Where is your whistle

[James]

Just watching some NFL clips and I can clearly see after an interception, the LJ trying to catch up to the play (Falcons vs Tampa Bay) and running with his whistle in his mouth. Personally I keep my whistle out until I need it. I thought the philosophy was that if you had it in at the snap that you spit it out.

Just wanted to see what everyone here does with their whistles.

Indicate which one, and if you are told to do it that way or not.

[VALinesman]

I keep my whistle on a laynard. Prior to the snap, my whistle is in my hand. If the snap is good, no dead ball fouls, I drop it.

[Morningrise]

Running with a whistle in your mouth is flirting with disaster - at least for me.

Mine is on a lanyard. Before and during the play, it's in my left hand. I use a long lanyard - about belt-level - so I can still swing my arm comfortably when running. When I put it in my mouth I let go of it. When I finish blowing I let it fall. When I need a two-handed signal, I don't start until my whistle arm is available. One-handed touchdowns look bad, otherwise I'd have a finger whistle. The thing is in my hand all the time except when I've just finished blowing it, or when I'm handling the ball.

(If you do use a finger whistle, please go up *after* you blow it. Going up after a beat is better than going up with one hand.)

I could keep it in my mouth until the snap, but I don't. This isn't basketball and it's okay if I take an extra quarter-second to whistle a false start. Plus if you spit it out at the snap and start moving, now you have to grab for it while it's swinging around. Now that's a delay I'm not willing to have.

I keep the same practices whether I'm a wing or a deep guy. But an R or a U, who rarely blow and give two-handed signals at the same time, would choose differently.

[110]

I started out with a finger whistle, then moved to become an all-lanyard, all-the-time guy. Almost fractured my fingers when I botched a relay as U.
Then I went to finger whistle for R.
And then I went to finger whistle for Back Umpire/Back Judge.
And then I went to finger whistle for sides.

And now, I'm all-finger, all the time, with the exception of the U spot. It's in my mouth until the snap (so I can blow procedures dead ASAP), and then out.

[With_Two_Flakes]

Finger Whistle for all positions. I reckon I can shut a play down for a False Start etc fast enough, I dont feel I need a whistle in my mouth. I'd likely forget to spit it out at the snap. As for whistles and signals - I can give a blast and then signal the score. I've never felt the need to rush the TD signal.

I guess I've been lucky enough that I've never caught a badly relayed ball that risked injury to my fingers due to the whistle. I did make the mistake a couple of years ago of trying to catch an underthrown ball and it caught the end of a finger. The joint swelled up and took a month to go down, still aches when the weather turns bad.

[HLinNC]

On JV and Friday I wear a finger whistle with a lanyard for back-up.  I don't work many middle school games so I'll wear a lanyard  just to stay sort of used to using one and spit it out at the snap.  Youth ball I'll wear a lanyard as we sometimes rotate positions.

[James]

Since everyone is als telling how they carry theirs
I use a wrist whistle (flick of the wrist gets it in my hand). Never tried a finger whistle, and on a lanyard I never find it as it flops around too much).

[AlUpstateNY]

I would suggest the absolute best way to deal with YOUR whistle, is the way YOU are most comfortable and competent with.  It's a really good idea to try all of the excellent ideas and consider all the sound reasoning provided with the various approaches before settling on what might be best for YOU.

[Bugolathe]

I don't like the finger whistle so I use a wrist lanyard.  The whistle is kept at the ready in my left hand.  I always give it a quick hard blast when needed (very rare as BJ) and then make a proper signal.  I recently changed one thing on Friday night.  As the BJ (5-man) I now also have a regular lanyard and keep the whistle in my mouth for kickoffs only.  Once the kick is made I spit it out.  I had an incident where I fumbled around with the whistle in my hand and when one member of the kicking team went offsides I couldn't get the whislte in my mouth to blow it until the play was almost over.  The new method has rectified that.

[VALJ]

I wear both, so that I've always got one even if the other breaks, and I keep the lanyard whistle in my mouth until the snap.  What I've found is that when I'm working B, U, L, or H I use the finger whistle a lot more.  As an R, though, I rarely use the finger whistle, since most of the time I'm only blowing the RFP.

