Figuring It All Out

[BigUmp56]

While reading a large number of posts here recently it occurred to me that there are a number of members here that seem like they're right on the edge of making that leap to where it will all start to come together for them. Most of us that have been at this for a Decade or more had a time, or times, in our umpirig careers where the light went on and we turned the corner from an average official, to a good official.

 

This started to happen to me when I started nailing balk calls that needed to be called, and had the sense not call every ticky-tac balk possible. That, and when I knew when to eject immediately without having to think about it, and at the same time I began to have very few ejections each season. I can't imagine that mine was a unique transition, which has me wondering when it started to come together for some of you.

 

 

Tim.

[th3]

I feel like I made a big leap when i went from 30-50 games/year my 1st few years to 150+ the next few. And I think that I've come a long way this year regarding a consistent zone. Still struggle with recognizing balks right away but i think I'm getting better this year. A lot has to do with working a few more games at a slightly better level. However I still work games ranging from u10 to u18 which is not the best for me developmentally i dont think

[Dragon29]

For me, it was learning the good game management.  The rules and their application were never a big problem for me; mechanics and team-work much the same - all good, all fun.

 

But, I did not want anyone thinking I was a red-ass so, for the 1st season or 2 (according to my mentors) I let managers and coaches walk all over me.  I didn't think they were doing it at the time, but looking back, I can see that they were and I wish I would have learned better game control sooner.  I think I did that because I was afraid the coaches and managers knew more about the game than I did and I was intimidated by some of them.  (I mean, OMG!  What happens if I make a mistake?!!??)  I later learned what a load of crap that was!

 

My 'Aha' moment came in my 3rd season, the first time I EJ'd an Asst. Coach (who had gone over the line) w/o thinking about it.  I had had a couple of EJs in my 1st couple of seasons - both no-brainers - but had missed three or four I should have had.  I remember thinking after the game that a) it had been a good EJ  &  b) the world didn't end.

 

Since then, my confidence on the field has shot up and while I'm not perfect, I can accept that I'm not and still call a good game.

 

 

 

I re-read this after I posted it and saw that it looked like I had claimed to have 'figured it all out' in my 3rd season.  Sorry - I didn't mean it to come off like that.  I didn't.  That was just when the first 'jump' in my confidence occurred that allowed me to relax and start becoming a better umpire.

Edited July 17, 2013 by Dragon29

[umpire_scott]

While I'm far from "figuring it all out" I fee like I've made a big jump this year in that I am being more consistent no matter what level of game I'm working.  In the past I would drop my mechanics to the level of the other umpires I was working with and I was lowering my personal expectations.  Before I would only pregame if my partner brought it up.  Now I bring it up every time.  Before when I was doing lower level tournaments I would never see BU go to short RF between innings, so I didn't either.  Now I do it every game.  As I've worked on being more consistent my confidence has gone up tremendously.

 

I will also say this board has really helped with rule interpretations.  Knowing the rule is really almost meaningless if you don't understand the interpretation. 

[Specks]

The thing with me was clinics. I was able to work with REALLY sharp umpires (MiLB & D1) and learn from them. Whether it was my "umpire voice", footwork or sharpening my mechanics that got me over the hump, clinics are HUGE advantages.

[grayhawk]

I don't know.  Every time I think I have it all figured out, something new happens to keep me on my toes.

[BigUmp56]

Perhaps I should have entitled the topic "When It Started to Come Together", because you're right, and none of us have figured it all out. And probably never will........

 

 

Tim.

[blue23ll]

There are several factors that came into play for me that I think propelled me into the next "tier" of umpiring.  Clinics and getting the training from professional's was probably the biggest step for me in moving up to the next level. The first one was a Gerry Davis weekend clinic about 10 years ago, and this was my first 'real' clinic. I had been through Little League sponsored trainings, those are well run, informative, and they are just fine if you want to remain in the Little League universe. The issue with Little League is that is their ONLY frame of reference, you can't really get a 'big world of umpiring' perspective. Getting critiqued by Gerry and Scott was pivotal in my development.

 

The second epiphany occurred when I attended the West Coast Combine in Southern California. What a fantastic experience this camp was. I got to meet and be coached by some really experienced D1 umpires, Joe Burleson, Tom Hiler, Kelly Gonzalez, Billy Speck, to name a few. This is where I decided that I had the foundation. It provided a place to build, and I recommend to everyone that they attend clinics that are OUTSIDE your normal frame of reference, and aren't held by the same people you see and work with every season. Get an outside and non-biased view of your work.

 

We all make mistakes, both in judgement and in rules application. We are human, but we must work to never make the same mistake twice. So, will I ever feel like I am perfect, of course not. The huge mistakes, the fiasco's, the major blow ups, the 'gross misses' are gone.

 

Sorry for the long winded response, but this is a subject I am passionate about.

