Tricks for Timing

[BigUmp56]

Are there any tricks some of you wiley old vets of this forum use to improve and help keep consistant your timing while calling balls and strikes?

I don't mean the old "read the mitt logo" either. I'm looking for something you use that may be unique.

Thanks,

Tim.

[Bassman]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Are there any tricks some of you wiley old vets of this forum use to improve and help keep consistant your timing while calling balls and strikes?

I don't mean the old "read the mitt logo" either. I'm looking for something you use that may be unique.

Thanks,

Tim.

Basically I use what I like to call the "two second" rule. Ball crosses plate, ball goes into mitt, wait two seconds, make the call. What also helps me tremendously is that I use the GD stance.

[ctblu40]

I literally make the call in my head...

Thats a ball... BALL

Thats a strike... STRIKE

[GarthB]

Timing is the...

Oh, never mind. It wouldn't do any good.

[Steven Tyler]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Timing is the...

Oh, never mind. It wouldn't do any good.

......proper use of the eyes.......

[yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by ctblu40

I literally make the call in my head...

Thats a ball... BALL

Thats a strike... STRIKE

this is exactly what a current major league umpire told us at one of our local meetings when he came to talk to us about mechanics. he said use "thats a" and then make the call.

[tcarilli]

Originally Posted by yankeesfan

use "thats a" and then make the call.

How does this help? Timing (proper use of eyes) is important to help us get calls right not make calls more slowly. Suppose you don't track the ball, ie have tunnel vision, but you are religious in using the "thats a" method of timing instead of tracking pitches all the way to the mitt, how many more pitches are you going to get right?

[Jay R]

I don't use any mechanisms like the ones that have been mentionned. Although I will periodically remind myself to be patient and not make up my mind before the ball crosses the plate and into the glove.

For me, there are two common situations that could be problematic. They are basically the same pitches that fool the hitters.

One is the high fastball that looks good coming in. Batters often swing at that pitch because it looks like a strike. if the batters are sometimes fooled, we can be as well. If you're patient, you will not miss it.

Secondly is the sinker that again that looks good all the way until it dips below the strike zone at the last instant. It often fools the batter and we need to let it be caught before we decide.

I think it was Peter Osbourne who wrote about gross misses (calls that everyone in the ballpark knows you missed). Good timing help avoid gross misses.

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by Bassman

Basically I use what I like to call the "two second" rule. Ball crosses plate, ball goes into mitt, wait two seconds, make the call.

Two real seconds or two short pauses?

[Bassman]

Originally Posted by fitump56

Two real seconds or two short pauses?

Two short pauses.

[mbyron]

Timing tricks are bogus, and newer umps should learn the proper use of the eyes instead.

[tcarilli]

There are no tricks for timing. Timing is not about time...period. Timing is, as has been written above, about proper use of eyes. If you use your eyes properly you can not have bad timing, it's not possible. The point of timing is to make sure you are making proper calls, counting to two, chewing your gum twice, reading the label on the mitt, holding your pants, pinching your arm, or sticking a stick in your eye will not help you get calls right.

Bottom line -- there are no tricks!

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Timing tricks are bogus, and newer umps should learn the proper use of the eyes instead.

What would those be?

[briancurtin]

Originally Posted by Bassman

Basically I use what I like to call the "two second" rule. Ball crosses plate, ball goes into mitt, wait two seconds, make the call. What also helps me tremendously is that I use the GD stance.

that isnt timing

...but anyways, 2 seconds seems too long to wait anyways.

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Are there any tricks some of you wiley old vets of this forum use to improve and help keep consistant your timing while calling balls and strikes?

I don't mean the old "read the mitt logo" either. I'm looking for something you use that may be unique.

Thanks,

Tim.

This is age dependent. I have a notebook full for under 12s.