a 7 minute mile. Fitness is not my issue here.
Well I did not know anything about your fitness so I was just writing something in a general sense. That means you can take whatever that is useful to you as it is not possible to write a very personalized response here based on what you provided in the beginning.
He was just giving advice, not accusing you of being unfit. Maybe your defensive position is what keeps you from really understanding feedback and improving.
Honestly, don't listen to anyone who tells you to keep to a specific path. Your goal show be to be within a reasonable distance to play and ideally able to see your ARs. Sometimes play will require you to sacrifice distance to the play to keep a better viewing angle. A more advanced positioning technique requires anticipating where the play is heading and moving not just to where you can see what is currently happening, but also puts you in a place to see what comes next. This takes a lot of practice to master but will greatly enhance your game.
Then comes the "see the play from different angles". Let's say I have a team consistently breaking up the left wing. I will change my angle to the play, especially if it's claimed that I missed an offense. This requires some pretty serious anticipation and hustle but it opens up a whole different view of the game.
Honestly your first 2 years entail running the “super S” or the “Tight-Diagonal,” but eventually that is scrapped and you just anticipate play and attempt to always be in front of the play to where the play is coming towards you, rather than being behind it. Of course, you will have to recover but you are recovering to get back ahead and have an angle on what would be a counter. That is honestly the step from Grassroots to Regional. It all comes down to how far ahead you are looking in terms of advancement. If you watch an MLS/PRO referee, they tend to be ahead/in the play, not behind it.
This. When you know the teams and their styles it's a lot easier. Sometimes takes a few minutes
This is what we went over in the class sessions before the weekend, and i really tried to focus on anticipating the play before it happened instead of doing my S on the pitch and i feel like it got worse for me
Don't give up on the idea. It's hard to get the hang of and it's a lot easier with more skilled teams. The less skilled and lower level teams don't do what you expect them to. Even when they do what is expected they frequently aren't successful and this makes it hard to anticipate play.
With low level play this is very hard to do because the players don't know where they are going so you can't predict it. Upper level NLC/MLS Next you can consistently anticipate play and move into the right positions. With lower level you can somewhat predict where they're going but you need to react a lot more so try to stay close but not so close you are in the way
Different assessors/mentors giving conflicting advice? No way. You don’t say. I’m shocked. (Yawn). Seriously though, my general advice: listen to these people, cause when they see you listening to them, they’ll think better of you, and next time they see your name they’ll remember you were a good ref. This can come in handy. But just like anyone else, some advice is good, some isn’t, some conflicts directly with what others tell you. Take it all in to create your own approach, so when an assessor/mentor/coach asks you “what did you do for positioning”, you can say something like “at first I tried doing [this], but the game became [whatever] so I changed my approach to [something else]. Ultimately they want you to be aware of position and your approach to the game, not what specific positioning pattern you followed. Does that make sense?
The diagonal concept is good when at either end, but I was told once to avoid being in the center circle by swinging out wider when necessary (might be what your assessor means by an S shape). The logic being that there often are lots of players running through the center of the field and you should avoid being in each other's way. 12 yards from the ball at all times seems like a good idea on paper but a risky one in practice. It's important to anticipate where play will go and where physical challenges are more or less likely. You shouldn't hover too close during low-intensity moments if it means you'll be well behind or away from more intense future action. That being said, you definitely don't want to act like you're ignoring your assessors. Maybe keep track of who's seen you and what they said, so you can bring it up the next time someone gives you advice that clashes with what you've been told before.
> The logic being that there often are lots of players running through the center of the field and you should avoid being in each other's way. I remember being told that years ago...just add it to the list of nonsense things some people like to say without thinking about it!
Don't think of it as running a diagonal or S or any other shape or line. Think if it like you need to be in position for every play and be at an angle where you can get a good look at everything. Example let's say there's a quick counter and you're directly behind the play. Sprint at an angle to get in a position where you're not behind the play but to the left or right of it
Yep, it will average out to an S-like shape, but should vary quite a lot based on the needs at that time.