As Al says, individual preference is what's important.  I can't imagine a supervisor really caring either way, as long as proper form is used with signals, though I'm sure that there are some supervisors with strong preferences one way or the other.

[Osric Pureheart]

Wrist lanyards; all the benefits of a finger whistle, except you can drop it when you need it out of your hand, it's right there when you need it back, and it's never going to snap off the fingergrip.

[British Ref]

I carry one lanyard whistle and one finger whistle. There are some situations for which I prefer the finger whistle and some for which I prefer the lanyard whistle.

[lawdog]

When I work the wings or BJ, I use a zipper lanyard on my shirt.  When I white hat I use a finger whistle.  Never have the whistle in my mouth during a play, too much can go wrong with that and there is nothing to be gained by really quick whistles...

[elewis023]

Word of caution that I learned the hard way....If you are using a finger whistle, do not have it on your throwing hand!!!

I had a receiver go out of bounds on his own (hat down) and then he was the first to touch it, so I had to throw my flag towards him.  Finger whistle flew off and went behind the bench!  So, I had to go report my penalty to the R and then go try to find my whistle (which I learned another lesson to always have 2 of everything when on the field!!)

 

[TxGrayhat]

For me finger whistle all the time. It gives me that fraction of a second for my brain to say "No wait don't blow it"

[zebra5023]

Hopefully in my Stocking!!!!!  Merry Christmas to all of my zebra friends!!!!    just for all my fellow U's!!!!

[jjseikel]

Running with a whistle in your mouth is flirting with disaster - at least for me.

Mine is on a lanyard. Before and during the play, it's in my left hand. I use a long lanyard - about belt-level - so I can still swing my arm comfortably when running. When I put it in my mouth I let go of it. When I finish blowing I let it fall. When I need a two-handed signal, I don't start until my whistle arm is available. The thing is in my hand all the time except when I've just finished blowing it, or when I'm handling the ball.

Same here.

[Welpe]

Same here.

Same here also.

[Matt]

Finger whistle for R or U and on a lanyard on the wings

[beaye1]

Running with a whistle in your mouth is flirting with disaster - at least for me.

Mine is on a lanyard. Before and during the play, it's in my left hand. I use a long lanyard - about belt-level - so I can still swing my arm comfortably when running. When I put it in my mouth I let go of it. When I finish blowing I let it fall. When I need a two-handed signal, I don't start until my whistle arm is available. One-handed touchdowns look bad, otherwise I'd have a finger whistle. The thing is in my hand all the time except when I've just finished blowing it, or when I'm handling the ball.

(If you do use a finger whistle, please go up *after* you blow it. Going up after a beat is better than going up with one hand.)

I could keep it in my mouth until the snap, but I don't. This isn't basketball and it's okay if I take an extra quarter-second to whistle a false start. Plus if you spit it out at the snap and start moving, now you have to grab for it while it's swinging around. Now that's a delay I'm not willing to have.

I keep the same practices whether I'm a wing or a deep guy. But an R or a U, who rarely blow and give two-handed signals at the same time, would choose differently.

Where do you find a lanyard that long to do this?

[110]

Where do you find a lanyard that long to do this?

Down around knee-cap level, by the sounds of it.

 

[VALJ]

For me finger whistle all the time. It gives me that fraction of a second for my brain to say "No wait don't blow it"

That extra split second has saved my butt a few times.

[jjseikel]

Where do you find a lanyard that long to do this?

Honigs

[FredFan7]

Order the Honigs 27-inch lanyard.  It works great for running with the whistle in your hand.  It's about the length of the lanyard you see worn by NFL Referee Ron Winter.

[bossman72]

That extra split second has saved my butt a few times.

AMEN!  That's why I don't trust myself to spit the whistle out at the snap.  Too risky for my liking especially at Varsity or College level.

Personally,  I use a finger whistle when working the wing and a lanyard whistle while working every other position.  I always carry 2 whistles on my person when on the field.

I bought the Ron Winter XL lanyard from Honigs for my last game and LOVED it.  I don't have to run with my left elbow bent and hand at my chest at all times.