ATXBlue 50 Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 Looking for tried and true ideas on how you go about studying rule and case books to get ready for the season. SHOOT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
maven 5,181 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Have a photographic memory. Read the book. Easy! 1 1 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jimurray 939 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 1 hour ago, ATXBlue said: Looking for tried and true ideas on how you go about studying rule and case books to get ready for the season. SHOOT! 3 pages every BM. I might get in trouble again but that's how you do it. 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LRZ 493 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 I would start with the definitions. Get them down, as they provide the base for the rules and interpretations. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderheads 3,195 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 @LRZ makes a great point, and I agree. Start with the definitions, and refresh yourself with them often. I like to take the book by sections and start reviewing them shortly after the new year bit by bit. If you keep yourself to a section at a time, you're less likely to become overwhelmed with it all. (that's how it works for me at least) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aging_Arbiter 1,705 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 i had to re-read. I thought @maven said pronographic memory 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
maven 5,181 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 37 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said: i had to re-read. I thought @maven said pronographic memory I think you have a typo there. Maybe 'phonographic memory'—but yeah, remembering sounds wouldn't help unless you had the rule book on audio. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BT_Blue 1,728 Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 17 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said: i had to re-read. I thought @maven said pronographic memory I mean... we DO have a thread in another section called Mask PORN. So, is the rule book REALLY that far off? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MadMax 2,455 Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 On 1/5/2021 at 6:17 PM, Jimurray said: 3 pages every BM. I might get in trouble again but that's how you do it. If using the NFHS Rule book, use one of the three pages to wipe with? What? In a digital age, Fed can’t be bothered to produce and circulate a digital version? Well, if you’re going to provide me paper, then... Note: I’m not saying that NFHS Rules are for sh!t*, I’m saying the physical, printed book is. We know why they continue to publish it. * I may be implying, but that is inconclusive. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ATXBlue 50 Posted January 8 Author Report Share Posted January 8 haha @MadMax I actually did snag a Kindle version of the rule book last year. I am a big proponent of digital books, but for this one I found it lacking. I've been going with the @Thunderheads method and mixing in the case book when I want an example. Between that and the Evans manual, I am keeping busy getting ready to get on the field for the spring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jimurray 939 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 5 hours ago, MadMax said: If using the NFHS Rule book, use one of the three pages to wipe with? What? In a digital age, Fed can’t be bothered to produce and circulate a digital version? Well, if you’re going to provide me paper, then... Note: I’m not saying that NFHS Rules are for sh!t*, I’m saying the physical, printed book is. We know why they continue to publish it. * I may be implying, but that is inconclusive. NFHS does have dogital versions of the rule and casebook. I paid about $7 each for the Ibook version which has a good search and chapter tool. Just be careful not to drop the phone in the tank:) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LRZ 493 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 I am an old man, not entirely comfortable or adept in today's digital universe. As a Ph.D. in literature and appellate lawyer (where I spent most of my days reading case law and records of trials), I prefer the printed page, so I hope that the governing bodies in the three sports that I work do not go all-digital. I find it easier to flip real pages back and forth. My iPad is 10 years old and I do not have a smart phone, so my access to digital rule books would be limited to my desktop. YMMV. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeeingEyeDog 308 Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 I keep a game journal and in addition to reviewing the rule book on anything that comes up during the season after the game, I also go back in pre-season and look back on every rule I was uncertain about and review it again, too. The standard I am working towards (and I am far, far from it...) is knowing the written rules well enough to recite them back to a player or coach as part of a ruling, appeal or discussion, etc. I suspect after over 100 years now of organized baseball that there's a reason why the rules are written the way they are. My observations would suggest that the umpires who can cite the rules word for word from the rule book seem to have the fewest issues with coaches accepting their rulings. ~Dog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Matt 1,735 Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 On 1/5/2021 at 4:46 PM, ATXBlue said: Looking for tried and true ideas on how you go about studying rule and case books to get ready for the season. SHOOT! Read it in reverse for subliminal messages. 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ATXBlue 50 Posted January 14 Author Report Share Posted January 14 3 minutes ago, Matt said: Read it in reverse for subliminal messages. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Matt 1,735 Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 3 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said: I keep a game journal and in addition to reviewing the rule book on anything that comes up during the season after the game, I also go back in pre-season and look back on every rule I was uncertain about and review it again, too. The standard I am working towards (and I am far, far from it...) is knowing the written rules well enough to recite them back to a player or coach as part of a ruling, appeal or discussion, etc. I suspect after over 100 years now of organized baseball that there's a reason why the rules are written the way they are. My observations would suggest that the umpires who can cite the rules word for word from the rule book seem to have the fewest issues with coaches accepting their rulings. ~Dog It may be the recitation, or it may be the confidence that one has as a result of knowing the rule well enough to recite it. Just like much else in officiating, there's an art to communicating the rule. Sometimes, being succinct is more powerful than using the word salad that is often found in the rules. Other times, the verbiage is a useful tool. The trick is to know when to use each. