Preparing for the new season

[tcblue13]

What is your method of preparation each year?
Do you read the rule book first, then the case book and manual?
Do you read and reread the rulebook? How many times a year do you read the rules?
Do you spend more time on certain sections and which ones?
How do you practice your mechanics?
Do you get with other blues and drill each other?
For you ASA and Fed guys (and add other organizations), if you are doing these seasons simultaniously, how do you manage to read both sets of rules and stay sharp?
If you don't mind, just layout your method and means.

[debeau]

Here in New Zealand our season has just finished .
If we can we may go to Australia for a tournament and some Umps are lucky enought to get overseas tours .
For those of who dont , in our area we meet once a week to go over rules and case plays .
Nearer the season we go over mechanics .
I often bring up plays from this board and discuss them .
The outcome is sometimes different as there are rule differences as to ASA and ISF .
So come on bring on some good plays !

[Skahtboi]

I read, and reread the casebooks and rulebooks throughout the year, not just in preparation of the new season. I also practiced and revise my mechanics throughout the year. When the new rulebooks come out, I usually try to focus on wording/editoral/actual rule changes, and cross referencing between the various rule sets.

Of course, those of you who are familiar with the way we do softball here in Texas also know that our off season usually extends from a period somewhere in the middle of December until about the middle of January.

[AtlUmpSteve]

I try to keep my mindset to the current season; it is easier here in Georgia because we play high school softball in the fall. I read and stay current by this and other message boards on all forms, all year long, but try to keep my mind focused on one rule set at a time.

My primary training and background is ASA, so I fall back to that naturally. From January until the end of April, or so, I try to stay in NCAA mode, and only revert to ASA when doing ASA. I refocus on ASA and reread and update myself from May to July (into August if I have an ASA JO National). From July to October, I switch to NFHS mode.

[Andy]

Like Scott, I am in a location where the ASA "season" is almost year-round. I use ASA as my "foundation" rule-set.

As January/February roll around, I start studying and re-familiarizing my self with NFHS and NCAA rules. My method is to study the rule changes for each set then review the differences between NCAA, NFHS, and ASA.

During the spring, as part of my pre-game, I will focus on the particular ruleset I am calling that day. For example...today I am calling under NCAA rules, the differences between ASA and NCAA are......

The one thing I try to do every year is read and review the specific rules pertaining to situations that don't come up very often, but when they do, you better know how to handle them. Examples are batting out of order and unreported/illegal substitutions.

I tend to study the rulebooks more than the casebooks, for me, I feel that if I have mastered the rule, I can apply it on the field.

[IRISHMAFIA]

I increase my beer intake to acclaimate the body to the level of saturation to prepare for the season