I personally prefer using elastic hair ties for my indicators. I'll link three of them together, the middle band goes around my wrist, the one closest to my thumb I use for balls and the one closest to my pinky finger I'll use to keep track of strikes. Conveniently, there are five digits on the human hand - thumb, index, & middle fingers for balls and pinky & ring fingers for strikes. After each pitch I'll quickly snap one of the bands over the next finger. For example, say the count is 1 and 2, I'll have a band around my thumb and the other around my ring finger. Say the next pitch is a ball, I quickly slide the band from the thumb over to the index finger.
I find this method to be superior to any indicator for several reasons:
·It frees up a hand that would be holding an indicator.
·You never have to worry about dropping it or fumbling around in your ball bag for the indicator.
·You never have to look down and take your eyes off the action because you can just feel which fingers the bands are on and know the count.
·They are very inexpensive and are readily available to purchase at virtually any store (as opposed to an indicator which can only be purchased from sporting goods retailers).
·They are far less cumbersome, taking up practically no space.
·There is no chance of errant clicks on dials.
On the opposing wrist I'll use two bands tied together to keep track of the outs.
It may take you a game or two to get used to them, but once it becomes second-nature, the functionality, convenience, speed, ergonomics, and overall performance is better than the indicator in every facet. I make sure to keep a backup set in my ball bag in case one of the bands breaks but I haven't had any break before.
I'm not trying to knock traditional indicators. They have been the universally accepted standard piece of umpire equipment since far before I was around and they have stood the test of time to this day. They work fine. However, after using this method, I'll never go back to using an indicator myself. Give them a try.
