Authors: Jan Kresta, Pavel Šmíd, Martin Škopek, Tomáš Polívka
Translator: David Mičán
Publisher: Faculty of Education, J. E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem
Supported by Programme for the Support of Strategic Management of Higher Education Institutions (education area; measure: expansion and enhancement of education delivered in a blended-learning format)
This is an instructional material intended primarily for university students pursuing a major in Physical Education (PE) and Sport. However, it can also serve other professionals working in physical education or sport (e.g., primary school teachers, leisure-time professionals, coaches, etc.). Its main purpose is to assist students in their studies and subsequent practice in managing matches—i.e., in the refereeing duties of non-invasion sports games (hereinafter SG).
Why should a student, and later a teacher, master the refereeing activity specifically for non-invasion SGs? The answer is simple: non-invasion games are frequent in Czech school PE, including both net/wall games (volleyball, badminton, throwball, footnet, table tennis, etc.) and striking/fielding games (brännball, softball, etc.). In contrast to invasion games, opponents do not meet in the same space, and direct physical contact is minimized. Therefore, the referee's skills are directed more towards the visual control of technical violations, judging the ball's flight/rebound, player positioning, rotations, and serving order. In Czech literature and didactics, this division is based on the classification by playing area: invasion (shared space) vs. non-invasion (separated sides, or alternating roles without direct intrusion into the opponent's "territory"). Net/wall and striking/fielding games are thus generally classified as non-invasion.
The objective of this publication is to guide the student through the process of developing the fundamental refereeing skills for non-invasion SGs to the level necessary for "managing" matches in school settings (in school PE and inter-school tournaments). This is not a manual for federation competitions; it can serve those as an introduction and a didactic foundation, which must be further built upon within federation education and official methodologies.
Given the needs of school PE, we emphasize the didactic reduction of rules: we start with a smaller set of clear and fundamental rules (service, out/in, net touch, double hit/double contact, etc.) and gradually expand the repertoire of refereeing skills. This aligns with the principle of "from simple to complex" and contributes to the smooth flow of PE lessons.
Refereeing Non-Invasion Sports Games
Refereeing in selected Non-Invasion Sports Games: