Strike/out signal

[DG]

Originally Posted by Rita C

One of the critiques he got from the high school observer today is that his strike and out signal are too much alike.

Is this a valid critique?

Rita

I hammer strikes. My outs are unmistakable from the standard strike hammer. Some of my partners point. None of them point the same way for a strike as an out. If the difference is unmistakable no problem. If they look the same I agree.

I don't know any partners who do not have an unmistakeable out signal regardless of hammer or point.

[johnnyg08]

batter/batter-runner, catcher does not see the hammer or point anyway.

I used to point strikes and hammer my outs. Now I hammer both. Haven't had an issue with it. When I pointed, I didn't turn my head which is especially important when working 1-man. Whatever you teach him, teach him to pick one and stick with it. Mixing them up during the game is what confuses people.

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

batter/batter-runner, catcher does not see the hammer or point anyway.

I used to point strikes and hammer my outs. Now I hammer both. Haven't had an issue with it. When I pointed, I didn't turn my head which is especially important when working 1-man. Whatever you teach him, teach him to pick one and stick with it. Mixing them up during the game is what confuses people.

Last year at my plate clinic, I did my strike three mechanic of a hammer-like thing to the side, while looking that direction. I was told by a trainer to not look away from the play or the field, in case something happens. I practiced it a few more times, and finally became comfortable with it in my second game of the year.

This year, I went to the plate clinic and did what I learned the year before. THE SAME TRAINER told me, "If you're going to hammer the third strike to the side, you have to look that direction. It looks stupid if you don't." I informed him that I was told last year to keep my head facing the field (I didn't inform him that HE was the one that told me). His response: "That person didn't know what he was talking about."

With that said, I changed my mechanic to take a step backward and hammer it toward the catcher. It keeps my eye on the play, and, to be frank, looks a lot better.

As for the OP, the observer's observation is crazy. The only way I can see a problem with it is if the kid isn't voicing his strikes and outs. In that case, a strike can look like an out. If that is the case, then the observer should have noted that instead of the mechanic: "Verbalize strikes and outs loud enough to be heard by the players." or something similar.