Hutton, for example, runs for fitness and has been studying yoga for flexibility and concentration, in preparation for the season. Murphy cycles 30 minutes each day. Foxcroft, who will officiate in the CFL for the first time this year, uses a personal trainer. Memorizing the rules of football, one of the most complicated of all team sports, provides only the outline of a football official's job. Officials are trained to avoid centre stage, but a little swagger, they agree, helps to establish authority with players and coaches and provides a buffer against the inevitable criticism and second-guessing that come with the job.
Experience also helps.
The second five years, you start pretending you do know it all, and the next five years, you're starting to learn it. After that, you can take control of what you've learned and really establish where you're at. But the essential quality of a good referee at any level is concentration. An official must be able to see the play and call it, with certainty. Still, the best officials know good diplomacy reduces the need for discipline.