The Folkstyle Officials survival guide.


There is great information in the rule book every year about being an official, but this post is about the things you may not think of till it is too late. Let’s start with the uniform.

Gray/Black pinstriped shirt.
Black pants
Black socks
Black shoes
Black belt
Black whistle on a black lanyard
Red and Green wristbands
Red and green flip disc.

With the shirt, there is no cheap alternative. I usually get mine from Takedown Sportswear, but there are several choices online. There are some choices of material now, but most are just a poly shirt, and they are not the most comfortable things in the world. You may want a black undershirt. The cheapest I have found shirts is $10.00, and have seen them priced as high as $28.00.

The Pants is an area that you can really save some money. Don’t get denim, or 100% cotton pants. The cotton picks up every piece of trash that you did not realize was on the mat, and your knees will look dirty. Stick with polyester, or a poly wool blend. Because I do not have a 32 inch waist, I prefer to get pants with a built in stretch waist. You can go online to the manufacturer, and spend more than $60.00 for a sports specific pair of pants, or you could get lucky at good will. Don’t go nuts, because you will wear out the pants in no time. A more expensive pair will not last longer than a cheap pair. Here is an important hint, wear black underwear. Of course it would be better to have a back up uniform in your car, at least black underwear can get you through a tournament if you have a small rip in your pants.

You probably have a few pairs of black socks laying around, don’t buy new socks till you wear out the old ones.

Shoes are a learning process. Make sure the toe area of the shoes you use is sturdy. Officiating tends to beat up the toes of shoes, and you will end up trying to glue them back down. I usually get two pairs of inexpensive shoes and rotate them. Dr. Sholes makes a good deodorant foot powder that I sprinkle in my shoes. Stinky shoes in your car all day makes for a bad ride home.

You probably have a black belt in your closet. Use it.

Whistles and lanyards are a place you should not skimp.
You can buy the lanyards that hook to the loop in the front of your shirt. I see plenty of officials that prefer these lanyards. They will let your shirt stretch if your lanyard gets kicked, and are less likely to hurt your mouth. I prefer a breakaway lanyard. With the break away lanyard if it gets kicked while the whistle is in your mouth, the lanyard will come apart, and prevent damage. The plastic break away connectors are easily snapped back together.

I recommend a pealess whistle. Fox 40 is the leading manufacturer, and they have lots of models to choose from. The new Sonic Blast is my whistle of choice. You can get whistles with mouth guards that will help protect your teeth, but I prefer whistles without the mouth guard. The mouth guard forces you to have your mouth wider open, and it is not comfortable to me.

Wrist bands.
You can shop around and find wristbands, but there is not a significant savings no matter what you find. I recommend having two sets of bands in rotation. It is nice to put on a dry set after a break. If you get wrestling specific wristbands, go ahead and get the ones that come with a flip disk.



You are dressed in an appropriate uniform, you look professional, and people may actually be convinced that you know what you are doing. What else do I need to bring with me.

The bag.

You need a container for your stuff. A gym style bag is a good choice. I have a backpack that I like, but sometimes it is a little small. Make sure you keep your bag in plain view, they tend to grow legs.

The stuff.

Some of the things you need in your bag are obvious, but it is the other stuff that can turn a bad day into something more tolerable. Here are the things in my bag. Leave a comment if you can think of something I should add to my bag.

1. Wristbands, flip discs and whistles. Two sets.
2. Pens, and pencils
3. A notebook or at least blank paper.
4. Disinfecting wipes. I clean my shoes with them after I use the bathroom. and it is nice to have a backup when there are blood issues.
5. A set of ankle bands. Sometimes they are not available at tournaments.
6. Gum. It is easy to get dry mouth with a whistle in and out of your mouth. The gum helps with the dry mouth, and the smell of your whistle.
7. Peanut M&Ms. Sometimes you get stuck on the mat for more than 4 hours at a time. You will loose your ability to concentrate when your blood sugar drops. The protein in the peanuts, sugar in the candy, and caffeine in the chocolate are my perfect combination to get back on track. A quick handful between matches can get you through the rough patches.
8. A bottle of water. You will be surprised how quickly you will dehydrate if you do not drink water.
9. Street clothes. There may not be a facility for you to shower after the match, but changing clothes can make you much more comfortable for the ride home.
10. A draw kit. I have to redo it this year since the weight classes have changed. Small Popsicle sticks from the craft store with the weight classes on them are a good choice.
11. My USA License book.
12. My phone. Once the tournament starts my phone is in my bag, and turned off.


As you become an experienced official, you will find things that are not on my list that you just can’t perform without. I just want to put some thoughts in your head on things you may want before your first adventure on the mat.

More experienced officials, please leave comments on things you can not officiate without, or money saving tips for the new officials.