[NCASAUmp]

You know, I think it goes without saying that we are our own worst enemies out there.

Not the coaches, not the players, but ourselves.

We get ourselves into trouble when we stop relying on our training and focus more upon things that are secondary to calling the game: the reactions of the players, what happened last inning, the game situation ("oh, man, it's a tie game... better not screw this up... better not screw this up..."), etc. We get ourselves into trouble when we focus on everything OTHER than what we should be focusing on: our training as umpires. Our minds drift away, and we stop doing the little things that we should be doing.

If you blew a call, you blew it. If you found yourself in the wrong position, you were in the wrong position.

Move forward. Those sentences are all past-tense for a reason: they're past.

If we allow ourselves to get distracted, we get taken "out of the zone," and our effectiveness diminishes. Forget about the blown call. Forget about the bad position. Sh1t happens.

Move forward, and keep moving forward.

You need to find your rhythm. Your ritual(s) before the game and during the game. They will help you push your own reset button and leave the past behind. Your bad day at work will drift away, your kids' whining, your car troubles... All drift away when you have your rituals, your routine to help you get set for the game. A good rhythm will help you to keep calling YOUR game, not your partner's. Relax, get set, make your call.

If there's a singular piece of advice I can impart in slowing down your calls, here's one I've said on here before. On every catch, on every thrown ball, ASSUME they're going to drop it. Wait for it... Is s/he going to drop it? Wait, almost? Nope, they didn't. Hey, wait! That's now a catch! In your mind, make them PROVE to you they have the ball, and assuming that they will drop the ball will help you get that rhythm.