I asked this in a post before, but mostly got a bunch of descriptions of the stance. I was wondering if anybody out there uses the GD stance, what they think of it, if anybody who teaches umpires uses it or what they think of it, and other general comments on the stance. Thanks

Switched after learning it from Gerry at the Southern Umpires camp in 2001 and never looked back. It is comfortable and you lock in well. I have rare hits on the arms from fouls, but less than when tried to hide my hands. I have talked to different partners about the benefits and developing locking in mechanisms. I recommend it and you are never to experienced to learn.

Ed H

Highly recommended. Its a good solid stance that allows you to stay free of F2 and to get a great view of the plate.

It does take some work to adjust to of course.

Thanks
David

I must have missed the posts explaining this stance. I hear alot about it, but cannot find much on it. Could someone explain, and/or provide a link to find more information about the Gerry Davis stance?

Thanks.

Stance Info
 

http://childress.officiating.com/

this link provides info on the stance...its at the bottom under working the plate. Keep the comments coming guys I love to hear what you guys think about the Gerry Davis plate stance. Thanks

I went to this stance after a GD clinic 4 years ago. I used to be a scissors guy. The GD stance has helped enormously. It is comfortable, and really locks you in. I now teach, or help teach clinics, and this is the number one stance we preach. Some of our taller brethren struggle with it, but if they stick with it, it works. The number one key is the head just doesn't move.

Try it you will like it
 

Have only used it in a few games so far but I think it is great. I recommended it to all of my association's officials last week. It is great to not have to worry about the last second moves of the catcher.

Caught the slightest amount of flak about it a couple of days ago.... pitcher was throwing what I felt were high pitches - ball, ball, ball. Pitcher is whining. Rookie catcher is set well back in the box and is coming up from his stance to catch the pitches rather than raising his glove... I STILL HAVE A GREAT UNIMPEDED VIEW from above the catcher! Coach comes out in a friendly way between innings, "I don't want to argue balls and strikes." My imediate response was, "So what are you doing out here." But then he went on to plead his case and made a fleeting comment about me being well back of the catcher. So I explained ... "Your catcher is back a foot more than the opposing catcher and he is rising up to catch these high pitches... Do you want me to call the pitches based upon where they cross the batter or upon your catcher's abilities (it wasn't really a choice)? Because I think they are high." He responded that if I would like, I could expand my zone a little. "Well coach if you want your kids trained to swing at pitches around their shoulders (still wasn't really a choice)..." He left and the next inning the pitches were a foot lower and well in the zone.

I like the stance. It is more comfortable. It is similar to a slowpitch softball stance (position, as Childress calls it). The only drawback is that now you are a bigger target and you may catch more foul balls, so wear good gear and try it!
:D

As this becomes more popular, how far are we aware from some sort of forearm guard becoming standard issue for plate umps.

One question for those of you who call baseball and softball - using GD, do you have any problems picking up the ball from the softball release point? Do you find yourself inching over a little to compensate in softball like they describe for a batter crowding the plate in baseball?

As soon as I say this I will be nicked 50 times, but I have used the GD stance for four years. The number of times I have been hit is no more, or no less, appreciable than my earlier stance. Good equipment is always the best option. As far as wearing protective arm equipment, we might as well wear a badge that says "hit me," because you know the only place we well get hit is above, or below it.

I'm sure the number of times you get hit stays the same ... but with this stance you have an arm exposed that you didn't have before. If you mean you're not getting hit any more often on bare skin than you were before, I'll take your word for it.

I plan on trying this out soon, as I admit I have a little trouble with that outside strike, and would like to improve that.

I've used the Gerry Davis stance for over two seasons. I'm 66, and yet I've called as many as four Youth games in a row (14u/115 time limit) without fatigue.

(Have you seen that ad for a drug that reduces fatigue? A spokesperson says: "One sympton of fatigue is feeling tired." No kidding!)

Don't "scoot over." That destroys one of the principal advantages of GD. DO NOT MOVE UNLESS YOU LOSE SIGHT OF THE PITCHER'S RELEASE POINT.

So, when you stay in the GD stance, you WILL get hit on the forearms, especially in lower-level ball, i.e., high school and down. Well, ....

I solved the problem of forearm guards, thanks to Wal-Mart. Go to Sports, Youth Soccer, shin guards. Buy a pair of 8-inch (hard plastic over soft rubber) guards. Cost? About $3 I think.

Then go to UnderArmour.com and buy a pullover longsleeve garmet. (You don't have to do that, but if you don't, you'll have to answer questions about the "funny" extra padding. Since I love UnderArmour, my choice was a no-brainer.)

As James Cagney said in <i>Footlight Parade</i>: "My headache's gone!"

forget arm pads. taking a shot in the arm is part of the game and pads would look ridiculous.

tough it out

You're kidding, right? Shin guards? Chest protector? Throat guard? You don't wear those, right? Tough it out.

The forearm guards don't show when I umpire, and I don't bleed internally when I'm hit.

By the way, if you wear your protector, it's not hard shell. Right? And you cut off the shoulder pads. Right?