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeeingEyeDog 308 Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 @Matt, yeah that makes sense...I don't know that I'm reciting the rulebook definition of a strike zone when there is a "problem" but, for interpretation related calls when there is a specific rule being applied, knowing the "salad" can be very helpful. ~Dog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BT_Blue 1,728 Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 I've found that a majority of the guys that can "recite the word salad" in the book are not very good regarding game management. It might just be the guys I have worked with. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beacher80 1 Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 On 1/9/2021 at 8:55 AM, LRZ said: I am an old man, not entirely comfortable or adept in today's digital universe. As a Ph.D. in literature and appellate lawyer (where I spent most of my days reading case law and records of trials), I prefer the printed page, so I hope that the governing bodies in the three sports that I work do not go all-digital. I find it easier to flip real pages back and forth. My iPad is 10 years old and I do not have a smart phone, so my access to digital rule books would be limited to my desktop. YMMV. I study the rule book based on my career experience too. Outline like its the bar exam, bold certain lines like you would important case law, and distinguish NFHS from NCAA and ORB where necessary. Worked for me on the bar, it'll get me through umpiring. (Some rec leagues around here use mlb rules, frustrating) But seriously, I find outlining to be the best strategy. And a lot of the book is unimportant start with the main categories for an ump, for me I concentrate on 1 balks/ illegal pitch 2 obstruction 3 interference 4 dead ball / live ball 5 remedies aka what is awarded by rule and judgement Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BT_Blue 1,728 Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 10 hours ago, Beacher80 said: I study the rule book based on my career experience too. Outline like its the bar exam, bold certain lines like you would important case law, and distinguish NFHS from NCAA and ORB where necessary. Worked for me on the bar, it'll get me through umpiring. (Some rec leagues around here use mlb rules, frustrating) But seriously, I find outlining to be the best strategy. And a lot of the book is unimportant start with the main categories for an ump, for me I concentrate on 1 balks/ illegal pitch 2 obstruction 3 interference 4 dead ball / live ball 5 remedies aka what is awarded by rule and judgement Thats a pretty decent idea. And if works for you. Go for it. However... you left off a very important section of the rulebook. And the one you should always start and end with. In OBR it is Rule 2: Definitions. It is the groundwork of all we do. So becoming versed there might be the most important Rule you read. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Biscuit 199 Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 On 2/4/2021 at 1:25 AM, BT_Blue said: Thats a pretty decent idea. And if works for you. Go for it. However... you left off a very important section of the rulebook. And the one you should always start and end with. In OBR it is Rule 2: Definitions. It is the groundwork of all we do. So becoming versed there might be the most important Rule you read. +1 for the definitions suggestion. You get a pretty good overview of a lot of the tricker rules, and you MUST understand the definitions to untangle the harder to understand rules. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LRZ 493 Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 On 2/4/2021 at 2:25 AM, BT_Blue said: However... you left off a very important section of the rulebook. And the one you should always start and end with. In OBR it is Rule 2: Definitions. It is the groundwork of all we do. So becoming versed there might be the most important Rule you read. 3 hours ago, Biscuit said: +1 for the definitions suggestion. You get a pretty good overview of a lot of the tricker rules, and you MUST understand the definitions to untangle the harder to understand rules. Give credit where due: see post #4, above. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Senor Azul 663 Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 The Definitions of Terms in the OBR is no longer rule 2—in the 2019 edition the definitions start on page 144 following rule 9. It’s more of an appendix now even though it is not listed as an appendix in the table of contents. The change in placement for the definitions was made in the 2015 edition from rule 2 to the back of the book. Both FED and NCAA still put their definitions in rule 2 of their respective books. And it was indeed Mr. LRZ who first recommended in this thread that the definitions is a good starting point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
johnnyg08 1,737 Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 Learn the terminology. Memorize the terminology. That is the key to understanding and applying the rules. Then, whenever there is a question about a play, look it up. The umpire groups (like this one) are great for that because users ask so many questions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Man in Blue 529 Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 Along the lines of @johnnyg08's suggestion ... after every game (or day of games) think about the oddest thing that happened, or that one thing that is bugging you because you aren't quite sure ... go home and look it up. If you are using a digital version, use the search feature. We all know the rulebooks like to bury important things in unusual sections. A digital search is a great way to find ALL 623 times a word is used in the book. Follow up that rule you looked up ... think of another variation or make sure you know how all players are affected (e.g., OK, the batter was out but what do I do with the runners?). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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