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Originally Posted by Justme
Do you really don't think that not being 'locked in' prior to the pitch is a good thing? An umpire should be locked in and not moving at the time of the pitch.
I have never heard anyone say that it's okay to move your head when tracking the ball. Keep your head still and track the ball with your eyes is what I have always been told. If this is a softball thing I'll have to admit that I have very little experience but I do not see why it would be different than baseball.
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When I say "locked in", I am referring to setting to a standard, "one-size fits all" stance.
What is wrong with moving your head to "track the ball"? That is some old-school thinking that I ignored in 1966 just as I do today. We're not talking about bobbing around behind the plate, but simply following the ball into the catcher's glove. Makes it much easier to determine if the ball was cleanly caught or not. Remember, in softball, the umpire is usually closer to the plate.
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Those of us who work the GD stance (properly) have no problem with the strike zone, regardless of the size of the batter or where F2 sets up. I have no problem with any portion of the zone, high/low or in/out. I have brought my GD stance with me as a fill-in HS softball umpire this season and while some comments have been made as to where I'm setting up no complaints have come from coaches or evaluators as to my strike zone and my consistency.
Of course in HS/college/adult baseball I see more and more umpires using the GD stance. But that’s a story for another forum 
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And that's fine, but IMO, the games are not the same, the equipment isn't the same and the player's mechanics are not the same, so why would you expect the umpire's mechanics to be the same?