Hey, if that's what you think baseball is, I want you toughing it out on my crew, calling the foul line in right field.

Have a nice day.

I tried the GD stance in the first game of a double header today. I don't know if I did it right, but what I did I liked.

Tried it on Saturday for the first time. My back was killing me. I suspect I'm doing something wrong, as it was only 2 games.

I did, however, feel like I had a better look at the zone, and I didn't get hit once.

PS - longsleeves over armguards... nice idea for you Yankees. :) It was 90 degrees on Saturday here in Texas.

I'm about as deep in Texas as you can get. I use skin tight UnderArmour covered by the loose garmet. Obviously you haven't used their remarkable products. On a one hundred degree day you'll feel as if you're in air conditioning. Trust me: No one who ever uses it discards it.

mcrowder:
Here are the salient points for using the GD stance:

1. Put your nose on the black edge of the plate nearer the batter.

2. Stand <i>at least</i> an arm’s length behind the catcher: one good step. If a coach begins to chirp about your calls on the low pitch, <i>back up farther</i>.

3. Place your feet about 6 to 8 inches wider than your shoulders. You need a good, wide, rock-steady foundation.

4. Come to the set position well before the pitcher begins any preliminary movements.

5. Rest your hands on your knees, just like the umpire does in the infield. The point: In the usual stance the umpire uses his muscular structure to maintain his calling position. In the GD stance all that is taken care of by the skeletal structure. Bones, not sinew, keep you in place. Bones, not muscles, support your weight.

6. Don’t shift your position unless the <i>batter</i> blocks your view of the pitcher’s release point.

7. I haven’t found this necessary, but.... If you feel any fatigue at all, you might try dropping your seat an inch or so at the time of the pitch.

8. Advantages of this stance: (1) You’re set well before the pitch. (2) You see the pitch from about the same perspective every time. (3) You place no strain on your muscles.

Remember, I’m 66 and this past July (95 to 100 degrees) I called four straight games (14u/115 time limit) behind the plate. Gerry Davis and UnderArmour kept me fresh, cool, and collected for over nine hours.

Now, I didn’t run a marathon afterwards, but I did take my wife to a late movie — and managed to stay awake.

you might as well stand behind a plexi-glass panel and call the game from there.

make sure you cut your fingernails really short, wouldnt want to break a nail.

im sorry, but i dont care if you are carl childress. i will never wear arm pads, and even if i get hit, an ice pack after the game will cure the swelling.

[/B][/QUOTE]

im sorry, but i dont care if you are carl childress. i will never wear arm pads, and even if i get hit, an ice pack after the game will cure the swelling. [/B][/QUOTE]

If you would use ice after a game you ain't tough enough ("tough it out").

Really though, I don't use arm pads, but I do wear a throat guard. Reason, I got a fast ball in the throat once, and once was enough. If I ever get hurt in the arm I will start wearing arm pads too. Each to his own.

Yeah sure, tough guy.

Quite frankly who gives a crap what somebody else wears.

Took a direct fastball shot a couple years ago on my radius ( the forearm bone that adjoins your thumb). Swole up the size of a grapefruit in a matter of a minute. Been worrying about getting hit there again, ever since.

Us wimps wear gear to cover what we can. Let me know how it goes when you get to 20 some odd years of officiating. Or 40, like Carl.

In my own association, we had an umpire look into calling the plate behind a 6 foot police plexiglass riot shield. We identified a riot shield that was a about a third of a circle around the umpire.

The problem was the cost. We did not want to spring for about $400 for an experiment. The visibility would be great, protection superb, and it certainly would be the coolest way to work on a hot day.

The potential problems that we identified were that any ball that the catcher did not catch would careen in many wild directions off of the shield. Also:

1. What would the PU do with the thing after a hit? Where would he toss it?

2. What kind of visual distortion (if any) would the PU see looking through curved plexiglass?

3. For transport, the shield would have to be in two pieces. Few umpires could get a six foot object inside their cars.

You raise the subject of protection and how you despise arm protection. You might feel differently as you get older. Bones over 60 can take twice to four times as long to heal as bones under 25. I have known several older umpires whose careers were ended by injuries that would have just produced a severe bruise on a younger umpire.

Peter

In my own association, we had an umpire look into calling the plate behind a 6 foot police plexiglass riot shield. We identified a riot shield that was a about a third of a circle around the umpire.

The problem was the cost. We did not want to spring for about $400 for an experiment. The visibility would be great, protection superb, and it certainly would be the coolest way to work on a hot day.

Peter [/B][/QUOTE]

Man...you guys need to work more games...way too much time on your hands.

Have used the GD stance in both baseball and fast pitch softball. Works great for both, and I had no trouble picking up the pitch in softball. I did get hit a couple of times in the left arm calling softball. Not wanting to suffer any more pain, I began wearing a plain black soccer shin guard on my left arm. Didn't catch any flack about it at all, everyone just accepted it as part of my gear. At least until I got hit on the unprotected right arm.

My advice is to try the GD stance, you won't go back.

I've been using it all year.
Yes, ...hit more.
Still like the stance.
mick