Bad day behind the plate

[MAC]

My first JV game behind the plate. I tend to call the low strike, which makes for very interesting comments from the dugout. But to top things off I called a change up that dropped into the dirt before the plate for a called third strike. The OC came down and gave me an earful (much deserved) I took what he had to say and he was right, I blew it. I took the bat right out of the batters hand. How do you muster up the confidence to get back out there. I feel terrible. I have been beating myself up all night over this call. Any advice? During my Post game my partner said beside that call I had a good game. His advise was to stay down and don't rush your calls.

[johnnyg08]

You can still eject for getting berated by a coach even if you miss one.

 

From reading your post, it is quite obvious to me that you're timing is much, much too quick.  

 

Track the ball with your eyes (did I mention with your eyes) not your head, from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's mitt.  All the time, every time.

 

Then and only then will you verbally announce your decision.  Verbally a ball or verbally a strike.

 

Others will chime in with good advice as well.  Don't be mistaken, it takes lots of practice to get good at this.  

 

You've come to the right place if you put yourself out there as a new umpire who wants to learn and improve. 

 

Listen to what advice is given to you on this forum and put one or two things into practice each time you umpire.

 

If you do that, you'll see yourself start to get better and other people will notice too.

[cyclonehokiece]

We don't discuss balls and strikes, EVER!!!  He wants to question your zone by leaving his position, even if you kick it from the plate to Timbuktu, he gets a warning, then a one way ticket to the parking lot if he doesn't cease at the warning.

 

johnnyg08 gives some good advice.

[spiritump]

SLOOOWWW DOWN  way to fast.  get a good stance behind the plate,  see the pitch leave the pitchers hands , follow the ball all the way to the catchers glove with your eyes, see where the catcher has the ball in relation to the plate and the batter, then and only then make your call--sounds like long time ---done right your timming will be good, should take all of 1/2 a second to make your call.   

[alex7]

Sounds like your partner gave you solid advice.  Being that you KNOW you missed that call probably a second after you make it, you just have to stay down an extra count.  This will come with experience as games become, in a way, less EXCITING (heart's racing, calls are too quick) and more fun. 

 

NEVER, ever, ever let a coach come down and give you an earful on a ball/strike call.  Even if you think you were wrong and he's right, he's not ALLOWED to do that.  Thicken your skin, put up the stop sign, tell him you're not talking balls and strikes, and if he keeps walking towards you and argues, eject him. 

 

You know you missed that pitch and you'll work on it.  Him being out there berating you is just rude, classless, and against the rules.

[JaxRolo]

I don't think anyone has mentioned thus but Slow Down!!!

[KLAH316]

See the pitch, say it to yourself, then make the call.......

[JHSump]

It really does sound like you decide the call way too soon, perhaps even before the ball crosses the plate.  

 

I agree with all the advice above about how to slow yourself down.  Two more comments.  (1) You will know when you are deciding too fast --- it's when you make a call, and then realize you are wrong!  If you had waited a beat longer you would have gotten the call right.  (2) Yes, wait until the catcher catches the ball before deciding the call --- here's a tip for doing that properly: don't just wait until he catches the ball, see *how* he catches it, and use that information (along with how the ball passed the plate and batter) in deciding if the pitch is a strike or a ball.

 

Judging pitches based on (a) how they pass the batter and plate *and* (b) how the catcher catches the ball, will help you tremendously in improving your timing.  It will also work wonders on improving your calls on low pitches.  I gather from your post that you recognize you have a problem with low pitches.  How the catcher receives the low pitch is a major tip off of whether the pitch is a ball of strike.  Same can be said about pitches near the outside corner, or just about any pitch actually.

 

Stick with it.  You will get it once you take the time to see how the catcher receives the pitch.  Anytime he lunges, stretches, partially stands up, reaches too much, points the glove down (on low pitches), or even drops the ball  (JV or above), it's probably not a strike.  If he touches the dirt with his mitt on catching the pitch, it's probably a ball.  (And, yeah, if the pitch bounces, it's a ball.)

 

But you have to wait to watch any of that happen, and that waiting and especially that watching will transform your game.  I promise.

[noumpere]

I don't think anyone has mentioned thus but Slow Down!!!

I don't think its only slowing down but also being sure you are tracking the ball all the way to the mitt before deciding.  Much of what is described comes from tunnel vision or last seeing the ball about a foot in front of the plate.  Artificial means of slowing down like counting to 2 or saying the call to yourself don't help with that problem.

[jkumpire]

Mac, one sentence. "Let the pitch call itself for you."

 

After that tell everyone what they just saw!

 

Also, make sure you ar ein agood position to see the pitch.

[maven]

Others have offered good advice. I'll add only that every umpire, at every level, can have a bad plate game. It's OK, and doesn't mean you're a bad umpire.

 

If you're doing something wrong, you need to address that. If not, and it was just concentration, or fatigue, or life intervening — well, put it behind you and do better next time!

[grayhawk]

Lots of good advice in this thread.  Specifically on how do you muster up the confidence to get back out there?  Just aim to improve every game.  We all catch ourselves not tracking all the way into the mitt, or being too fast at times.  I have to remind myself several times a game to do these things.  I find that if I tell myself, "on THIS pitch, I am going to track it all the way into the mitt no matter what" that I get myself back on track and everything flows from there - until I have to tell myself that again.

[MT_Blue]

whats this slow down thing? in terms of getting back on the horse, i think it was brett farve (correct me if im wrong) who said some years back that you have to have amnesia between plays and then just settle back in and keep moving forward (or something to that effect), and that is something i have taken to and used to some success... of course some times its easier said than done.

[noumpere]

i think it was brett farve (correct me if im wrong) who said some years back that you have to have amnesia between plays .

 

I forget who it was. lol.

[sdix00]

To piggy back on what grayhawk said, I would recommend picking up a rec game and working on tracking the pitch all the way to the mitt as many have posted. Rec games are a great way to work through specific issues. "Today I am going to track 200 pitches from the hand to the mitt. I am going to make an effort to correct this one issue. Today. "

[GoodOldGus]

I attended a small local umpiring clinic before the season started and one of the most valuable exercises we did was having another umpire watching/critiquing our plate work.  We got to "call" some bull pen sessions for a local JUCO team while another umpire stood at close proximity to give us pointers.  I always thought I had pretty good timing and tracking until I heard the feedback from the more experienced umpires.  They were telling me that I wasn't watching the "last 15 feet" of the pitch and I was too quick on my ball/strike calls.  Until someone actually watched me and gave me instant feedback I never realized I had those tendencies.  It was a huge eye opener for me and those two items are stuck in my head every time I have the plate. 

 

In addition to the other advice already posted, I would suggest trying to get another umpire to provide instant feedback.  Good luck!

[mstaylor]

All the advice given is good, but what hasn't been mentioned is not to pop. It sounds like because you aren't tracking correctly you are deciding too fast which causes you to come up early to make the call. Remember not to pop before the ball does. Also if the strike you just called got hit, toooo fast. There is a lot to correctly call pitches, slow down, stay down and watch the pitch to completion. Also get two friends to help you. Have one act as a catcher, have the other move the ball through the zone and make sure you can see it everywhere. If you can't then you need to adjust your slot position or your height. And at all costs, have fun. 

[PonyUmpire]

Also, it really helps to slowly breathe out as you drop down to your set. This relaxes your whole body, including your eyes, making it easier to track the pitch. It also works wonders with slowing down your timing.

[thunder6661980]

As a brand new umpires, these are great advices. Thanks!!!