High School Practice

[Bailey8]

As a first time umpire, would it be to any advantage to check with the local high school baseball coach about getting some plate time during their live batting practice or pitching practice?

[UmpJM]

Bailey,

In a word, yes.

JM

[Majordave]

I highly recommend you do so. A lot of high schools now have access to an indoor facility or a cage in their gym. Go there when pitchers are throwing bullpens in the winter without a batter so you get used to having a ball thrown at you.

I teach high school and our coach is a friend of mine. When I first started umpiring I would go and call balls and strikes in the cages/indoor bullpens then called during live batting practice and finally called both pre-season scrimmages for the school I teach at before I did a real HS game. It helped tremendously.

I now work college and I get to work some D-1 intersquads in January and early February but I still go call balls and strikes during pitchers bullpen workouts at our HS on Sundays before I work the plate in a D-1 scrimmage.

So far, so good.

Get another more experienced umpire to watch you and critique you. You should ask someone to film you if possible. I film my friends working the dish with my cell phone and e-mail it to them.

Edited December 13, 2008 by Majordave
english grammar.

[mstaylor]

The other thing you can do is see if there an indoor training facility where you could get some cage time with live pitching. We have one in our area and quite a few of my group go over there for a tune-up.

[Stan W.]

As a first time umpire, would it be to any advantage to check with the local high school baseball coach about getting some plate time during their live batting practice or pitching practice?

Its an outstanding idea.......and one I personally do myself....If I can get some time in behind the plate prior to the season I feel I have upped my effectiveness 100%. In the past I always felt it took me a few games to re-establish my comfort zone and dial in the strike zone....With a few scrimmages and indoor cage work, I get that prior to stepping on a ball field...and with the weather we have here in W.PA in March, you are never guaranteed for your early schedule to be played.....

I have volunteered to work Pitchers cage work with my son's College team prior to their Florida spring training trip. A couple hours of calling pitches with various pitcher and catcher combos is good for both the team and me....I have also done some of their fall ball intersquad scrimmages.....

Its also a good idea to do this if you are trying to decide if you want to move up a level....get a chance to see the speed and evaluate your decision.....

Best of luck...

[MCLEOD36]

Most guys I know ie coaches would kill for this additional help.. Great call