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Referees are a funny breed you might think? Long hours (up to 12 hours a day, often 4 matches in a row), little appreciation, minimal expenses and sometimes a lot of grief.

They are also integral to the match – you can’t play without one; they have an important role to play and therefore, they can have a direct impact on your emotions, performance and your result.

How then should we interact with them to help us achieve our goal, or indeed should we be seeking to gain an advantage by our attitude towards them? Let’s look at it from the officials’ view point first.

How would referees like and expect to be treated? With respect one would assume. Not only is this just decent, polite and friendly behaviour, but also it means that you won’t have put his/her nose out of joint before you’ve even appealed for a decision.

“It’s not just what the player says, but the manner and tone of voice which is so important, and from referees too of course.” Explains John Massarella. So it follows you can then expect to get the same level of respect from the official.

“We’d like the player to speak with respect, and a referee should reciprocate when answering the players and in giving an explanation of the decision when asked. It is then up to the referee to decide if the player is continually querying decisions, whether it is a genuine query, or part of some other tactic.”

So from this we learn that we need to be selective with our communication. James Willstrop agrees. “It is valid to make a point to the referee I think, if you feel something is going on which the referee hasn’t noticed or isn’t understanding, but it should be done without shouting and threatening, if at all possible! I would say though, in my personal view, keep it to a minimum. It is only a distraction.”

It seems that the consensus then is that making a point to the referee is fine from the referee's point of view but as James points out, it’s better if sparingly. If you are consistently being blocked out, pushed or falling to some other form of dubious activity, explaining to the referee may help your case the next time it happens.  The trick is not to look like, or indeed be a moaner, so be calm, concise and don’t make a habit of it.

I ask James whether he has any advice on how to treat the referee in order to keep them (the officials) onside.

“I don't think keeping refs 'onside' is the way to go. Referees shouldn't swing in favour of anyone anyway, and if they do they are probably just as likely to go with the badly behaved player. I don't treat the referee with respect because I am trying to grease up to him. I am behaving in that way because I feel it is the most productive way of playing, and why shouldn't referees have your respect anyway?” An admirable stance. Also, clearly one which has worked well for him and helped him gain a reputation as one of, if not the most, fair players on the PSA tour.

So we have complete agreement on treating the referee with respect from player and referee as one might expect. What then, are the latest edicts coming from the referees in relation to the way the game is officiated? If we can understand the rules a little better, then this can only help our, the player’s, situation. “We need to toughen up on no lets and strokes. Refereeing needs to be firmed up with more strokes for not clearing and less lets where there is minimal interference or lack of effort.” John states. So you heard it here first. Get out of the way and play the ball wherever possible, or face the consequences.

 From a coach’s perspective, here are a few tips when asking for lets. 

• Make it clear when you could play the ball, by getting in a position and either asking clearly, or showing the point at which you wanted to strike the ball.  The referee now has all the information he/she needs to make their decision.  If you don’t do this, you’re asking the ref to make assumptions about when and where you wished to play the ball, which they probably won’t do and any stroke hopes you had will be out the window.
• If you bump into your opponent and you feel you have had sufficient interference such that it has prevented you from getting the ball, but the referee may consider it marginal, ask quickly.  When the referee sees a situation, he/she will often make a judgement on what could be the decision before it is being asked for.  If there is some doubt in his/her mind and no appeal for a let appears to be forthcoming, in their mind they will start to sway towards no let.   The longer you leave your appeal, the more the referees mind will wander towards the no let direction.
• Be confident, but not arrogant with your appeal.  If you ask with a question mark in your voice you can forget it.  If you are not convinced you should have a let, then you’ve no chance of convincing the referee you should have one.  On the other hand, nothing will wind a referee up quicker than a person who shouts “Please!” catches the ball and marches over to the appropriate service box in complete confidence that a stroke is coming their way.  Making eye contact with the referee will also help him feel you are confident in your appeal.  Looking down or away has a guilty look to it.
• It’s not easy being a referee and they are only human.  Mistakes will be made as sure as you will hit the tin from time to time.  If you try to remember this, and you are prepared for the odd poor decision in your head, it should not come as a shock and won’t throw you out of your stride. Sports psychologists often talk about controlling the controllables, and this is a classic scenario. You cannot do anything about a poor decision from the referee, but you can play a great next rally to win the next point, so focus on what is productive.