Calling ball on a pitch followed by verbal location

[labguy1971]

Got a habit I am trying to work out.  I started calling games for local rec league few years back and would say "ball low, ball high, ball out..." .  Not sure why I did that but it is a habit I am still trying to break with calling middle school, JV and Varsity games as my trainer with association tells me not to do that and I agree.  Usually by the 2nd to 3rd inning I have beaten myself up enough so that I stop doing that, any suggestions on how I can stop and or does anyone else do that as well call ball with location?  Thanks for any help in advance

[noumpere]

Watch a game on TV and practice.

 

Go to a game you're not working, sit behind home plate and say the calls to yourself.

 

you need to ingrain the new muscle memory to replace the old muscle memory.

[Jocko]

Slow down.

[Mick]

I had a worse habit.  If it was low, I would indicate it with my hand.  Got my wrist slapped for that.  When I go into the crouch now, I put my hands behind my thighs.

[labguy1971]

So far, good advice and thanks once again. 

[grayhawk]

If it's close in or out, I will say, "Ball, that's in" or "Ball, that's out."  I never give up or down because they can see that from the dugout.  I will let the catcher know up or down occasionally, but only loud enough for him to hear it.

 

I want to emphasize that I only use this sparingly where I am answering a question before it gets asked.  I know this doesn't work for everyone, but it works extremely well for me.

[Thunderheads]

@labguy1971

 

this should give you plenty of info

 

http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/2220-verbalizing-balls-and-strikes/?hl=verbalizing

 

http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/58505-explaining-balls/?hl=verbalizing#entry231041

 

http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/56288-ball-high-ball-low-ball-inside/?hl=verbalizing#entry210429

[JaxRolo]

I will say in and out.

[ricka56]

I was at a clinic where the instructors rotated during our cage work. One instructor advocated answering the location question before being asked (BALL-OUT...BALL-IN). When I tried to practice it, another instructor in the rotation strongly advocated against using it. 

[MadMax]

Retrain your brain.

 

I was a catcher for most of a 20 year span, with a stint in a farm team bullpen, and working for/with a college pitching prospect as a "sparring partner" (so to speak). I had a tremendously bad habit of calling location of every pitch when I started acting like an umpire. I didn't go so far as to point or indicate where a pitch missed the zone (I c~r~i~n~g~e when a new partner does so), but I felt that, being a fellow catcher, I was helping that catcher out.

 

Not so the case. Calling pitch location is unnecessary, and pretty sloppy. So, while I was trying to end that habit in my own way (I have), and was struggling with it, I had a fellow umpire from Texas who demonstrated something that really helps. You mention that you're aware of your calling and consciously try to diminish it by the 2nd or 3rd inning, right? Well, give yourself a headstart on that! While the first pitcher is warming up, throw your mask on, and get in the slot. Let the pitch come in, and instead of saying "Ball (Outside / Inside / Up / Down / Over My Head)" or "Strike", say to the catcher "Nope" or "Yup", and treat it like a conversation instead of a declaration. I mean, these pitches mean nothing, right? Instead of tensely anticipating those first few official pitches, and having to judge/declare what they are, you've already seen a few pitches, and are (or should be) much more relaxed.

 

My friend from Texas said, "Check out any Major League game... most of those umpires do it anyway, just to limber up." Sure enough, the next game I saw firsthand was in Wrigley Field with Phil Cuzzi as PU, and he must have taken at least half-a-dozen pitches (3 from each side of the slot) with his mask on, just over the shoulder of the catcher while the pitcher warmed up. And he and the catcher were having a discussion back and forth.

 

What this does is it puts your brain in a different mode or condition than what you've habitually been doing.

[GreyhoundAggie]

I had to break myself of holding a funeral for the ball every time. "Dead ball" vs "time".

 

I just had to keep working at it, and make sure and mentally correct myself every time it happened. It solved itself over time where it is not an issue at all anymore.

 

Just have to mentally train yourself, it will be a hard habit to break, but it can be done.

[MidAmUmp]

There's nothing wrong with say in or out. Basically you're answering a question before it's asked. The dugout can see up and down.

 

Use it sparingly - just for the borderline pitches where the catcher doesn't move the glove.

 

If you're being told not to do it, it's probably more along the lines of you're doing it on pitches you shouldn't (obvious balls).

 

It's no different than "Safe, off the bag" or "Safe, ball's on the ground." We don't say "Safe, he beat it by 3 steps."

[MidAmUmp]

I was at a clinic where the instructors rotated during our cage work. One instructor advocated answering the location question before being asked (BALL-OUT...BALL-IN). When I tried to practice it, another instructor in the rotation strongly advocated against using it. 

Instructor's personal preference. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

Try it, if it works...keep it. If it doesn't...throw it away.

 

It's not like an instructor is giving different rule interpretations than another.

[ZebraStripes]

Got a habit I am trying to work out.  I started calling games for local rec league few years back and would say "ball low, ball high, ball out..." .  Not sure why I did that but it is a habit I am still trying to break with calling middle school, JV and Varsity games as my trainer with association tells me not to do that and I agree.  Usually by the 2nd to 3rd inning I have beaten myself up enough so that I stop doing that, any suggestions on how I can stop and or does anyone else do that as well call ball with location?  Thanks for any help in advance

Are you making the call immediately, or are you taking a breath and then saying "ball"?

[umpstu]

If it's close I will give a location of in or out.  I will not raise the level of my voice.  If it's so close you have to yell to sell a ball,  yell strike.  Better to take the heat for a strike, IMO.

[MidAmUmp]

If it's close I will give a location of in or out.  I will not raise the level of my voice.  If it's so close you have to yell to sell a ball,  yell strike.  Better to take the heat for a strike, IMO.

Until you start working games where they are video taping and sending those video tapes to your supervisors saying you're calling strikes on pitches off the plate...

[labguy1971]

 

Got a habit I am trying to work out.  I started calling games for local rec league few years back and would say "ball low, ball high, ball out..." .  Not sure why I did that but it is a habit I am still trying to break with calling middle school, JV and Varsity games as my trainer with association tells me not to do that and I agree.  Usually by the 2nd to 3rd inning I have beaten myself up enough so that I stop doing that, any suggestions on how I can stop and or does anyone else do that as well call ball with location?  Thanks for any help in advance

Are you making the call immediately, or are you taking a breath and then saying "ball"?

 

My trainer and I beleive that my timing is okay.  There was a time I would rush to call it but couple of umpire camps fixed that but not the verbalization.  Gonna keep working on it.  Thanks everyone for all the good suggestion!!!  I appreciate it.

[labguy1971]

@labguy1971

 

this should give you plenty of info

 

http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/2220-verbalizing-balls-and-strikes/?hl=verbalizing

 

http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/58505-explaining-balls/?hl=verbalizing#entry231041

 

http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/56288-ball-high-ball-low-ball-inside/?hl=verbalizing#entry210429

Good stuff, thanks!!!

[RingEmUp]

I'll say in/out on close ones.  My true bad habit is giving an indication with my right hand.  I'm not sure if it's noticeable but I know I do it and that's enough.  I've got a JV game today so that means time to try some new things.  I use JV to test and experiment, Varsity I don't mess with my techniques until I work them out at a lower level.

[benjix4]

If it's close in or out, I will say, "Ball, that's in" or "Ball, that's out."  I never give up or down because they can see that from the dugout.  I will let the catcher know up or down occasionally, but only loud enough for him to hear it.

 

I want to emphasize that I only use this sparingly where I am answering a question before it gets asked.  I know this doesn't work for everyone, but it works extremely well for me.

Exactly what I do and if you use that technique smartly you are managing the game at the same time. How many times have you called a ball and the first thing out of a coach, fan etc..  is "Where was that blue"?  Close balls I always emphasize the call with a location.  BALL, Thats down,  BALL, out etc..  This is used on many levels including MLB.

[Majordave]

When I first started umpiring it was highly frowned upon to give pitch location. If the dugouts were chirping it was essentially verboten by my assigner and all the "big dogs" in my association.

Today I worked a DH with an umpire who is one of my NAIA assigners and he has worked the past two NAIA World Series in Idaho. He gave in/out and up/down verbals on close pitches today in a voice loud enough for the dugouts to hear. It worked. No dugout chirping whatsoever.

For some reason the home team F6 was being very verbal in his disagreement with my partner"s pitch calls not in favor with his pitcher. I told him to knock it off in beginning of 2nd inning. He did. Nary a peep from him for the rest of 9 inning game. His three or more errors probably had some influence on his quietness.

[ricka56]

 

I was at a clinic where the instructors rotated during our cage work. One instructor advocated answering the location question before being asked (BALL-OUT...BALL-IN). When I tried to practice it, another instructor in the rotation strongly advocated against using it. 

Instructor's personal preference. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

Try it, if it works...keep it. If it doesn't...throw it away.

 

It's not like an instructor is giving different rule interpretations than another.

The second instructor's point was that you can get in trouble if later in the game you ball a pitch and forget to give location on a pitch that the DHC wanted. He may think that you were indecisive. If he's looking for a reason to get on your case, you have given him one by forgetting to give a location on a close pitch.

 

But every tool that I've ever added to my umpire toolbox was developed over time. When I started in youth baseball, I never verbalized ball calls. I learned that it was important to do so (on every close pitch) but it took me a season (probably more) to fully develop the habit. I imagine that giving location habitually on those decision pitches will take awhile to fully develop as well. I may get in trouble if I forget to do so and pay the price with some A/H coach. But as MajorDave says, sometimes learning is painful.