Thank the Maker I found this place!!!

[Carl I.]

Howdy all, I'm new here!

Last week I did my first game. I have been coaching girls softball for two years now, and don't plan on leaving my position there. The ages I have been coaching though have been 1st-4th graders. But the league needed people for umpires, as it seems it is a job nobody wants. So I volunteered on the nights I don't have games for my girls.

Well, I though I would be going up one league and dealing with girls a little bit older. But nope, I got sent on into the High School level with fast pitch 12"!!! Suddenly I found myself in a really tough situation, and all of a sudden all of the rules of the game went flying out of my head!

On the base paths it wasn't so bad. I had fun with that and was happy with my calls.

Then I went behind the plate. Oh man...THAT sucked! I had no idea it was sooooo hard to call balls and strikes! Then you get a catcher who knows how to frame a pitch and you don't realize how much she is tricking you until you see the other teams 3rd base coach basically DYING in the box!

The one coach helped me out before the game by telling me "no matter what happens, you will always make the right call", I said "no...I don't think so" and he said "no, no matter what we say or think, your word is the one that counts, and you will be right". So it was nice to have a coach right away that was going to be understanding and who appreciated the game and the job of the umpires. So that helped.

But then the game started, and I didn't feel I did a good job until the last inning. I finally started to feel like I got it right.

Unitl I called strike 3 on a girl who had just taken her first strike! LOL!!!

Oh man, what a night.

What kind of advice can you give a newbie behind the plate? Where is the best place to position yourself have you found? Is it right over the top looking down, or is it over the catchers mitt, or the throwing hand? I feel fine with the inside and outside calls, but I can't get the height down. That was my main problem, calling them too high or low, or not either.

Thanks in advance. Best thing about this experience is that I will NEVER complain about an Ump for the rest of my life. Easily the most thankless, lonely, and most abused job in sports. Man, parents can be ugly.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Welcome to the board and welcome to the good guys

You will get smothered by information from the umpires on this board. Trust me, they do want to help.

However, the best thing you can do is go watch some good, experienced umpires from the stands. Just sit there and watch. Maybe make a note or two of things you see that you may want to try. When your team is practicing, get behind the catcher and practice along with them.

However, the key to becoming a good umpire is to understand that there are systems, mechanics and signals in place that have developed over the years. Nothing you learn OJT will replace attending some good clinics and a school.

Also understand that just because you've seen "Smitty" out there forever, it doesn't mean everything he does is correct. Longevity is not a synonym for good.

A quick starter for the plate. Learn to work the slot in a box toe-heel stance angled slighly toward the plate. Eyes at the top and outside of the strike zone.

Now, look out for advice from the rest of the gang here.

Good luck,

[mo99]

Welcome to the board !!

In addition to Mike's suggestions,I would like to add a few for improving plate mechanics.
1. Invest in good equipment so you feel comfortable in "the slot" position.
2. Lock yourself in your stance after the pitcher begins her motion.
3. Track the pitch with your eyes only ALL the way into the catchers mitt.After the catcher receives the pitch,delay a second,and make your call.The key is watch the pitch all the way to the glove,pause,and make the call.
4. Pay no attention to the catcher "framing'the pitch.Most are terrible at it and are only validating the pitch is a ball which they believe are making a strike.If the catcher sets up her glove on the corners and the pitch hits her glove without her moving it,that is a strike.
5. If you feel yourself being inconsistant,most likely you timing is too fast.Remember to "catch the pitch with you eyes",tracking it all the way to the mitt.
Good luck and welcome again to the board.Questions are always welcome here and will be answered by some very knowledgeable umpires.

Jeff
NCAA Umpire
NFHS Umpire
ASA Umpire

[SF]

Get the ASA Umpire Edition of the rulebook (assuming it's ASA) or another organiation's rulebook/umpire manual. Read it like crazy - it's likely it will answer many of your questions.

