I haven't had questions regarding quantity of strikes; there has been the occasional question about the accuracy of the strike call depending on whether their player is at bat or pitching.

Calling low pitches
 

Along the same lines as this thread....I have a habit of calling low strikes. I try to keep my head still, have been told by others watching me that I put my head at a good height (just above the catchers head (but in the slot)), and try to follow the pitch into the glove. But for some reason, I still have the habit of calling pitches low. I would appreciate any and all the help I can get. There has to be someone out there who has had the same problem that found a way that helped him/her correct this error. Is there a "trick" I can use to help me get into the habit of being able to tell the pitch is low? It's really frustrating because I honestly DO give it my best effort, but seem to ere in this area.

Thanks in advance....

Many umpires tend to track pitches as a batter would. They get an initial read of the pitch and make their minds up too early, since this is what batters need to rely on to determine when to swing. Umpires have the luxury of being able to take substantially longer since they aren't swinging a bat. Make sure you track the ball all the way into the catcher's glove. Even if you do that, make sure you aren't making up your mind beforehand anyway. The odds are if the majority of the ball is crossing the majority of the front knee, then it isn't catching the back knee.

Many believe placing the eyes at the top of the strike zone in the slot is the place to be. Don't worry about your relationship to the catcher's head unless s/he moves into your line of vision, then go up if necessary. The bad part about that is you may lose the bottom of your zone

"Track with your nose". Old school belief that keeping your head still helps, but some umpires worry more about keeping the head still they forget to watch the ball through the strike zone :)

Most umpires that I evaluate - calling low pitches is a symptom of calling pitches too quickly. Forcing them to slow down usually helps or even cures the problem. Try slowing down. Consciously think to yourself, AFTER your initial instinct... "Was that ball a strike" --- and then call it out loud.

Good answers above.
When I had that problem, I corrected by getting lower and focusing on the batter's knees before the pitch.
Also, being sure to adjust to the batter's height.

Interesting. Most instructors I know recommend setting up higher since the greater distance between your eyes and the ball will cause you to view the pitch as being lower.

Huh? Another gimmick? Of course, the ball will seem lower if you are set up higher. But the ONLY point on this issue is the pitch's location as it relates to the top of the batter's knee, not how high or low it is.

I was thinking of the NCAA Central Hub article by Smokey suggesting we need to get CLOSER to the target area to accurately call pitches. The closer we are to the pitch, the more accurately we can call it.

Setting up further away to make it seem to be low isn't a correction I would support, compared to getting to where you can SEE that the pitch is low. Setting at the top of the zone has been a solid mechanic throughout the evolution of various plate stances and mechanics. Frankly, the whole concept of worrying about your head being above the catcher's is truly pointless if you are properly in the slot; the catcher's head can only affect your vision of the ball if you are "hiding" behind her. You raise up (or otherwise adjust) if she is blocking your view; otherwise, the most consistent and accurate zone is to get your eyes set at the top of the zone with your eyes focused on the inside corner.

You've been told by someone observing you that your stance is good at this point (blue part).... so you know you're OK there.

With that established, you may find the following points from EA's presentation on Working The Plate helpful in your 'battle' with the low pitch......

Getting Set-
>Your set must allow you to see (not sense) the outside corner and the knees.
>Visualize the bottom of the zone from the knees over to the outside. Doing this becomes a check you can, in fact, see both the knees and the outside edge.

The Slot-
>....by looking down and through the zone
>Umpire gets an unobstructed view of entire zone
>If your head is too low in the zone you can easily call pitches off the plate strikes
>Especially the low & away pitch.

Tracking-
>Follow the ball with your nose-head movement is natural. It is not a location indicator.

The Zone-
>You must determine the top and the bottom of the one for each new batter that enters the batters box.
>The top and the bottom of the zone will float conforming to each batter's height and knee level, and follows the batter's stride until she is prepared to swing.

Also, as mentioned in a previous reply....timing....slowing it down will help tremendously.

Hang in there, keep working at it....we've all struggled with it at some point.

KJ + 1 Very good information. It is important to be positive, and not have to be a HERO. Tracking pitches is not easy, the pitch is nothing until you call it.