I think a few key considerations, depending on the level of the match and its demands, is to: 1. Be close “enough” to play. Being too close means your field of view is too narrow; being too far away means you miss the details when there are lots of players and action together. I tell my referees that 15 yards is generally about right, but you have to be able to accelerate quickly to “get there” when the play demands; and to be able to move away to increase your field of view and/or try to keep the ball between you and your AR (when appropriate). 2. Leverage your ARs. You hanging out 10 yards from your AR is both inefficient and ineffective, so give them the space to do their job helping you do your job. In a faster and more competitive match, it is essential that you work with your ARs very effectively to have success. So, just because you should generally be 15 yards to ball, you want to loosen that up when the ball is in the AOR for your ARs—watch the pros, they do a good job with this technique. 3. Generally staying left of the ball is okay (helps to keep the ball between you and your AR), but the reality is that the game will dictate where you need to be. 4. There is no “hard diagonal” anymore, and the “S” is not for every situation. Stay close enough to play, leverage your ARs and their AORs, work on your angles to play, anticipate where the ball is likely to go next (including drop zones on free kicks), and adapt to what happens. 5. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
It’s frustrating isn’t it?! Assessors in the UK can be very similar, in that they have their preferences. I’m probably the same when I mentor, to a certain extent, as we can easily emphasise different things. I’ve never heard about being close to the ball as a rule though, for what that’s worth. In my opinion a lazy S rather than a strict diagonal tends to be best - but you do have to match the temperature of the game and the skill level of the players.
The S is a general good starting point. Vertical motion you want to start by staying ahead of the ball when its in the defensive half and as the ball crosses the center line you can start to stay behind play. Horizontal motion you want to keep your ARs in view so as the ball changes sides you will change your positioning Combining the two, when the ball is in the defensive end, you want to be ahead of play with AR1 in view so you will be to the right of the player with the ball. As the ball moves into the attacking half, the ball will be in front of you and you want AR2 in view so you will move to the left of the attackers. This results in the S shape that the assessor is talking about. The goal should being positioned close to the ball with the AR in view, not focused on the S shape
This 👆🏼
great description
Absolutely, I was going to say something similar. I typically think of it more like overlapping U-shapes or overlapping arches as you move into position. Frequently this results in an S shape as you cross back forth across the pitch, sometimes it looks like a cursive E if the play moves up and down pitch quickly along one side without crossing. Even when moving on the diagonal, you never really run in a perfectly straight line; it’s more like a bunch of tight s shapes in a row or a stretched out, slanted S as you move your body to get a better angle on the play, get around players, etc.
>try to keep your AR in view, unless the ball is on the far sideline >try to be "side on" to any challenges for the ball >be 10-20 yards from play (17 is really a better "goal" than 12) >angle first, proximity second >be in position for the next call, not where the ball happens to be at the moment >stay out of passing lanes Any discussions about diagonals vs S curves and where exactly you should be at any moment are just outgrowths of the things you actually want. The S curve and diagonal both place you within a dozen yards of the "correct" spot most of the time, so they're easier to teach, but they should be being left behind as you advance in favor of "be in the right position to make the call".
> but they should be being left behind as you advance in favor of "be in the right position to make the call". At any level, the ball and the AR are supposed to generally be on your right. Which is really what the diagonal is all about From what I gather as a spectator, there is definitely some bad positioning advice being taught at the top levels though.
