Fútbol from the Referees View

I began refing soccer when I was in 7th grade to help make a little money over the summer. I figured it would be pretty easy, I mean stand there blow a whistle here and there and point in the direction the ball should be going. Seemed simple enough to me. I took the entry level certification, which was fairly simple. I began refing at the lower levels which was a little difficult at first, trying to remember all of the minor details that I had not noticed as a soccer player. However the refing got better but it was not until 10th grade in High School when I realized that refing would actually be helping me while playing soccer. Since I had had a decent amount of experience I began knowing how to take advantage of certain opportunities that present themselves as a player. For example, as a referee, if I didn't know who the ball went off of, I would allow the players to decide by whoever picked up the ball first. Knowing this, I had done this several times knowing well that it was suppose to be the other team’s ball. Also, the same goes with corner kicks. Get the ball quickly and take the kick quick, the refs most likely will not argue. One thing that has gotten myself into trouble is knowing the exact laws of the game, because if a referee blows a call, I usually make certain that know they are wrong. However this usually finds me a yellow card because by this point the referee panics and doesn't know what to do. If you can figure out how to hold your tongue and temper, I highly encourage becoming a referee. It will help you in situations that may n some cases, help you pull off a win. The pay is excellent also, which is never a bad thing.