Rotation!

[ElkOil]

Why do I repeatedly have trouble doing a proper rotation when I'm at the plate?? It seems so simple.  My partner and I communicate it.  I roll over in my head before the next pitch.  And then, brain fart when then ball is hit.  It must be one of those mental blocks.  I suppose I'll overcome it with time, but man, it's annoying.  None of my partners have mentioned it, though, so maybe it's not a big deal to them or they haven't realized my errors.

[labguy1971]

Keep working on it, it will get better.  Good that you recognize area that you may need improvement.  If that is the only issue you have, great job!!!  For me it is always a work in progress as I am looking for things that I can do better.  Good luck on fixing it.

[noumpere]

Why do I repeated have trouble doing a proper rotation when I'm at the plate??

Becasue, if I recall correctly, you're a brand new umpire.

 

And, missed rotations happen at all levels.

[maven]

 

Why do I repeated have trouble doing a proper rotation when I'm at the plate??

Becasue, if I recall correctly, you're a brand new umpire.

 

And, missed rotations happen at all levels.

 

 

I agree with the implicit advice here: relax. Stressing about rotations will actually impair your brain's capacity to process the play.

 

One small thing to try, to see if it works for you. When the ball is hit out the infield, where do you go? Try heading down the 3B line. If you have catch/no catch responsibilities, you can move to get an angle from there. If not, you can read the play from halfway down the 3B line just in foul (an area referred to as the "library").

 

When you remember, "Crap, here comes R1, I have to rotate!" you'll be just a few steps from 3B!

[ricka56]

Years ago, I was a newbie PU with R1, a base hit and a close play at 3B. I was still near HP when the nut-cutter occurred. My partner didn't cover for my mistake and make the call, instead he turned to me and said, "Well ?"...after I made my call, all hell broke loose. I don't think I've missed a rotation since.

 

Relax...it'll probably only take getting burned once to drive home this mechanic.   

[maven]

Years ago, I was a newbie PU with R1, a base hit and a close play at 3B. I was still near HP when the nut-cutter occurred. My partner didn't cover for my mistake and make the call, instead he turned to me and said, "Well ?"...after I made my call, all hell broke loose. I don't think I've missed a rotation since.

 

Relax...it'll probably only take getting burned once to drive home this mechanic.   

 

Your partner was a d1ck.

 

Proper BU mechanic is to take all plays on the bases until PU calls you off 3B (or 1B in a rundown).

 

I don't subscribe to the "traumatize your partner to learn him good" school of umpire instruction.

[ricka56]

 

Years ago, I was a newbie PU with R1, a base hit and a close play at 3B. I was still near HP when the nut-cutter occurred. My partner didn't cover for my mistake and make the call, instead he turned to me and said, "Well ?"...after I made my call, all hell broke loose. I don't think I've missed a rotation since.

 

Relax...it'll probably only take getting burned once to drive home this mechanic.   

 

Your partner was a d1ck.

 

Proper BU mechanic is to take all plays on the bases until PU calls you off 3B (or 1B in a rundown).

 

I don't subscribe to the "traumatize your partner to learn him good" school of umpire instruction.

 

He still is a dick. The other "been burned" lesson is not to trust partners like this.

 

My point was, whether its from one's own mistake or another's, some of the best lessons learned on the ballfield (as in life) happen after getting burned. The OP can keep working on getting this right or wait to get burned, either way he'll learn.

[Majordave]

But, as my former boss, a ten time State Championship football coach once said.....

"You know Dave, sometimes learning just has to be painful."

It's not always the best way but if you've screwed it up more than once, like a bad dog, you've got to learn somehow. As @ricka56 said. He hasn't missed one since.

Since umpires don't get too much practice except for games themselves it is an alternative learning method. As a coach I didn't fuss at players too much during games. But in practice..........sometimes learning was painful. Getting hung out to dry by a partner definitely qualifies as painful in my book. It would only happen once if it's my fault and I know it.

[ElkOil]

 

 

Why do I repeated have trouble doing a proper rotation when I'm at the plate??

Becasue, if I recall correctly, you're a brand new umpire.

 

And, missed rotations happen at all levels.

 

 

I agree with the implicit advice here: relax. Stressing about rotations will actually impair your brain's capacity to process the play.

 

One small thing to try, to see if it works for you. When the ball is hit out the infield, where do you go? Try heading down the 3B line. If you have catch/no catch responsibilities, you can move to get an angle from there. If not, you can read the play from halfway down the 3B line just in foul (an area referred to as the "library").

 

When you remember, "Crap, here comes R1, I have to rotate!" you'll be just a few steps from 3B!

 

 

The other night I was at the plate, runner on first.  Ball hit to the outfield.  I don't remember having a conscious thought about going up the line, but there I was doing it, and wouldn't you know, the play's at third.  I broke inside and found myself in the position to make the call.  As I trotted back to the plate, I kept thinking, "that was weird."  I mean, how many times do you go through the mechanic AND have a play at third?  And the ONE TIME I remembered to do it, was the time I needed to.  Maybe there's more subconscious activity going on than I think.

[Majordave]

Sure feels good when you run all the way down to 3B and actually get to make a call, eh?

