2026
HOW OFFICIALS CAN CONTROL EMOTIONS IN HIGH-PRESSURE MOMENTS
by Dr. Joel Fish, Ph.D.
Referee.com
Officials often tell me, “I have difficulty managing emotions during high‑pressure moments.” I’ll then ask the official to give me some examples of situations that are mentally and emotionally challenging. Quite often, the official is great at managing emotions in nine out of 10 high‑pressure game situations. But there are often specific cases when an official is still learning to control his or her emotions. For example, the official might struggle to let go of a mistake and move on to the next play, such as after a successful coach’s challenge. Or officials could find their emotions getting in the way during the last possession of an intensely played game. Officials can sometimes struggle when they are being observed and evaluated by a particular coordinator.
For officials, what constitutes a high‑pressure moment can vary. One football official said to me, “I don’t care if there are 50,000 fans in a stadium or if it’s a playoff game on national TV, that doesn’t bother me. But if one of my parents is at a game watching me referee, my knees shake.”
But for optimal performance, officials must be able to maintain control over their emotions throughout a contest — from the opening moments of play to the very end of competition.
Programs like What It Takes, Referee’s mental‑performance course for officials, are designed to help officials build these skills intentionally.