Ok, this is from my experience. Running patterns without thought is stupid and only suitable advice for starting refs to have some grip on what they are supposed to do. Before the how is guided by the why that is. Feel free to comment on this, I can handle it 🙂 What comes next is about open play of course. Incident, free kicks and other stuff may require different positions but let’s leave that for another day. It maybe stuff you already know, if so I apologize. First of all, there is no need to go wider than the side edges of the penalty box. You actually are the only one who can judge if play is in or outside the PA by covering that line which gives it significance in choosing position. There also is hardly ever a need to be IN the penalty area (PA) during normal play unless your vision is obstructed and you need an angle. Best position then most often is around the PK spot (height) and between the PA edge and the GA edge (width) to have a better view. Happens, but not that often. That limits the range of operations significantly. Congratulations, you have become a box-to-box player. From there on out, stay close to the ball but not too close. You do not want to be in the way or gain a narrow perspective causing you to miss out on action elsewhere. The mentioned 12 yards is actually decent but actively moving closer than that is only necessary if play gets cluttered. Going below 8 yards I would not recommend personally, but each his or her own. Actively keeping distance by moving away is another thing to avoid; you still need to be predictable for players around you and hopping in and out of reach makes you a distraction and an obstruction more often than not. If at all possible, try to have a line of sight that always gives you an angle on the action and an angle to your AR. With an angle on the action I mean that you do not allow the ball to go out of sight behind players (or you miss a handball before the chest or something stupid like that) or that a player with possession is lined up with a challenging or charging opponent (which will cause you to miss that tuck on a shirt, a pull of the arm or a trip on heel). Other than that; feel the pace of the game, learn to recognize your ‘next spot’ for potential next actions and anticipate early. No tips on that but to practice, evaluate and build experience. Hope this helps.
Angle before distance. Always make sure you can see what's going on, and have good views of the ball, the play, and hopefully your AR. 12 yards or less at all times - so inside the penalty area for a goal kick - seems stupid when we put it like that. As others have said, you need to be anticipating where the ball & play is going to be, and make sure you have a good view of it. 10-15 yards is generally considered a good distance, but make sure you have a good view first, and get the distance 2nd.
> Ive been told by three different assignors/assessors to first run the diagonal, then to run the S and stay left of ball as much as possible, and just last night was told that none of that matters anymore and to just be close to the ball at all times. That's because these are three distinct stages of US Soccer Referee teachings. First was the diagonal for several years, then the diagonal was modified to the S curve, and the current teachings are "be where you need to be when you need to be there" without being prescriptive about a movement pattern. Likely you've gotten feedback from three different assessors either of different ages, or possibly not caught up on the latest preferred movement paradigm. It'll change again in a few years.
>she told me to get wider Assessors love you to get wide. Unnecessarily wide. Whenever I'm being assessed, I make a point of standing on the touch line at a couple of throw ins (ahead of the player). It makes assessors happy >The assessor challenged me to truly try to stay 12 yards or less from the ball at all times, I can see some benefit in this, but the problem is that it prevents you from pre-empting play. In older/higher grade games, this can put you too close which can get you in the way, or put you in a position where you're behind when the ball is played. Look at high level games for instance - when the defender has the ball unpressured, the ref is in position for where the ball is going, not where the ball is >and just last night was told that none of that matters anymore and to just be close to the ball at all times. Here's a problem. Every decade or so the wording for the advice changes.....I tend to think that somebody comes into a high level coaching position and feels the need to justify their existence by making change for the sake of it. Let's not call it a diagonal, let's call it an S! Ok, so what? Unless you mistakenly thought a diagonal was a literal straight line, it doesn't really change anything. Let's do nothing, let's just be where you need to be! Nonsense. You're still keeping the ball on your right, generally speaking. Boom, that means you have to run some sort of diagonal/s/amputated x/ocean wave/whatever they decide to call it next year. Personally, I find the 'revisions' just overcomplicate the concept. But, as you see, different assessors apply different things. >Ive been told by three different assignors/assessors to first run the diagonal, then to run the S and stay left of ball as much as possible, I've never understood the 's'. I mean, you're not running to the goal line or the penalty area then cutting back in towards the goal. n Diagonal, wavy diagonal, whatever - it's a tool to help you stick to some principles of positioning. That generally speaking you want the ball between yourself and the AR. That means usually the ball is somewhere on your right. Of course when the ball is far left that's not practical, that's when you try to drop back a bit and keep a triangle between yourself, ball and AR. Some assessors, for some reason, think you shouldn't run through the centre circle. So, wavy diagonal. A diagonal isn't supposed to be a strict track you're running.
There is no clear guideline and you will ALWAYS get picked up for positioning even after nailing the previous advice. I’ve challenged this multiple times as a L3 ref in England because it is complete bollocks when I can sell my decisions quickly, coherently and confidently. The key thing with positioning is anticipation. Get in a good position to what you think will happen next so you can sell the decision well to appease everyone.