[johnnyg08]

You gotta get the Fan out of you.  

 

Right now you're still a spectator out there.  

 

When you get a bit more experience, you will start thinking like an umpire and the rotations will start to become natural. 

 

Keep learning.

[NovaScotiaBlue]

Sure feels good when you run all the way down to 3B and actually get to make a call, eh?

I didn't know they spoke Canadian in Kansas, eh?

[Majordave]

Jumped (out of perfectly good airplanes and helicopters) and trained and drank and went to strip clubs (when we were supposed to be touring Canadian Parlaiment?) in Petawawa and Ottawa with Canadian Airborne Regiment back in the day. I was indoctrinated to the finer points of Canadian culture for sure, eh?

[Replacematt]

Jumped (out of perfectly good airplanes and helicopters) and trained and drank and went to strip clubs (when we were supposed to be touring Canadian Parlaiment?) in Petawawa and Ottawa with Canadian Airborne Regiment back in the day. I was indoctrinated to the finer points of Canadian culture for sure, eh?

If I could remember, I'm sure I'd be traumatized by what happened when I was socializing with the Johns.

[blue23ll]

For the longest time, I had a real problem with the pivot. I remember being at clinics in my first and second year and just driving myself crazy worrying about if I would blow it when my turn came. After a while, it just became instinct. Now that I'm older, I am more afraid of pulling up lame than not being able to do it correctly. 

[labguy1971]

johnnyg08, on 15 Mar 2015 - 12:59 PM, said:

You gotta get the Fan out of you.  

 

Right now you're still a spectator out there.  

 

When you get a bit more experience, you will start thinking like an umpire and the rotations will start to become natural. 

 

Keep learning.

Good point johnnyg08, been there done that. 

[johnnyg08]

For the longest time, I had a real problem with the pivot. I remember being at clinics in my first and second year and just driving myself crazy worrying about if I would blow it when my turn came. After a while, it just became instinct. Now that I'm older, I am more afraid of pulling up lame than not being able to do it correctly. 

 

I attended a clinic this year where we were told to not even worry about pivoting any longer.  Anybody else hear that being taught? 

[maven]

 

For the longest time, I had a real problem with the pivot. I remember being at clinics in my first and second year and just driving myself crazy worrying about if I would blow it when my turn came. After a while, it just became instinct. Now that I'm older, I am more afraid of pulling up lame than not being able to do it correctly. 

 

I attended a clinic this year where we were told to not even worry about pivoting any longer.  Anybody else hear that being taught? 

 

Exactly the opposite in my state.

[johnnyg08]

 

 

For the longest time, I had a real problem with the pivot. I remember being at clinics in my first and second year and just driving myself crazy worrying about if I would blow it when my turn came. After a while, it just became instinct. Now that I'm older, I am more afraid of pulling up lame than not being able to do it correctly. 

 

I attended a clinic this year where we were told to not even worry about pivoting any longer.  Anybody else hear that being taught? 

 

Exactly the opposite in my state.

 

 

Yeah, I couldn't believe it.  Sometimes I wonder...

[blue23ll]

On a play where I know the BR will get at least a double, I will just bust into the infield, no pivot, and just glance over my shoulder for the touch at first. There is really no reason to pivot in that case, just haul butt to the cutout at second. 

[ricka56]

Seeing a base touch with a steady head is preferably over a bobble head.

If you are athletic enough to pivot and get to the 2B cutout in time, do it.

If not, cheat a little bit, but lets not advice new athletic umpires that cheating is the default.

YMMV

[Richvee]

 

For the longest time, I had a real problem with the pivot. I remember being at clinics in my first and second year and just driving myself crazy worrying about if I would blow it when my turn came. After a while, it just became instinct. Now that I'm older, I am more afraid of pulling up lame than not being able to do it correctly. 

 

I attended a clinic this year where we were told to not even worry about pivoting any longer.  Anybody else hear that being taught? 

 

I have heard of places teaching this. At a clinic I attended this winter we were drilling the pivot and I asked about this mechanic of not pivoting that I've heard about and asked the instructors if they had heard of this and what their thoughts were. Their response was they were aware it's being taught in some places, but didn't agree unless you are too slow to pivot and still get into position at 2nd. 

[zm1283]

I don't pivot anymore while working 3-man if I'm U1 and have to take a batter/runner to second base. Just peek over the shoulder. I also don't usually do it in 2-man if it's an obvious double. 

[MadMax]

From what was shared with me, the skip-the-pivot theory is born out of concern for injury, not so much a speed thing (although speed of the BR influences this).

 

Some of the older, less-nimble umpires have difficulty busting from a cold start (strain on Achilles tendon, hamstrings, back, etc.), making the pivot (hips, knees, ankles), and then continuing on to 2B keeping pace with increasingly speedier and speedier BR's. But what's really adding an unexpected variable to this is FieldTurf, which behaves differently than grass. The footing is different, and you tend to skip and stutter more than slide. When I play soccer, as a Center Back, I have to frequently pivot and change direction, and I have to say, when we play on a FieldTurf surface, it is spongier and you have to be more conscious of your footwork.

[Majordave]

Amen Max. And when the turf is damp or wet.....hard to look fast and/or graceful.