As for calling balls and strikes, make sure your are locked into the SAME position for each pitch (consistency, I'm sure you know, is key). The strike zone is probably the hardest part of umpiring, and if your getting it down in your first game, I know you're definitely superior to me!

Good luck and welcome to the board!

[Carl I.]

Thank you for the replies!

I don't think I was getting it down, but I was feeling a bit more comfortable with some of my calls. In the beginning of the game, I was questioning everything! Well, the first three calls were easy, as all three went right over the plate right at the waist. After that though, forget about it.

A quick starter for the plate. Learn to work the slot in a box toe-heel stance angled slighly toward the plate. Eyes at the top and outside of the strike zone.

Is there a diagram showing this position someplace? I think I know what you are saying, but a picture would be so helpful.

You folks have a nice board here. I would guess that being the people that take abuse the most, you are pretty easy going with each other. I always did wonder if umpires had a fanbase also, and now after a little bouncing around the net, I see you do! Very cool!!!

[noobie]

Originally posted by Carl I.
I would guess that being the people that take abuse the most, you are pretty easy going with each other. I always did wonder if umpires had a fanbase also, and now after a little bouncing around the net, I see you do! Very cool!!!

I've always respected sports officials, no matter the sport. It's got to be a tough job taking all that abuse: everybody knows you can't please everyone. I accept this "abuse" as a "it makes me a better human being" kind of thing, and this job is making me better. Yes, I am teachable, even in my 50s

I'm in my second rookie season as a SP (ASA rules) ump after a 19-year absence. Somehow, I had let memories turn into "aw, this is too easy ... I think I'll get back out there" in my head. This season has been a stunning reminder of how wrong I can be: this can be a tough, tough job if you aren't prepared. Get that rule book. Spend a LOT of time in it.

In the environment in which I work (local Parks & Rec, Adult ... Men's and Ladies' divisions), respect from the players is the most important thing you can have. I find that they want to see you work as hard as they do: HUSTLE, even if you think it needless to get an angle on the play underway. This makes physical stamina very important, particularly when it's very hot & humid out. I start committing errors as I tire out: really dumb stuff like being out of position, losing track of counts, issuing decisions too quickly, etc. The lesson for me here is that physical exhaustion and mental exhaustion go hand in hand: preventing one prevents the other.

Mike (IRISHMAFIA) gave perhaps the wisest piece of advice, which I'll rephrase for you: If you seek to be the best umpire you can be, watch others. Learn from their mistakes. Watch what they do right. I spend a lot of time doing this, and it's very effective. After a game, I have never been turned away by an ump of whom I've had questions. Wonder how they do something? Disagree with a call? Want details? Just ask: you'll get your answer.

Men, women, old, young ... we are a small band of perfectionists who love this game, and are willing to mentor or teach almost anyone. I've learned all kinds of things on a "tips & tricks" basis that would have taken me years to develop and perfect on my own. I admire this fraternity, and am honored to call myself a part of it. This forum is a very important tool in my equipment bag. Even the sometimes contentious, detailed discussions of rules, behaviors, and events help me improve my game.

For me, there's nothing quite like the feeling of walking away from the field after a game knowing that I did my job perfectly ... that I did my part in allowing a lot of people to display good sportsmanship. Of course, if I want this feeling all the time, I have to improve my game all the time. Perfection is an incredibly difficult taskmaster.

"Fanbase"? I won't hold my breath. But knowing this fraternity of blues is out there is a big, big help.

Welcome, Carl!

[Little Jimmy]

I also add my welcome to you.

And I really agree with your thread title. When I started umping a few years ago I came across this site by chance and read it everyday for a couple of years before I ever posted. I still read much more than I post but I know that all the questions asked are taken seriously and it's a lot easier now.

The one piece of advice I'd give is to keep asking questions. Never be satisfied with one answer. Check it and cross check it till you feel like you know it frontwards and backwards. If that sounds a little obsesive, well it is. But I think that the nature of a good umpire.

Good luck again.

[Steve M]

Carl,
Like ALL the rest, welcome. For the most part, you will get very solid answers and advice here - moreso than most of the other boards.

