2024
FOUR STEPS TOWARD BEING TRULY GREAT
Let’s assume you are a good umpire, even an exceptional umpire. You do well on association exams and know your mechanics. Nevertheless, do you think you are doing all you can to be a truly great umpire? Find out what it takes.
Is your head always one full head above the catcher’s head? Your feet should be wider than shoulder‑width apart with your knees flared out rather than placing your feet egregiously wider than your ankles.
Do you have a personal “locking mechanism” to assure that your stance isn’t dropping as the game progresses? Is your butt above your knees and forming an upside down “V” in your crotch area? Are you positioned in the “slot” between the batter and the catcher?
Do you have good pelvic positioning with your navel facing the outside front corner of the plate? Make sure your “slot foot” is pointed directly at the pitcher. Be sure your back foot is angled about 45 degrees away from the catcher to ensure good clearance for the catcher. Keep your arms and elbows close to your body.
Your eyes should be level with your head and shoulders square to the pitcher with up to 80 percent of your weight forward. Your inside ear should be approximately on the black at the inside corner of the plate with your head outside the periphery of the strike zone as you look down and through the strike zone. Avoid “tunnel vision” with your eyes fixated ahead as the ball passes through the tunnel, but do track the ball to the glove with your eyes.
Your stance must be comfortable and balanced and you must see the outside corner “money pitch” with both eyes seeing the pitch as our self‑help test ensures.
