Tried the Gerry Davis system today.

[nickrego]

Short version:

It works exactly as it has been advocated to work.

Synopsis:

Locks you into the same spot every time. Gives you a longer look at each pitch. I felt as strong at the end of the game as I did at the beginning. Gives you a better view of the batter, pitcher and the entire field. Definitely exposes your un-protected areas more than any other stance. May require you to make slight modifications to your strike mechanics. You may want to consider giving up the Indicator (our security blanket).

Long version (very long actually…Sorry, but there is a lot to say about this):

I have been reading all the posts and articles I could find over the last few days about the Gerry Davis system. Out of the blue, I received a call asking me to cover a Babe Ruth 13 YRO game. The light bulb went on, thinking this was the prefect opportunity to try it out. I avoid making major changes in my mechanics this late in the season for HS games. I usually have a list of things to change by the end of the season and I work on them the next season during the pre-season schedule, when the games don’t matter.

Since the game was 2 minutes from my house, I dawned my gear early, got in front of a mirror and practiced getting into the stance consistently. Getting my elbows locked took more tries than I thought it would. You really have to turn the heels or your hands inwards to make this work. You also have to drop your butt a little bit more than you do when working the bases. The biggest problem I faced was being consistent with my left hand, which holds my indicator. After a while, I learned to wedge my thumbs under my upper knee guards, which helped a lot.

At first, it was really uncomfortable. Forcing yourself to stand so far behind the catcher really took a lot of concentration. I kept finding myself creeping back up and had to adjust back. The first thing you notice is how everything opens up. I use the Heel – Toe Slot mechanic and always felt like I was looking down a tunnel. Well, goodbye tunnel. From the GD, you can see everything, and have great depth of field perception.

It did take me about two innings to get used to the NEW Strike Zone. I say new because it looks quite different. Instead of looking down over a ball snapping past the plate, you are looking at a ball traveling towards you. You feel like the ball is in flight longer and that you have longer to make your decision about the pitch. I no longer felt like I had to concentrate to keep my pitch calling mechanic slow enough, it just happened. The only way I can describe it is the difference between using the sights on a snub nose pistol (slot) and using the long sites on a rifle (GD).

The first change I saw was the low end of my zone came up. Most umpires think my zone is a little low, but they always off-set that with how consistent I call the pitches there. Now the low pitches really look low ! The high end didn’t seem to change too much, but the outside corner is much easier. Now that my nose in on the inside edge of the plate, and that long site angle, the outside pitches seemed easy. Because your looking out at the pitch instead of down at it, tracking the ball to the mitt with your eyes is a piece of cake. There were times when the catcher would set up inside and block me out. Sometimes I rose up a little, but most of the time I didn’t worry about it. It’s easy to know exactly where the inside part of the plate is, your nose. I will say though, if I got any complaints about my zone, I never heard them.

Once I was comfortable, I could really start analyzing the details of the system. Using an indicator is kind of a pain. It just doesn’t fit into the structure. Eventually I found a home for it in my fingers and rested my weight on the heel of my hand. Tucking your thumbs under your upper knee guard is a big help. I noticed that after a few innings, I was naturally dropping my butt more. That seemed to take away the strain I felt at first in my neck. It was kind of a funny feeling once I had it down. You are really locked in tight. And getting up to make a pitch call or follow a foul ball was a little different feeling. Sometimes I felt like it took me forever to move. I’m sure it didn’t, but everything seemed to happen slower, I think because I could see everything !

The only down side I can see is your un-protected areas are much more exposed than in other stances. And being farther back from the catcher makes you a bigger target if the ball gets by him. I haven’t been hit all year long in the hands or forearms using my slot stance because I tuck my hands and forearms behind my upper thighs. Today, a ball hit the top part of my knee guard and bounced up into my arm. Normally this ball would go past me or into my chest protector. I have read some posts where guys were saying you just need to by good equipment. I disagree. The areas that are exposed are areas we don’t wear equipment. I hope it does become an accepted practice to wear Forearm guards as Carl does. I take enough flack on these boards for wearing a helmet, so I don’t think I am ready to add that to it. I’ll just suck it up for now and take the hits.

Early in the season, I saw an umpire using what I now know to be the GD system. When I saw him, I said to myself, “What a lazy piece of crap ! Come on man, work hard, get down in a stance, get close to the plate you chicken.” I now realize I said this out of ignorance and was glad I only said it to myself. Fortunately, ignorance can be cured and only stupid is forever. The GD system is so much easier, I felt like I wasn’t working hard enough. But I was everywhere I needed to be (working alone) for every call. I found myself wondering if anyone was saying what I said to myself about me ? It just feels funny to be so far back and so high up…But it works !

Anyway, I have one more HS game left tomorrow afternoon, on the bases. But next week, when my Babe Ruth 14 -18 and Adult leagues start, it is the GD System all the way. My son is doing his Senior HS project on umpiring. I will show him the traditional stances and positions, but I will teach him to use the GD system from the start.

[Carl Childress]

Nick:

I have two quick points.