 

Now, the other thing that really seemed to open up my field of view as far as umpiring, was to become a trainer for my local LL District and the HS association I worked with. I found I learned a received a whole lot more than I was teaching. I became a mentor for the less experienced umpires, and as such I had to be PICTURE perfect every time I was on the field. They were on the field, watching everything I did, and after the game, I wanted them to ask questions about what they saw. This kind of pressure is what you need to put on yourself every game you work. To be flawless, 100% of the time.

[noumpere]

 which has me wondering when it started to come together for some of you.

 

 

Tomorrow.  I hope.  lol.

[Specks]

There are several factors that came into play for me that I think propelled me into the next "tier" of umpiring.  Clinics and getting the training from professional's was probably the biggest step for me in moving up to the next level. The first one was a Gerry Davis weekend clinic about 10 years ago, and this was my first 'real' clinic. I had been through Little League sponsored trainings, those are well run, informative, and they are just fine if you want to remain in the Little League universe. The issue with Little League is that is their ONLY frame of reference, you can't really get a 'big world of umpiring' perspective. Getting critiqued by Gerry and Scott was pivotal in my development.

 

The second epiphany occurred when I attended the West Coast Combine in Southern California. What a fantastic experience this camp was. I got to meet and be coached by some really experienced D1 umpires, Joe Burleson, Tom Hiler, Kelly Gonzalez, Billy Speck, to name a few. This is where I decided that I had the foundation. It provided a place to build, and I recommend to everyone that they attend clinics that are OUTSIDE your normal frame of reference, and aren't held by the same people you see and work with every season. Get an outside and non-biased view of your work.

 

We all make mistakes, both in judgement and in rules application. We are human, but we must work to never make the same mistake twice. So, will I ever feel like I am perfect, of course not. The huge mistakes, the fiasco's, the major blow ups, the 'gross misses' are gone.

 

Sorry for the long winded response, but this is a subject I am passionate about.

 

Now, the other thing that really seemed to open up my field of view as far as umpiring, was to become a trainer for my local LL District and the HS association I worked with. I found I learned a received a whole lot more than I was teaching. I became a mentor for the less experienced umpires, and as such I had to be PICTURE perfect every time I was on the field. They were on the field, watching everything I did, and after the game, I wanted them to ask questions about what they saw. This kind of pressure is what you need to put on yourself every game you work. To be flawless, 100% of the time.

Wow! GREAT post!

[JaxRolo]

Camps and this site have helped a lot. Now if I could just move up from t-ball...

[CentralOhioUmp30]

First ever game I did was a 10U softball scrimmage. I called a strike on a pitch that was a full foot short of home plate. After that call I have been on a 1,000+ game streak of NEVER being wrong on any call I've made.

Go figure!

[sdix00]

I did things a bit in reverse, gaining more knowledge before experience.   It's my nature to read the entire instruction manual before opening up whatever gadget I just bought, and umpiring was no different.  Call me scared, but I felt I had no business going out there unless I knew my stuff first.  So, as you might guess, I got the rules right but didn't do well on game management at first.  

 

These last couple years I made game management the priority along with really focusing on developing a good zone.    That's helped, but honestly the better I get the more reluctant I am to move up too quickly.   As I get better I am also getting better at understanding where I need to improve and that has helped slow things down a little. 

 

The upside to that is that more assignors are starting to call and I am turning down lower paying, daddy ball gigs in favor of well-run, quick-moving, competitive games.   

 

So short answer is that I feel like I "turn a corner" every season, but realize that I can slow down as I approach the next corner.   However, with only  four years of experience now, I don't feel things have clicked quite yet. 

[Kevin_K]

I thought I had this thing of ours down pat a few years ago. I worked on mechanics, read and re-read rules books, and busted my butt to be in position. I attended clinics and even ran a few,

 

What brought it all together, though, was my perception of time while on the field. About three years ago I noticed another very perceptible slowing down of the games I umpired. I don't mean that they took longer, rather that the game itself slowed down - plays, throws, pitches, swings - everything associated with the action of the game seemed to develop slowly and almost nothing seems to explode in my face.

 

While this was occurring, I made a significant effort to slow down everything that I did as an umpire. I am no Tim McClelland, but there is also no rush for anything either.

 

So I suppose it "clicked" with my perception of time.

[grayhawk]

I did things a bit in reverse, gaining more knowledge before experience.   It's my nature to read the entire instruction manual before opening up whatever gadget I just bought, and umpiring was no different.  Call me scared, but I felt I had no business going out there unless I knew my stuff first.  So, as you might guess, I got the rules right but didn't do well on game management at first.  

 

These last couple years I made game management the priority along with really focusing on developing a good zone.    That's helped, but honestly the better I get the more reluctant I am to move up too quickly.   As I get better I am also getting better at understanding where I need to improve and that has helped slow things down a little. 

 

The upside to that is that more assignors are starting to call and I am turning down lower paying, daddy ball gigs in favor of well-run, quick-moving, competitive games.   

 

So short answer is that I feel like I "turn a corner" every season, but realize that I can slow down as I approach the next corner.   However, with only  four years of experience now, I don't feel things have clicked quite yet. 

