WSO Products: Online Offerings
If you do not have the resources to deliver your officiating pathway or are missing important components, such as online materials, courses, exams, appraisers/appraisals, or you are an individual wanting to progress in a location that does not have an officiating pathway, then WSO will be able to provide you with online products that are delivered remotely.
Appraisals
This service is designed for those of you who need appraisals but do not have anyone to deliver them locally. All you need to provide is a high-quality recording with good sound, and you can receive an appraisal with feedback from one of the top appraisers in the world. WSO fully recognise completed and signed-off online appraisals as part of your practical qualification.
What are the benefits of appraisals? Appraisals are specific to developing individual referees because they offer accurate and detailed feedback to understand the current level of performance in the appraised matches. They are an excellent tool for gaining insight into areas of strength and areas which require extra attention. Appraisals break down your performance into two main skillsets, technical and presentation. The appraisal delves further into the detail by dividing the technical and presentation subheadings into a further seventeen areas of competence that help to provide you with personalised feedback.
How do appraisals work? You send WSO a high-quality recording with clear audio of a competitive match that you refereed. A WSO appraiser will review the match. You will receive your official appraisal documentation for the appraised match and your appraiser will offer feedback via an online call. Appraisals will count towards your practical portfolio.
What are the benefits of online appraisals? An online appraisal is an effective and efficient way for an expert to appraise you, especially if local appraisers are not readily available or there is not an appraisal process in place in your area.
Match Seminars
Match Seminars are designed for officials to gain insight and practice in a group setting when not live at an event. They provide an excellent opportunity to prepare for events, to remain current, to interact as a group, and to conduct continued development for individuals. The match seminars identify discussion points that help to provide clarity and understanding for decisions, the rationale behind those decisions, the best explanations for the decisions, and any actions required during certain situations that can arrive. Match seminars are easy for you, all you need to do is provide the list of attendees and WSO will deliver the rest and will provide you with a summary of performance for your records at the end.
What are the benefits of online match seminars? Match seminars are a fantastic way to develop groups of individuals via a remote platform. They help to develop a depth of knowledge around decision-making, player movement, and explanations and provide other useful strategies to help solve challenging situations. Through analysis and discussion, match seminars help you to develop an understanding of the current line of thinking.
How do online match seminars work? To maximise impact, we limit groups to twelve individuals per group call. The tutor will send the cohort a blank decision template of a match from a recent PSA event. The tutor tasks the cohort with providing decisions and any additional comments. The tutor collates decisions into a spreadsheet that includes the official WSO decisions. Once the tutor has identified talking points, they will arrange an online call for the group to work through clips and, discuss the complex decisions, player movement, referee explanations, and other talking points.
NB: It is important to work closely with the individual during match seminars, WSO therefore recommends that you use additional tutors at a reduced rate of $100 per group of twelve individuals. This allows candidates to get more involved in discussions than when they are part of a larger group.
Workshops / Coaching / Mentoring
These online offerings focus on player performance in the context of greater insight into the rules of squash. If you have specific areas that require attention, workshops can help. WSO will design detailed workshops for the specified target audience and focus on the identified areas using the rules and their interpretations to help inform and educate. The workshops help to improve the level of attendees by providing a deeper understanding of what to expect in certain situations, what is advisable and inadvisable, and how they can meet challenges. Specific examples can include such topics as giving away too many strokes, continually receiving no lets, or being unsure of how to clear from an area on the court. WSO’s expert referees or coaches deliver each of the carefully designed workshops.
What are the benefits of workshops? Workshops are a versatile way of developing the insight of coaches, players, parents, and referees. Online workshops focus on points to consider such as player movement, tactics, behaviour, rule interpretations, and specific actions or situations. The sessions can also help to solve recurring challenges that players may be experiencing when they compete.
Player-focused group coaching workshops: The group format supports federation pathways or teams of players and focuses on developing player behaviours, providing coping strategies when interacting with officials, understanding patterns of movement in different areas of the court, learning how to improve movement in line with the expectation of the referees, choosing the most effective shots that will also reduce the chance of being penalised, and in general enhance performance.
Coach information programme: These sessions work with federations and coaches to focus on the latest interpretations of the rules in relation to movement patterns, shot selection, and general behaviour. Sessions will support coaches in educating and informing their players in these areas. This is a great tool to support ongoing education and the development of coaches in the modern game.
Referee workshops: These sessions are perfect for continued development opportunities and help referees to be prepared with the latest interpretations of the rules. Referee workshops focus on specific areas of development depending on the level and needs of the workshop cohort. All workshops complement the WSO content found within our courses.
1-1 player sessions: These sessions are tailored to the specific needs of each player so as to help them improve performance by gaining clarity and understanding around the rules and referee interpretations. These sessions will help you to prepare for match play by informing you of the best way to interact with referees, help you to prepare your movement in line with the referee’s current line of thinking, and inform you of any new rules referees are implementing. Previous work with some of the best players in the world has yielded noticeably improved playing performances and has solved many challenging situations faced by these individuals.
1-1 referee coaching and mentoring sessions: These sessions are designed for any aspiring referee who is looking to develop at a faster rate, wants to increase knowledge, trying to solve personal officiating challenges, is keen to practice, or aiming to progress through the officiating pathway. A WSO coach/mentor will collaborate with you and design a personal development plan based on your current level to help you to improve as a referee. Examples of development work include identifying areas of strength and areas to develop further, reviewing televised matches, preparing for matches/events, practising refereeing/marking, understanding decision-making, gaining insight into the rationale behind decisions, and working on the language to swiftly and accurately explain decisions.
