The Official Forum  

Go Back   The Official Forum > Softball

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old Fri May 06, 2005, 05:04pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 129
Post

Ok, I know the basics and I practice them.

Hustle. Get into a good postition. etc.

But what are some tips you vets might have and use for giving yourself the best chance of getting the close calls right.

Anyone?

TYIA.
__________________
**Rookie eager to learn!**
"I call it like I see it."
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old Fri May 06, 2005, 06:39pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Sierra Nevada Mtns
Posts: 3,220
watch closely, concentrate on whats going on, and listen..

kinda lame and simple, but thats my advice

__________________
ASA, NCAA, NFHS
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old Fri May 06, 2005, 08:08pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 994
Quote:
Originally posted by Alameda
But what are some tips you vets might have and use for giving yourself the best chance of getting the close calls right.
Watch the play.... truly watch it before making the call. Replay it in your mind once and hesitate on the call. When I'm watching other umpires, almost eveyone I see that I think they missed, is because they rushed it, possibly having made up their mind a second too early.
__________________
Dan
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old Fri May 06, 2005, 10:15pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 139
Listen, Listen, Listen.
When I can hear the call as well as I see the call, I am much more confident in my decision. When you make a close call, really sell it!!
__________________
David
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old Sat May 07, 2005, 04:37am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Maine
Posts: 160
Give yourself space between you and the play. I find most umps hustle themselves too close to the play. By giving yourself a few extra feet the whole play comes into view. I preached this long and hard at our clinics this spring.
__________________
Ken
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old Sat May 07, 2005, 02:38pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 508
I hear an echo...

Get a good angle, get as close as possible without smothering the play, but get set/stopped before the play happens.

Replay it in your head once, maybe twice if you can.

Think: was it ball/foot or foot/ball?
Was it tag/bag or bag/tag?

Call what you see, not who yells loud enough!

Make your call, and be sure to sell it.

Bang-bang plays are why we umpire. They are so much fun!
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old Mon May 09, 2005, 10:18am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 566
Would just echo the sentiments of everyone else about getting the bangers right.

Seems to me that pretty much all of the arguments I have gotten over calls have been ones I have brought upon myself by either not being in a good position or being too quick with the call.

Get in postition, get good timing, sell the call.
__________________
"Booze, broads, and bullsh!t. If you got all that, what else do you need?"."
- Harry Caray -
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old Mon May 09, 2005, 10:23am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Little Elm, TX (NW Dallas)
Posts: 4,047
I'll echo a couple said here, in my order of importance.

1) Get position.
2) Get set - you can't make a good call while moving.
3) Don't get too close - a lot of bangers are missed because the umpire is too close.
4) Listen (and learn to recognize what your audible clues sound like).
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old Mon May 09, 2005, 04:00pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Back in TX, formerly Seattle area
Posts: 1,279
sloooooow down

Timing is key on every play. One of the most common mistakes made is making calls too quickly...balls, strikes, safes, outs. If you take your time all the time, that will help you with every call you make.

__________________
John
An ucking fidiot
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old Tue May 10, 2005, 10:32am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Posts: 340
I agree with the slow down philosophy.
It is much more important to be right than to be fast.
I have had my embarassing moments when I called a quick out on a tag at 2nd base, only to see the ball trickle away from the bag after the dust has cleared. Or call a catch of a fly ball only to see it drop to the ground because Willie Mays didn't hold on to it.
Slow and precise will invariably help you to make the right calls on the bang bang plays as well.
__________________
Tony Smerk
OHSAA Certified
Class 1 Official
Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Reply With Quote
  #11 (permalink)  
Old Tue May 10, 2005, 01:54pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Back in TX, formerly Seattle area
Posts: 1,279
Here in Seattle we have the ultimate tool to getting everyone to slooooooow down and not make those calls so quickly.

A double call costs you $1, payable in cash. It has cut down on those safe/outs and has turned into a pretty good learning tool and a fun thing. Streamdoc, SRW and moi have contributed, as have many others.

It ain't nothing til ya call it. Timing is everything and can save you the embarassment of having that good old 90 degree hammer up there as the ball rolls along the ground...
__________________
John
An ucking fidiot
Reply With Quote
  #12 (permalink)  
Old Tue May 10, 2005, 05:43pm
SRW SRW is offline
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 1,342
Some of us have contributed more than others... :P
__________________
We see with our eyes. Fans and parents see with their hearts.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:14am.



Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.3.0 RC1