Working Solo

[Far far away ..]

So I'm about to start into my second season umping this week (co-ed slow pitch, ASA rule set).

Where I play we very rarely have enough blues to have more than one per game.

Last year was an eye-opener, despite playing for about 10 years it was was a relevation working from the other side of the plate.

I've read a few comments on here from time to time about the difficulties of umpiring solo. Given it's not ideal, I was wondering if there's any tips out there I should be bearing in mind?

[BretMan]

Tip #1...Hustle! Get out from behind the plate to call plays at the bases. You are going to sacrifice some distance to the plays, but you can make up for that by getting the best possible angle.

Read, study and put into practice the one-man umpire mechanics published in the ASA umpire manual. They have pretty much "figured it out" for us and those mechanics will put you in the best position to make the best calls you can.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by BretMan

Tip #1...Hustle! Get out from behind the plate to call plays at the bases. You are going to sacrifice some distance to the plays, but you can make up for that by getting the best possible angle.

But.....don't confuse hustle with running. It is not a race and you don't need to beat the runner. As noted above, you are going to sacrifice distance for angle, but remember to not just go to point A and wait for the play. Get to point A and then adjust as the play dictates.

[HugoTafurst]

and try not to drink as much as the participants (until AFTER the game)...

[KJUmp]

Back in the mid 90's, due to low membership numbers, the umpire association I belonged to at the time used one umpire for all SP. I worked a competitive ASA men's SP league two nights a week solo for two seasons.
The advice and tips that have already been mentioned....make them your mantra. Every play, every game. They're critical to working a solo game effectively.
Don't worry that you don't have a partner, rather embrace the challenge of working the game solo. Trust me, the teams will respond in a positive manner to the effort you make to cover plays properly and manage all the other aspects of the game. Yeah it's more work, and when the s**t hits the fan and it gets ugly it's only you out there and you'll have to handle it....to whatever degree it needs to be handled...alone. But then on the other hand you never have to worry about having a bad partner either.
I feel that my two seasons of working solo in many ways made me a better umpire.
Good luck with your season.