Referees often say they don’t think about strategy at all. I think they are lying. There are cases where knowing derby strategy comes in especially handy. This is absolutely true as a jammer ref.
As a jammer referee, you must be able to anticipate what your jammer is about to do. Being able to do so can make the difference between a good jammer referee and a great one.
There are two times that reading your jammer is critical. These times are at the beginning of the jam and at the end of a jam.
You should always watch your jammer for going out of bounds before she reaches the engagement zone for the first time. There is always a chance that she will step out for whatever reason and render herself ineligible for lead jammer. Sometimes though, you can tell that one of the jammers is setting up to force the other jammer out. Be on your guard to notice a wheel over the line. It may not be your jammer stepping out, but it’s always helpful to back up the other jammer ref at this time. Also be aware that the jammer that is being more aggressive may be the one to step out first, or they might both go out of bounds.
Where you really need to understand strategy is when your jammer is lead. Making sure that you end the jam the moment your jammer signals for you to is crucial. If you don’t understand strategy, you are likely to be slower than necessary to react.
So what triggers should cause you to be expect a calloff at any second?
Any time that your (lead) jammer is approaching the rear of the pack with the other jammer close behind. If there is a decent bit of space between the jammers, expect your jammer to try to score 1 or 2 points and immediately call the jam off. If the jammers are very close to each other, expect a calloff before they reach the pack.
As your (lead) jammer is going through a scoring pass, be prepared for her to call the jam off as soon as she clears the pack, or the last opposing blocker.
Also, it is important to be aware of the other jammer’s whereabouts. Any time the other jammer is approaching the rear of the pack, your jammer may call it off.
The whole idea is to sneak in as many points as possible while preventing the other jammer from scoring at all.
Here comes the important part. Do your job! Call it off the moment you see the signal. Don’t make your 4 whistles take too long. 4 whistles should happen within one second. Each of the 4 whistles should be loud and distinct. Both jammers can score up until the fourth whistle. If those whistles take too long, you are getting in the way of the game. You should not be responsible for allowing more time than the lead jammer wishes to allow for the other jammer to score.
Keep this in mind while you are jammer reffing and learn to be ready for your jammer’s actions before they happen. There are other strategies that you may find useful to be aware of in order to help you do your job better. Don’t completely avoid learning these strategies.