running a clinic
 

You guys have been very helpful so I will ask again for guidance:

I am running a clinic for our local umpiring group. I want to do a classroom session and a "field" session.

What kinds of topics would be most beneficial in covering in the classroom session? I'll probably have them for about an hour and a half to two hours, and I was tossing the idea around of splitting the group up into 3 sessions, and each session covering something.

I'm up for ideas. Anyone do this, and if so, and you don't mind sharing, how do you do it? What topics are ideal classroom topics to cover? I am doing a separate rules interpretation clinic so I don't need to go into that.

Thanks in advance!

One of my thoughts was to cover lineup card management in one of the sessions, for example.

What's the general level of the umpires in this group? Are we all talking 30-year vets who just need the occasional brush-up, or are they predominantly rookies?

Gotta gear it towards your audience.

Rookies are MUCH easier to teach :p

Agreed. A lot of vets don't seem to be able to keep quiet during rules clinics. They always have to interject something. It's annoying as hell.

The rookies usually sit there nice 'n' quiet.

Newer/less experienced umpires - stick to the basics, Mechanics, signals, rule interpretations, uniform, looking and acting professional, game management, lineup card management.

Vets - philosophy of umpiring...the "why we do things the way we do", being aware of how you move on the field, being aware of what you look like on the field, how to deal with coaches and players, body language, little things that take you to the next level.

Game management is a big one. More umps get in trouble for poor management than for poor calls.

I'll tell you a small problem that we have in our new officials clinic for high school ball - when we have more than a couple of people who work that OTHER game, the one with the small ball, that come to the clinic to be softball umps. The almost to have unlearn everything they know as baseball umps - different rules...different mechanics....and in some ways a different attitude....they never entirely adapt, and you still see them after a few years still doing baseball mechanics in softball games.

I would almost rather have people with clean, unfettered minds...

The general level of the group is mixed obviously. All of the people we will have there will have worked at least 1 year. But the "quality" of umpiring is a whole other story. We're not talking solid for the most part. More than half of our organization is a fair to weak umpire.

Do I split them up based on years of experience? On level of umpiring? On experience of game calling? On quality of prior year's performance? Then the topics can be geared more toward what will be most helpful for them all.

What topics? Any other ideas?

Thank you all again!

Are they "fair to weak" even though some have been umpiring for a long time?

I'm going to take some liberties here and read between the lines, so to speak.

If you have an established group of umpires and the majority are as you say, I take that to mean that you have a group that is mainly just there to pick up some part time work and is not really interested in getting better. Or, it could be that this group has just not had any real quality training in the past.

It sounds to me as if your best bet is to split them based on years of experience, since that is a concrete number that nobody can argue with.
If you use "level of umpiring" or "quality", those are very subjective and you could ruffle some feathers by how you place people in certain groups.

At this level, I would recommend sticking to very basic umpiring topics. Mechanics, signals, how to be and look like an umpire.

If I am way off base on my assessment, I apologize...just what I am picking up from your post.

You may be able to pick up a few ideas and PowerPoint slides up on the ASA Website. Check the following webpage Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA). We run several different PowerPoint presentations in our clinics and cover uniforms/equipment, umpire professionalism, game management and mechanics. We will also cover new rule changes, definitions, pitching regulations (legal delivery), batter/batter runner, obstruction/interference and DP/Flex. Just some ideas.

You nailed it Andy. This is exactly what my umpiring group is....about 6 in 10 just care to collect their check and really haven't been properly trained, mentored, or supervised prior to this year. Very few of our umpires are "spring chickens" to boot.

I tread lightly when dealing with the training of these guys, as most don't really care to hear much and just look at it as a day they have to sit around and listen to someone else talk and they go only because it's mandatory. We have lost a lot of work due to some of these guys and their work ethic and rules knowledge, so at this point, and in this economy, I want them to understand how important it is to go out and give your best. If we want to keep the leagues we have and reclaim those we've lost, we need to be better. Period.

I'm fighting a very uphill battle, but I'm one of our "spring chickens" and I'm determined, for the good of the game and the players, to do my best to help us all get better.

Yes it does make sense to break them into years of experience, as that is not subjective. However, there are guys, many of them to be exact, who have 10+ years experience, who are just as weak as those with 1 year. And they need to hear the basics just as badly as those new guys do. Like nyssoblue said, the inexperienced guys have clean slates, and easy to break habits.

A few of the guys in my association who are UIC's got together and "rated" the umpires according to ability level recently. I was thinking that we could just make it look "random" and split them up according to ability level, so the guys who ARE stronger umpires do not need to listen to basics and can work on the more advanced topics, while the weaker guys can get the basics.

For some, it will be in one ear and out the other. And they will argue that they aren't getting big tournament games. The reason is, and they will be told, that their umpiring skill level is not meeting that standard yet. Hopefully this will work.

Any thoughts?

You have your work cut out for you....

We have similar issues in our HS association...umpires that have years of experience, but aren't any good and think that they can't learn anything else or that the way they have been doing it for the last XXX years is good enough. Part of our issue is that we have barely enough bodies to cover all of the games so we have to use these guys.

As a follow up to your clinic efforts, get an evaluation system in place so that you can have some documentation and backup for the ratings you are placing on these umpires. That makes it not so subjective and just the opinion of a few people. You are still going to have umpires that complain about their ratings and may decide to leave your group, but that may not be such a bad thing if you have enough others to cover your games.

Good Luck.....

Li Ump
We both know this group very well. The average ump is 60 and has been umping for 20+ years. You are a very good umpire but being under 40 and umping for less than 10 years they are going to look at you as the “young kid trying to tell us how to umpire”. So, in order to neutralize the credibility issue here’s what I suggest:
You manage the process, set the standards, and develop the curriculum.
1. Put people in front of them who have credibility with the group. We have a number of excellent umpires who everyone recognizes as the best. I’m thinking of the NCAA umps and the UIC for High School ball as examples. Let’s call them “Master Level” Umps.
2. Solicit their help to create a real evaluation system. We can agree that we really don’t have one now and our past UIC’s didn’t have the “B’s” to tell it like it is. Use these Master Levels to complete evaluations.
3. Use the Masters to deliver the curriculum you design. You’re a teacher, develop and train the trainers on practical skills with workshops, demo’s , etc. designed to raise the ump’s skill levels.
4. Design the curriculum to develop the skills which the evaluations recognize as week.
5. Develop and communicate a stack ranking list for the assignor to follow.
6. Create a “Mentor Program”. Work with the assignor to match strong ump’s with newer people for development. Have these “mentor” umps work with the Masters to improve the newer umps evaluation items.
Hope this helps!

When are you looking to run this clinic? Have you considered asking veteran umpires from other associations in your area?