What to add

Let's start with
1-Keep a journal or diary of your games. Make note of every unusual play and ruling, every play where you thought you blew the call or misapplied the rule, every play where something strange happened and you felt you were not where you needed to be to make the right call. Along with all those plays, read the rule book and find the correct ruling. I would suggest that you download the NCAA umpire manual and see what it sez about where you should have been - no offense, Mike, but it's far better than the ASA manual and it's available online.

2-As a coach, you probaly have a decent idea who the best umps in your area are - verify that with your district uic. And then go watch those folks work. Let them know you are there (before they get to the field) and ask them if you can sit with them afterward to ask why they did what when something happened.

3-For your plate work - one of the most common mistakes all umpires make is calling the pitch too fast. Catchers, pitchers, other players, coaches, and you want a call that is accurate and correct - not just a call that is immediate. When you work the plate, let's change the priority. If your first priority is to see the catcher catch the pitch, everything else will fall into place. By watching the catcher catch it, you will have tracked the pitch all the way, from the pitcher's hand into the catcher's glove, your timing will be very good, and there is a very high probability that your ball/strike call will be coorect and consistant.

4-Do not be afraid of making mistakes. You will make them, as has everyone else. Learn from each mistake and don't repeat it. Your journal/diary will help with that because you will review it pretty frequently.

There's lots more, but let's start with these things - along with the other solid advice you have been given.

[Carl I.]

I'm telling you, this is some wonderful stuff coming in through here! I'm feeling a little bit better about all of this, and am starting to look forward to tomorrow's games. First task at hand though is that my team has our final game tonight, and we might end up being 1st. Last year was my first year and we finished with one win. This year we are the best team in our league. The head swims.

But then, it is onto trying to get this right. The thing is though that I am pretty sure our league is not a part of any official leagues. We live in a real small town and they scrape for players as is. Our league website is:

http://www.hers-softball.org/

And as you can see, we have our own rule book and it all seems to be our own little world. The other coach and I have been going out of our minds due to some of the crazy things that have happened, and I wonder if maybe finding some allegiance with an official league wouldn't help this stuff out. All of the umpires used are parents and people they just drag into the games. I don't think we have anybody that is an "official umpire" anywhere. I wonder if I am the only one actually tracking down rules and the proper way of doing things. But I want it to be right for the girls.

Again, thanks everybody for the help! You do have a stellar group here!

[Dakota]

Originally posted by Carl I.
The other coach and I have been going out of our minds due to some of the crazy things that have happened, and I wonder if maybe finding some allegiance with an official league wouldn't help this stuff out. All of the umpires used are parents and people they just drag into the games.

You can adopt the ASA rules (or your rules of choice - some are published on the web - AFA, for example) without actually officially affiliating. This, of course, does not address umpire training and related issues (such as insurance).

As a small (perhaps isolated?) town, you may have limited or no access to trained umpires. Do your schools play softball? If so, who officiates their games?

[Carl I.]

I don't think they do. I am pretty sure that almost all activities have been cut. The league I am umping is all high school students, so I am lead to believe that there is no High School team.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by Carl I.
Is there a diagram showing this position someplace? I think I know what you are saying, but a picture would be so helpful.

Rachel sent you a picture & asked me to post it. Here it is:


Rachel in the slot.
2004 MN State HS Championships.

[whiskers_ump]

Nice picture, good low stance....Why is she wearing the baseball version of the powerblue
shirt? (red, white & blue) MN. utilize that one?

(edited for afterthought)

You and Rachel leave now, and you can be here to help us with the Texas (couple of Fl. teams got in it)
AFA State Tournament.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by whiskers_ump
...Why is she wearing the baseball version of the powerblue shirt? (red, white & blue) MN. utilize that one?

Yes. It is the official uniform for the MSHSL.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by whiskers_ump
You and Rachel leave now, and you can be here to help us with the Texas (couple of Fl. teams got in it)
AFA State Tournament

Do they pay mileage?