safe and out mechanics

[newump]

i have the FED, CCA and PBUC mechanics books - they are great for postioning but don't go into detail about safe and out mechanics. does anyone have any good info? i'd love to hear from someone who has been taught at a pro school or good clinic with mlb instructors. are there any books or articles anyone can recommend?
thanks.

[SAump]

Originally Posted by newump

i have the FED, CCA and PBUC mechanics books - they are great for postioning but don't go into detail about safe and out mechanics. does anyone have any good info? i'd love to hear from someone who has been taught at a pro school or good clinic with mlb instructors. are there any books or articles anyone can recommend?
thanks.

The NLCS is on. Follow along.

This is the way we signal safe, we signal safe, we signal safe, ....

This is the way we signal out, we signal out, we signal out, ....

[newump]

gee thanks.

[SAump]

Originally Posted by newump

gee thanks.

Beltran homered and Glavine is having one of his better games.
Besides, whatever I write, TWO will come along and offer "better" advice.
I'm sure they're watching the game, so be patient. Hope your TV is on.
Now sit back and wait for the others.

[briancurtin]

is there something about them that confuses you, or what exactly in each of these mechanics are you looking to know more about? i dont think there are many books written about giving a safe and out sign...

[newump]

of course i'm watching. i always watch for the mechanics of the mlb umps, but many of them are not textbook in their approach so i'm hesitant to use them as models - it is also difficult when you only catch a quick glance of a call. obviously, the cameras focus on the play and not the ump - unfortunately.
i was recently accepted into a couple of ncaa groups so i want to refine my skills.
i'll be patient...
thanks.

[bobbybanaduck]

there aren't any textbooks on out and safe mechanics because there is no set in stone absolute way to do it. mechanics vary person to person and play a big part in developing your unique style out on the field. as far as your desire to hear from someone who was trained by the pro schools goes, that probably isn't your best bet in looking to "refine" your skills. the schools break down everyone's mechanics so that everyone is doing the same thing. that is the easiest way they can evaluate people; try to make everyone look the same and then pick out the ones that stick out like a sore thumb.

yes, the mechanics taught at the pro schools are an excellent way to form a base for your out and safe calls, however, using those mechnics on the field will make you look robotic. if you are simply looking for some advice, then i offer you the following:

for routine outs use a hammer-like motion with a clenched fist out in front of your body somewhere. not too high, and not below your man-boob line. keep your elbow bent somewhere in the vicinity of 90 degrees. if you get bored with that, try adding in your other fist. keep the same basic mechanic for your right arm and find somewhere that you think looks good to put your left arm. get in front of a mirror and try some things out. tell your partner before the game you are trying some new mechanics and then ask him during (if the game type permits, of course) or after the game what he thinks.

for whacker outs you're just going to find something you're comfortable with. for starters, think of it like you are punching out some guy in a bar fight. knock the guy out. punch through him, don't stop and recoil. that is where watching the big leaguers may give you some ideas (the mechanics part, not the bar fight part). again, don't fear the mirror. (i need more cow bell)

as far as safe mechanics go, i think there is less style involved than in an out call. while each different guy will have his pet peeves, you can't go wrong with a simple palms down arms extended mechanic. keep your extended arms even with the ground. going too high will look like you are flying away or calling a touchdown or something. the "up-extend-retract-down" safe call of the pro schools is too robotic to use on the field, but offers a good base for not flying away and keeping everything crisp.

try this in a mirror and see how it looks...with your palms facing down put your hands flat along the top of your man-boob line, almost touching your middle fingers together at the tips. snap your safe mechanic out keeping your palms facing down and then retract your arns back in, but not all the way back in or you may hurt yourself and leave conspicuous bruises on your chest that you will have to explain to your girlfriend. i would suggest not using closed fists for safe calls, but that is a personal preference. some guys think it looks cool, i think it looks lathargic. whatever.

in summation, experiment with different things in the mirror, find a couple you think look good, and take them out onto the field. get some feedback on them and either keep working on them til you like them, or change to something else. keep everything crisp and snap things off at the end. have a nice day.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by newump

of course i'm watching. i always watch for the mechanics of the mlb umps, but many of them are not textbook in their approach so i'm hesitant to use them as models - it is also difficult when you only catch a quick glance of a call. obviously, the cameras focus on the play and not the ump - unfortunately.
i was recently accepted into a couple of ncaa groups so i want to refine my skills.
i'll be patient...
thanks.

Let me get this straight: "Newump" has been "accepted into a couple of NCAA groups" and is asking how to make safe and out calls. Have I got that right?

[SAump]

Originally Posted by newump

of course i'm watching. i always watch for the mechanics of the mlb umps, but many of them are not textbook in their approach so i'm hesitant to use them as models - it is also difficult when you only catch a quick glance of a call. obviously, the cameras focus on the play and not the ump - unfortunately.
i was recently accepted into a couple of ncaa groups so i want to refine my skills.
i'll be patient...
thanks.

There was an awsome illustration in tonights ballgame. Situation:
Pitcher Tom Glavine bunted the ball in front of home plate.
The Cardinals' catcher quickly retrieved the baseball and threw to 2B for the force out.
The Cardinals' SS caught the ball and then dropped it during the transfer from glove to hand.
There was exclusive video footage of the 2BU demo of the MLB mechanic.
I hope you caught that because it was quite an impressive way to sell the OUT call.

[newump]

thanks to some of you for your input.

just finished my 3rd year of umping any level. last year i did hs varsity, legion, semi-pro

[SAump]

Originally Posted by newump

thanks to some of you for your input.

just finished my 3rd year of umping any level. last year i did hs varsity, legion, semi-pro

Does semi-pro mean college player's wood bat summer league or adult (18+) amateur metal bat leagues? Thanks.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by newump

thanks to some of you for your input.

just finished my 3rd year of umping any level. last year i did hs varsity, legion, semi-pro

Well, I worked varsity only from the middle of my second year on, so it's not unheard of, although usually rare. Usually it takes at least 3 to 4 years to even get looked at for varsity here. But college ball after 3 years? Not out in these parts, unless you've been to pro school.

But what puzzles me is that you still seem to need to learn proper safe and out signals. If you had attended a pro school, you wouldn't be asking this question, so I can't imagine how you got invited to work college ball (unless it is an extremely small town where you live, and there is an umpire shortage).

If they let you work these high-level games, don't they make sure your mechanics are correct first? It would seem like you should already have all your mechanics down pat.

There is nothing wrong with most of the mechanics the MLB guys use, so if you do it like they do, you will do just fine.

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by newump

i have the FED, CCA and PBUC mechanics books - they are great for postioning but don't go into detail about safe and out mechanics. does anyone have any good info? i'd love to hear from someone who has been taught at a pro school or good clinic with mlb instructors. are there any books or articles anyone can recommend?
thanks.

This is not facetious - the Little League organization publishes an "Umpire Clinic Manual" thta has a few pages with illustrations of basic calls. If you know somebody in Little League, maybe a local league UIC, that section of the manual may be just what you're looking for.

If you don't know anyone you could get a copy of the LL manual from, send me a private message and I can probably hook you up.

[SAump]

There was an another awsome illustration in tonights NLCS ballgame.
Situation: Batter E Chavez bunted the ball in front of home plate.
The Cardinals' pitcher quickly retrieved the baseball and threw to 1B.
There was exclusive video footage of the 1BU demo of the MLB mechanic.
It was an impressive 1BU move from deep A into the infield grass to gain angle and distance on the play.
I was very impressed with 1BU's quickness and safe mechanic as runner beat the throw to 1B on a very chitty bang-bang play.