Strike Zone

[LomUmp]

Originally Posted by tibear

LomUmp,

What I'm saying is that the only way kids are going to learn to actually play the game is to get the kids hitting the ball. Nobody learns anything if everyone walks the maximum number of runs each inning.

Give the 8-10 year olds BIG strike zones to develop their eye hand coordination, give the fielders opportunities to make plays, etc.

Your right, as umpires we aren't there to make everyone happy, but you must acknowledge that the role of an umpire changes as the players get older. When the players are young I will sometimes slide into a coaches role, if for example some 10 year that has never caught before sets up with his toes basically on the back of home plate. I'll tell the catcher to backup before he gets a bat in the back of the head, howver, I'm not going to tell some 23 year old man the same thing.

Hey all,

I agree with your last point. If it is a safety issue for the little ones, we will take care of it right then and there. If it is something they are just doing wrong, I'll let it go until it becomes a rules issue then explain it from there.

Just a point of interest, from what I have seen, there are almost as many adults, as there are kids, that still try to play/manage/coach that don't know/understand the rules in which they play.

LomUmp

Edited for spelling like one of the kids we are talking about....

[CoachTex]

This is my second year umpiring Little League. Last year, I know I had too tight of a strike zone for the 9&10yo's. This year, opening day, I opened it way up from top to bottom, from side to side. The other umpires seemed to follow and we had huge strike zones.

Now that we're over half way through the season, I've tighten up a bit. Last night I called a game where even though I was behind the plate, I was basically a base umpire. EVERY kid that came to plate laid off the bad pitches and swung at everything close. I think I had 5 called strikes on the night. Kids were swinging, the ball was in play and we played 5 full inning in under an 1.5 hours.

Both coaches told me what an outstanding job I did. I smiled and said "nope, I didn't do anything. Your players swung at the good pitches, laid off the bad pitches. I was just a spectator".

Last year I got roped into calling a championship game for 8yo's. My strike zone was chin to below the knees and 2 to 3 balls on either side. In between innings I had a coach tell me my strike zone was too small

My advice to you calling 9yo's is, shoulders to anything low that the catcher can catch without the ball hitting the dirt, either side of the plate where the catcher can catch it without lunging, and move the plate with each batter. Try to find the strikes and if the kid has the bat on his shoulder with 2 strikes, anything hittable is a strike.