|
This was brought up at our regional clinic yesterday and the same points were identified.
I discussed this with one on one with our NUS and came away with the following understanding:
1. You still want to be in the set position prior to the pitch. This won't detract from our abilities to see what we need to see.
2. You probably want to take just one step, as short as possible.
3. The reason for the change was that too many umpires were having difficulty getting into the set position when they were already just standing still.
This made sense to me from my prior years as a player/coach.
All players take a short step just prior to the pitch to get into their set position. The reason is two-fold:
1. If you are stationery for more than 3 seconds, your muscles lose their elasticity. Same reasons that pitchers will delay in order for the batter to stay set too long. Our muscles are more like silly putty than rubber bands.
2. It is maximizes your ability to move in reaction to the play. I am not a scientist, but the laws of motion state that it is easier to get from Point A to Point B by changing direction, than it is from a dead stand still.
__________________
Tony
|