How to Call Balls and Strikes as an Umpire
Even at the Little League level, umpires are seldom liked. The best they can hope for is to be respected--and earning it takes a trained eye achieved only through practice. Calling balls and strikes is the most important job of a home plate umpire. Players, managers and coaches look mostly for accuracy and consistency.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
-
-
1
Practice with friends acting as pitcher and catcher. Call balls and strikes as accurately as possible and ask for feedback. Develop an accurate interpretation of the strike zone.
-
2
Learn positioning. Crouch directly behind the catcher to achieve an accurate view of both the inside and outside corners. Forget about where the catcher is set up. If he sets up inside or outside, the strike zone remains over the plate.
-
3
Want to avoid arguments? Be consistent and accurate
Remember that every umpire has his own interpretation of the strike zone, but only within reason. Try to calls strikes on pitches only between the batter's knees and around the armpits. The latter area is the top of the "high strike" zone.
-
4
Keep a peripheral view of the batter as he swings. If you are certain he has checked his swing, call it a ball. If you are certain the bat broke the plane of his body, call it a strike. If you are not sure, ask the first base or third base umpire. Forget your pride and get help.
-
5
Maintain eye contact with the ball from the moment it leaves the pitcher's hand until it hits the catcher's mitt. Breaking balls that drop over the plate can't be called the same as fastballs. Remember that the pitch should be called on the basis of where it crosses the plate rather than where it strikes the catcher's mitt.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Impartiality is essential to good umpiring. Forget any emotional feelings you might have for any batter, coach, manager or team.
After disputed calls, don't look for confrontation; try to avoid it. You are not there to instigate but to blend in as much as possible. The ejection of a player, coach or even a spectator should be a last resort. Try to give a warning first. No umpire is quick enough to get out of the way of a ball fouled straight back or one the catcher misses. If you can't stand the possible pain, get out of umpiring.
Related Searches
Comments
-
peteandpedro
Oct 29, 2009
There's some pretty bad advice in this article. Positioning yourself behind the catcher is wrong. Home plate umpires work the "slot" as it is referred too which is the inside of the plate. The most important thing to learn when you do the plate is timing. That's right, timing! Good disciplined timing in making a ball/strike call is essential. This is learned through practice and repetition. It allows you not only to "review" the pitch in your mind's eye, but also allows you to see where the catcher catches the pitch which helps an umpire's determination of whether the pitch was a strike or ball. Finally, you need much more than a mask and chest protector for safety. You need plate shoes, shin guards and a "cup" too. You'll also need a plate brush, ball bags, indicator, and proper uniforms as well.
