[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Dakota
Quote:
The wide stance is much better on the knees, even more so with the younger ages, 'cause you don't bend as much at the knee for a given drop.
Remember this, however... unlike in slow pitch, in a single game you will be doing ~100+ of these deep knee bends (even with the wide stance) ~200+ for a double header. Start exercising NOW or you will go wobbly before the end of the 3rd.
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As a primarily SP umpire who does both games, I must take exception to the SP/FP comparison here.
The proper mechanic is virutally identical for both games. Though many FP umpires think the SP guys just stand there, looking at the ground (okay, so some do, but not the good ones), in some cases, a SP umpire actually has to get lower to watch the ball pass through a SP strike zone than some do in FP. And, as Don will attest, the boys playing SP take quite a few pitches. If you are working the plate properly, you are going to be up and down almost, if not more than some umpires working a FP game. Of course, if you are working Men's A or above, you may have to abandon the mechanic as it is important to see the strike zone, but just as important is staying out of the catcher's way since the runners may steal at that level.
When this mechanic first hit ASA, I saw it at the Central Atlantic Regional Clinic (or the remnants thereof) and then again the follwoing February, when the National Staff went to and demonstrated the stance (Tony Walsh, I believe) at the National UIC Clinic in OKC.
You only get caught on a passed ball or foul pop-up if you lean back on your heels. You need to stay on the balls of your feet. What the wider stance does for FP umpires is make the drop a shorter distance because you are already starting lower by setting up with your feet further apart. Not to mention that with the real young players, it can be a long way to the top of the strike zone. The key is to sit down in the stance, not bend over or crouch.
JMHO