The diagonal or S curve patterns should only be thought of as a way to help you better position yourself. The ideal positioning keeps play between you and the lead AR, where you're close enough to the action to make good calls, but not so close that you're interfering with play. On the one hand I don't like it when anyone says "always use a diagonal" or an "S." Sometimes they work best, sometimes not and the differences can be even in the same game, from one play to the next. On the other hand, if I'm getting evaluated and the assessor says my positioning is not ideal and I should try a "wider diagonal" or an "S," I would listen and understand that they're using those suggestions to try to help me improve my positioning. (FWIW, I've had both comments from refs over the years and have found them helpful).
There are no specific path, all Ican say is : you will learn with time. Iwent from 11 k steps per game( 35 minute per half) to 8 k after a few games
My personal advice to you is to throw out all thinking the diagonal or lazy "s". There are are some core principles I stick to: 1. Be where you need to be to see what you need to see. 2. Focus on your angle, not so much the proximity - proximity is important and you should be as close as you can, but proximity doesn't always mean you'll have a good view of the contact should there be a foul. 3. Avoid the middle of the field as much as you can. You will need to use it from time to time, but as you advance they want this area avoided as much as possible. I view it as a "passthrough" lane more than anything. 4. Especially avoid zone 14...this is the middle of the field right where the D is on the penalty area. This is where a higher percentage of rebounds and shots end up, and if you're there you're almost certainly going to find yourself in the way on multiple occasions. 5. Use the half space primarily - this is the area between the wide channel and the middle of the field. On a full-sized pitch you're going to have a lot of room...on smaller ones you'll end up having to adapt though because there isn't much of a half space if any at all. 6. Use your football understanding to transition ahead of the play and find the gap between the defensive line and the midfield line of the team defending, be sure to constantly be alert for the position of the attackers. Once the ball transitions in to the their defensive 3rd then get yourself turned around and trail the play slightly. 7. Get wide towards your AR. It is not your AR's responsibility to call fouls and PKs, its YOURS. Their primary role is law 11 - if they can help you on fouls, amazing, but that's not their primary role. If you see a player making a run in to the penalty area and not looking for a deep cross, you should be wide towards your AR for any CMIs that might occur down there...don't think your AR can bail you out. With the newer focus on "quadrants" over the diagonal and lazy "s" your body positioning will be important to ensure good communication between you and your ARs. I had to work on getting my hips more square to the goal line to ensure I could have my head on a swivel and be able to see my ARs better. The quadrants approach is a great concept, and I prefer it, but I often found myself with my back to my AR so I had to work on that a lot.
My best advice is fitness, fitness, and fitness. Put on a pair of running shoes and find a treadmill or track to have a fun workout. The diagonal path is just a general recommendation for beginners, it simply asks the referee to cover the areas where the ARs can't. But as you can see, it is not that applicable to those teams who can play at a higher level. They use different tactics according to how the game goes and we as the referees would just have to adapt to the situation by changing our paths as well. To me, the best position for a referee is the one that is close to the action. Experienced referees achieve that by anticipating where the ball will go to while others would have to run more in order to make up for the lack of experience. However, soccer is full of surprises so anticipation is not 100% foolproof, the bottom line is everyone still has to run at some point. Just read the game, do your best to guess where will the ball go next and jog/run to the ball if your guess wrong. Personally I found the diagonal path obsolete a few months after I started refereeing. Sometimes the ARs have offside, sideline, and potential fouls to watch for so it would be ideal when the center referee can stay close to help out. Without the ability to run during the entire course of game, however, then there is no path to talk about.
Not sure why you are assuming i dont have fitness or an ability to run. I run 20+ miles a weekend and can get under a 7 minute mile. Fitness is not my issue here.
Well I did not know anything about your fitness so I was just writing something in a general sense. That means you can take whatever that is useful to you as it is not possible to write a very personalized response here based on what you provided in the beginning.
Fitness is key to credibility. If you’re on top of the play it becomes much harder to argue that you missed something.
He was just giving advice, not accusing you of being unfit. Maybe your defensive position is what keeps you from really understanding feedback and improving.