Refereeing Non-Invasion Sports Games
Refereeing in selected Non-Invasion Sports Games:
in Non-Invasion Sports Games, the referee typically focuses on:
● Separated Playing Sides and Ball Flight/Rebound (Ball landing in/on the line vs. out, ball touching an obstruction, ball played within the time limit, etc.).
● Serving and Receiving Rules (Serving order/receiving the serve, player positioning during the serve, service faults).
● Technical Errors Without Physical Contact (Net touch, hitting the ball with the body outside the permitted striking surface in striking/fielding games, double contact/hit in volleyball, a 'carry' or 'throw' in tennis, etc.).
● Scoring and Rotations (Point awarding, service rotation in volleyball, alternating serve in tennis/table tennis, batting order in softball, etc.).
● Safety and Flow (Player spacing, communication, clear signaling, managing score and timing, particularly in striking/fielding games).
From the perspective of game classification, two main groups apply to Non-Invasion SGs: Net/Wall Games: (Across the net in tennis / off the wall in squash). Striking/Fielding Games: (E.g., games played with a softball bat). In both groups, opponents do not intervene directly into the "territory" of the other (net, wall, alternating roles). This approach is consistent in both Czech and international materials for School Physical Education (PE).
Because in school practice, the refereeing is often handled by a single teacher (without a refereeing crew, linesmen, or line judges), we will focus on the skills of the "head referee". This individual typically moves/stands outside or near the edge of the playing area and is responsible for signaling, communication, record-keeping/documentation, and the start of play.