Plate Stance

[MT 73]

I was watching the Big 10 softball playoffs and I noticed that the PU has his legs at almost a 45 degree angle to the plate rather than the traditional box or scissors.
Is this something new? Does it offer any advantage?

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by MT 73

I was watching the Big 10 softball playoffs and I noticed that the PU has his legs at almost a 45 degree angle to the plate rather than the traditional box or scissors.
Is this something new? Does it offer any advantage?

Are you seeing an exaggerated heel-toe where the heel foot is too far forward?

[tcannizzo]

I saw that too.
One foot was almost on the back line of the batter's box, the other was almost touching the back line of the catcher's box. Nice and wide too.

[MT 73]

The feet are at a 45 degree angle to the plate, with the toes facing either 1rst or 3rd depending upon which slot the umpire is in.
I was taught something similar at a baseball umpires clinic a few years back but was afraid that if squarely hit with a foul ball I would not be adequately protected by my gear.
Then again we were taught to square our torso to the pitcher when in this stance which is pretty much what these NCAA umpires were doing.
It looks as if you get a good view of the outside corner so I plan on revisiting this stance at my game tomorrow.

[teebob21]

Originally Posted by MT 73

It looks as if you get a good view of the outside corner so I plan on revisiting this stance at my game tomorrow.

I used to work a hugely wide heel-toe stance with my head deep into the slot back when I was young and incredibly flexible. You CAN see the entire plate, especially the outside corner....but you have to learn where it is. That deep in the slot, when the ball crosses the plate outside, there is nothing but dirt under the ball from that perspective when it goes through the strike zone.

It took me a whole season and a half to realize how far "out" those strikes really were.

That said, I'm pretty sure that NCAA evaluators still want GPA behind the plate, rather than square to the pitcher.