Equipment for Baseball Umpires

Series Summary

Baseball is a sport played with a bat and a ball. In baseball, there are two teams of nine players each, and the goal of is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged ninety feet apart at the corners of a diamond. Offensive players take turns hitting while the defense tries to stop them from scoring runs by getting hitters out in a number of different ways. A player on offense can stop at any of the bases and try to score on a teammate's hit ball. The teams switch between offense and defense whenever the team on defense records three outs. One turn on offense for each team makes an inning, and nine innings make up a professional game. The team with the most runs at the end of the game is the winner.

In baseball, the umpire is the person who enforces the rules of the game. Depending on the level of play, there can be anywhere from one to seven umpires on a baseball field, although four is the standard amount at the professional level. In this free video series, a college level umpire will teach you how to become baseball's policeman with simple instructions. You'll learn about the equipment umpires need, the different umpire positions, how to judge a strike zone, and how to enforce the rules of the game. You'll also learn some terminology to use, etiquette, and how rules change at different levels. With these umpiring tips, you'll be able to start calling a baseball game in no time!

Video Transcript

"Alright, now in this clip I'm going to show you some of the equipment that an umpire needs to have before he gets behind the plate. Now, first of all you need to have steel tipped shoes. Alright, ball goes off your toe, it won't break it, thank God. Another thing, shin guards, this protects your lower legs and your knee caps. Now when you're wearing your shin guards, a lot of catchers and umpires they put it on this way. I've seen it on the inside, always put them on the outside so when you're running they don't catch and you don't fall over yourself. So always put the loops on the outside. Another thing is an indicator. An indicator will help remind you of the count, the outs, and also the innings. Some of them don't have innings, but this one does. Another major equipment is your chest protector. This will keep you from really, really getting hurt, getting the wind knocked out of you. Sometimes you still get the wind knocked out of you because it doesn't absorb all the pressure, but it's good in the long run with the shoulder pads. One of the most important things, so you don't lose a tooth, break a nose or pop your eyeball out is the old face mask. Way back in the twenties they didn't wear these but we have to have them right now. Another thing, another very important thing, I can't show it to you but, is a cup. A cup is a very hard plastic and it protects you and you can finish the game if you get hit down there. Some of the other minor equipment is a pouch, which always makes it handy because you keep your brush in there, clean the plate, keep your balls in there if it goes out of play you can throw one in, and I always keep my indicator and a pen in there. Also it's nice to have an umpire's uniform. That way the coaches and the managers can always tell a commissioner, "that umpire number seven, he's the best"."