(1) Wear the UnderArmour loose fitting long sleeve top. It will "hide" the forearm guards, but -- more importantly -- it will help keep you cool. We reached 88 today in bright sunlight. I wore the skintight top covered by the loose top. With a slight breeze, there were times when I was cold! Seriously. UnderArmoudrs like an air conditioner. Those people who have never tried it have no idea how good it is.

(2) You've been a member of this board for nearly a year, but your first post was today. It is a good one. You've very carefully explained everything there is to know about GD except:

(a) I don't find I have any trouble with the clicker. I simply rest my hand on it. (b) After you've become accustomed to using this stance, you will find you don't need to drop your seat at all. When you reach that point, you truly have arrived at the comfort zone.

What the scoffers don't understand is: (1) You see the plate better; and (2) You don't get tired.

I called three plates in a row today. My partner forgot his equipment [grin], and I wasn't about to let him use mine and adjust it to his size. Besides, I like the plate. I find with GD I get much less tired back there than clumping around the bases.

[nickrego]

Carl,

(1) I wear the Mac David short sleeve mock and full length tights. Is the UnderArmour similar ? Mac David also has a long sleeve, but I don’t know how tight it is and you have to order it on-line. The UnderArmour is readily available, so I think I will give it a try.

(2) I have only now posted because I forgot about this forum and that I was a member. Too busy with Eteamz, NFHS and McGriff’s. McGriff’s has drifted so far off track and Eteamz has slowed down so much that I went searching for other forums. I have many posts on those discussion boards, but I will be spending more time here now.

(a) I also found a comfort zone with my Indicator, and using it is quite doable. But I think the stance would feel better without it, so you had the same feeling and anchoring in both hands. But I am not ready to give up my security blanket.

(b) Maybe a better description would be that I started bending my knees a little more. At first I was fairly straight legged which pointed my head down. I could feel that my neck was going to start getting fatigued from straining to see straight ahead. Moving the stress from my legs to my neck seemed like it would be defeating the purpose. So what I did was experiment with different amounts of knee bend. Bending the knees, of course, causes the rear end to drop.

I had a game today on the bases. What I did was practice getting into the stance on every pitch. I feel like I’ve ended up with about the same amount of knee bend as shown in the pictures in your article, part 2. And no neck strain.

Thanks for all the great information !

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by nickrego
Carl,

(b) Maybe a better description would be that I started bending my knees a little more.
Thanks for all the great information !

Nick: I have three last pieces of advice:

1. Don't bend your knees.
2. Don't bend your knees.
3. Don't bend your knees.

You defeat the main comfort purpose when you begin to use muscle structure to maintain your set position.

One last comment:

Don't bend your knees!

[LDUB]

Originally posted by Carl Childress
(1) Wear the UnderArmour loose fitting long sleeve top. It will "hide" the forearm guards, but -- more importantly -- it will help keep you cool. We reached 88 today in bright sunlight. I wore the skintight top covered by the loose top. With a slight breeze, there were times when I was cold! Seriously. UnderArmoudrs like an air conditioner. Those people who have never tried it have no idea how good it is.

I got a couple of UnderArmour questions.

1. Is the skin tight shirt long sleeve or short sleeve?

2. I was looking on the UnderArmour website, and they have heat gear and all season gear. Do you have both, or do you just have one of them that you allways wear?

3. Does it look ok to have a long sleeve shirt sticking out under my short sleeve shirt?

This isn't a question but as I was browsing the Under Armour site, I noticed that they sell Polo Shirts now. If they take their navy one, and add some red and white piping, it could become the new shirt of choice. Who knows, 20 Years from now, my whole umpire uniform might be made out of under armour.


http://www.underarmour.com/ua2/ua/de...=0092&mscssid=

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by LDUB

I got a couple of UnderArmour questions.

1. Is the skin tight shirt long sleeve or short sleeve?

2. I was looking on the UnderArmour website, and they have heat gear and all season gear. Do you have both, or do you just have one of them that you allways wear?

3. Does it look ok to have a long sleeve shirt sticking out under my short sleeve shirt?

This isn't a question but as I was browsing the Under Armour site, I noticed that they sell Polo Shirts now. If they take their navy one, and add some red and white piping, it could become the new shirt of choice. Who knows, 20 Years from now, my whole umpire uniform might be made out of under armour.


http://www.underarmour.com/ua2/ua/de...=0092&mscssid=

1. I have both cold weather and all season. I don't use the cold weather very often, but it's great when I need it.

2. Our state association adopted a uniform rule that any long sleeve "undershirt" must be navy. The long sleeves were expected to be for cold weather. It never occurred to them that the long sleeves could keep an umpire cool.

3. I don't wear short sleeves because of the sun. The long sleeves mean I don't have to load up on sun screen.

4. I know of no umpire who has tried UnderArmour and rejected it. After two years the garment has become like a second skin.

[Edited by Carl Childress on May 15th, 2004 at 10:55 PM]

[nickrego]

Carl,

I am afraid I am a bit confused…

The pictures of the umpire in your article has his knees bent so that his upper thighs are at about a 45 degree angle. I myself found this to be the most comfortable position.