 

We're similar in our approaches.  I'm a "read the instruction manual first" type as well.  When I decided to start umpiring as a more serious avocation, I read as much as I could, whenever I could about rules, situations, mechanics, etc.  I went to every clinic I could as well. I wanted to be sure I didn't get out there and stink up the place and look like I didn't know what I was doing.  I am moving up at a good pace, but am very cognizant of not moving up too fast.  When something blows up on you at a higher level, it can have serious consequences and it's harder to regain credibility. 

[mstaylor]

This is a older thread but somehow I just found it. I started working LL as a teenager, moved to ninety ft several years later. I thought I had pretty good skills but also knew that everything I knew was by accident. I got in the HS group and started really training. I attended my first pro clinic and also found the internet. The pro clinics taught me how to handle myself on the field, the internet made me realize I knew little about the rules and interps. Stan and I have both said that the internet made us 10 times the umpires we were before it. If I had the knowledge presented on the boards I could have saved a decade of cluelessness. 

[Stan W.]

This is a older thread but somehow I just found it. I started working LL as a teenager, moved to ninety ft several years later. I thought I had pretty good skills but also knew that everything I knew was by accident. I got in the HS group and started really training. I attended my first pro clinic and also found the internet. The pro clinics taught me how to handle myself on the field, the internet made me realize I knew little about the rules and interps. Stan and I have both said that the internet made us 10 times the umpires we were before it. If I had the knowledge presented on the boards I could have saved a decade of cluelessness. 

 

Totally agree with Mike...............out there in those days when I was the mayor of smittyville.............i was pretty much  out there by myself.......following bad examples........scrounging a rule book......which you know helps you learn the rules but not how to umpire.........early days of the interent offered info that just wasnt available to me...........trust us when we tell you that the early umpiring websites were more like shark tanks..........dodge city,....russian gulags... turkish prisons.......you get the idea, ...but if you could navigate it, there was a lot to learn if you cared to.........

 

I now had access to:

 

Pro school trained umpires

mechanics training

dynamic umpiring personalities

rules discussions

rule interpretations.

24/7 access

an almost 12 step AA meeting...hi, my name is stan and I've got an umpiring problem

gear reccomendations

 

the internet allows you access to all these things and more...........a new umpire today is not "out there by himself".............and can advance much quicker than I did.........and a shameless plug for UE.. IMHO..........there are a lot of good sites but this place is the best resource for umpires.....

[Jocko]

I am very fortunate. The group I primarily work with is a select group. Several of which are NCAA umps, HS Postseason, State camp instructors, assigners, evaluators, etc. In short, they know their s**t. It makes me bring my a-game. I have a ways to go, but I'm striving to be considered among the elite in my assn. Thanks, Pete! That's not to say there aren't a few guys who need a lot of work, but hey....don't we all?

That being said, I got a huge compliment and ego boost this season. I finally got to partner with a man I have huge respect for. I invited him to point out anything he saw that needed attention. He only had one minor mechanical adjustment. I have since applied it and it helped me immensely. Thanks again, Pete!

So I guess it started clicking awhile ago, but I didn't have the confidence to notice it. Off the field I have doubts and fears. But once I enter the fence, I'm in UMP mode and I trust my knowledge and training.

[NFUA_44]

This is a older thread but somehow I just found it. I started working LL as a teenager, moved to ninety ft several years later. I thought I had pretty good skills but also knew that everything I knew was by accident. I got in the HS group and started really training. I attended my first pro clinic and also found the internet. The pro clinics taught me how to handle myself on the field, the internet made me realize I knew little about the rules and interps. Stan and I have both said that the internet made us 10 times the umpires we were before it. If I had the knowledge presented on the boards I could have saved a decade of cluelessness. 

Clinics big time.  Traveling to an area to get new perspectives is also a big help.  I look forward to clinic season and organization meetings, great time of year to see old friends, discuss new trends in our little world, and chew on new rule changes.  Once I started to understand how important clinics were to the training cycle I started to "get it".  The good news is I will never "have all of it" so I'm always getting more.

 

Michael you couldn't be more right about the Boards.  From the days of e-teamz to various other spots I have learned and worked thru many a knotty situation thanks to the combined wisdom shared on those (and this one!) sites.

 

On Edit:  PS, you probably remember my little screen shot of the "warning" sign, I swiped it from Manny, on e-teams many moons ago!

[BigUmp56]

You do our Internet Senior Military Officer proud! Although he did finally retire from active duty...

I also noticed another old and familiar avatar here. Aging Arbiter uses the same one that my old friend Atlanta Blue used to use. I wonder if there's a connection?

Tim.

[Mudder]

He only had one minor mechanical adjustment. I have since applied it and it helped me immensely. Thanks again, Pete!

 

 

What was the adjustment?

[th3]

turned his hat around

[NFUA_44]

I noticed that long ago too but he is a little more laid back than AB! Then it could be him playing incognito. Now I may have to go dig up my eteamz password, and its all your fault. LOL