Open to suggestions
 

I'm an umpire with 5 years of experience, mostly sub varsity, i.e., 13-14 y/o, with partners who also work mainly at that level. I have gotten about 10-15 varsity games per year, most being low to mid level games, and not often with the top umpires in our association as partners. I've worked hard at learning how to umpire and for the most part, I do well in these games.

However, every so often I get to work a game with a top level partner, and of course I want to do well those games. On a couple of these occasions, I've had some of my worst games. I've missed calls, rushed calls and generally messed up things that I normally handle with no problem.

I suspect it has to do with nervousness. Though I don't feel "nerves" my performance tells me otherwise. It reminds me of a time years ago when I had to take my daughter to the hospital for an emergency and drove right past it (though I didn't feel nervous at all that night). My partner (hi Mike if you're reading this) tonight gave me some good suggestions, e.g., "slow down." I'd appreciate any other thoughts on how handle the nerves and do what I'm capable of doing on the field.

It's not only "Slow Down" that helps.
Very hard to do is "Empty your head", allow no thoughts in you mind.
Let the game take you call by call (or if you prefer pitch by pitch) to the end of the game.
If you messed one call up, think about a happy moment in you life, let that happy feeling into your body and mind and start over again. If you blew one, screw them; how many errors do the players make?

Later on today I'll have a low-level game in the 2nd div in the Neth.s, This will be more difficult than the TOP-level games in the highest division. Here more mistakes are being made and more surprises occur. So it will be hard work!
Remember that on low(er)-level it's more difficult to perform well as an umpire than on the highest levels. Pressure will rise, but following the mechanics make things easier.

Never forget to enjoy what you're doing on the field

Sounds like you have a good grasp of the issue, and the solution.

Call the game... when you have a "big time" partner... JUST CALL THE GAME... dont get hung up on looking perfect or what your partner may be seeing you do wrong. They will tell you.

Relax. slow down. make the calls

This is how I feel when I get to work with Darrell.....:)

You know, I think it goes without saying that we are our own worst enemies out there.

Not the coaches, not the players, but ourselves.

We get ourselves into trouble when we stop relying on our training and focus more upon things that are secondary to calling the game: the reactions of the players, what happened last inning, the game situation ("oh, man, it's a tie game... better not screw this up... better not screw this up..."), etc. We get ourselves into trouble when we focus on everything OTHER than what we should be focusing on: our training as umpires. Our minds drift away, and we stop doing the little things that we should be doing.

If you blew a call, you blew it. If you found yourself in the wrong position, you were in the wrong position.

Move forward. Those sentences are all past-tense for a reason: they're past.

If we allow ourselves to get distracted, we get taken "out of the zone," and our effectiveness diminishes. Forget about the blown call. Forget about the bad position. Sh1t happens.

Move forward, and keep moving forward.

You need to find your rhythm. Your ritual(s) before the game and during the game. They will help you push your own reset button and leave the past behind. Your bad day at work will drift away, your kids' whining, your car troubles... All drift away when you have your rituals, your routine to help you get set for the game. A good rhythm will help you to keep calling YOUR game, not your partner's. Relax, get set, make your call.

If there's a singular piece of advice I can impart in slowing down your calls, here's one I've said on here before. On every catch, on every thrown ball, ASSUME they're going to drop it. Wait for it... Is s/he going to drop it? Wait, almost? Nope, they didn't. Hey, wait! That's now a catch! In your mind, make them PROVE to you they have the ball, and assuming that they will drop the ball will help you get that rhythm.

Hell, I feel that way just standing in the same room with the man.:cool:

...and am proud to say so!

And, hey, he did tell us he is black. Probably would have missed it without him saying it.

He is? All I know is the man knows and has good taste in beer.

I sir..tremble when I am in the presence of your greatness

and Mike and Steve are full of it. One day.. I MAY become as good as they are.... but I doubt it...

Hang in the DTQ. Don't beat yourself up too bad. All of us have had off days. You did more things right during that game than wrong. Try implementing the things we discussed and see if your next game goes smoother. I look forward to working with you in the future.:)

Here is a thought for you,
don't allow yourself to critique yourself until after the game.
I have known many umps, and have done it myself, who critique themselves during a game and then you end up missing more calls.

Like so many have said, we are our own worst enemy on the ifeld most of the time.
Call your game, don't worry about what your partner thinks.
Know your mechanics, know your rules.
See the play, call the play,,,,,,,,,,,,,then move on to the next one.
After the game, get a critique from yourself and your partner.

If you have a bad game, take the time to recognize what you did RIGHT and how to build on that.
Nobody iis going to build confidence by focusing on the missteps.
Overcoming the missteps is what you think about off the field.

Never, never, never beat yourself up on the field or you will miss the following plays and then either your partner or a coach will start to beat up on you.

One play at a time, the game is won that way by the players and so it is with us. One play at a time