A quote from your article, Part 2;

“I experimented with the system for all of August and September (about 35 plate games). After each one I noted my legs and thighs were loose, but my neck ached even though I wore a super light-weight mask.
When I told that to Scott, he chuckled. ‘That’s the one thing you can’t see from television. It’s why we want the umpire to drop his seat at the time of pitch. That brings his neck up and back.’ I tried it. No more neck strain.”

I just can’t imagine keeping my legs straight with my knees locked. I must be misunderstanding something ???

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by nickrego
Carl,

I am afraid I am a bit confused…

The pictures of the umpire in your article has his knees bent so that his upper thighs are at about a 45 degree angle. I myself found this to be the most comfortable position.

A quote from your article, Part 2;

“I experimented with the system for all of August and September (about 35 plate games). After each one I noted my legs and thighs were loose, but my neck ached even though I wore a super light-weight mask.
When I told that to Scott, he chuckled. ‘That’s the one thing you can’t see from television. It’s why we want the umpire to drop his seat at the time of pitch. That brings his neck up and back.’ I tried it. No more neck strain.”

I just can’t imagine keeping my legs straight with my knees locked. I must be misunderstanding something ???

Nick:

I'm communicaing poorly. What I'm trying to say is that the umpire should adopt the same set position behind the plate that he (often) uses on the bases. (I don't think it's 45 degrees.)

The more you bend the knees, the less you gain the benefit of the set. Put it this way: We're taught to use the "standing set position" for calls on the bases. That position is also the one used by the heel/toe slot umpire. That kind of umpire is bending his knees at 45 degrees.

Dropping the seat, as I indicated, is needed at the beginning of your adopting GD only if you're experiencing neck strain. After a time, you won't need that.

In short: Your knees are bent, but you don't bend them. I hope I'm getting through better now. The angle is the one that occurs naturally when you lean over to rest your hands on your knees.

You might also want to widen your stance, which will help you find the comfort zone. Let me know if I'm making any better sense.

[nickrego]

Now we are on the same page !

Thanks again.

[DownTownTonyBrown]

I, also am truly enjoying this stance. Out of curiosity I thought I would make a couple of measurements...

As I prepare for the pitch, my legs are spread quite wide - toe to toe 42"

In this position I can see the plate, pitcher, batter, and nearly everything else. My eyes are above the ground 65"

As the pitcher begins his motion or finishes his pause I go to my set position by dropping my seat - a very slight bend of the knees. My eyes are now above the ground 60"

My hands are lightly resting on the outside of my thighs. I quit using an clicky-thing-a-mo-bob-dicator last season - that's another topic but I like that change too.

I am well behind the catcher. Earlier, in a different thread, I had written that I could barely touch the back of the catcher's head with my outstretched arm... I've scooted back farther. I would have to lean ahead 4-6" to touch the back of the catcher's helmet. I'm not at a plate right now so I'm guessing that I am consistently 5.5 to 6 feet behind the tip of the plate.

When I first tried the stance, I found myself with my weight on the balls of my toes - I was leaning ahead trying to get closer to that familiar proximity to the plate. This was causing unnecessary strain on my calves and back. I now sit straight down and relaxed.

This last game I noticed that I still tried to inch forward (move my feet forward) for certain batters and as the catcher would move forward and back. By the end of the game, I had found my position and settled in so my feet were in the exact same position (distance from the plate) for every batter. Surprise, surprise, the zone looked quite similar now for every pitch. Sure, the up and down, top and bottom of the zone changed for the various heights of each batter but always having my feet in the same spots on the ground made for a tremendous consitency.

If you haven't tried it, get it done. It lends for a great view of the entire flight of the pitch - similar to what the batter sees. You'll love it.

[Edited by DownTownTonyBrown on May 17th, 2004 at 09:55 AM]

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by DownTownTonyBrown
I, also am truly enjoying this stance. Out of curiosity I thought I would make a couple of measurements...

My hands are lightly resting on the outside of my thighs. I quit using an clicky-thing-a-mo-bob-dicator last season - that's another topic but I like that change too.

I am well behind the catcher. Earlier, in a different thread, I had written that I could barely touch the back of the catcher's head with my outstretched arm... I've scooted back farther. I would have to lean ahead 4-6" to touch the back of the catcher's helmet. I'm not at a plate right now so I'm guessing that I am consistently 5.5 to 6 feet behind the tip of the plate.

Edited by DownTownTonyBrown on May 17th, 2004 at 09:55 AM]

Tony: What you're doing is adopting the Gerry Davis slot, which puts you at least twice as far back as the average umpire. This great view you're getting results from your distance behind the catcher. [Why did it take us (GD) so long to recognize the superiority of that position?]

NOW, quit "resting your hands lightly" and rest your weight on your knees.

You're only "half" there. (grin) You've got the view of the plate, but you're still using muscles to lock and load. Don't wait until the pitcher's in motion. Adopt the full set position well before he begins to deliver.

Try it. You're going to be oh, so happy that you did.