Other online resources for rules study?

[pl8ump1012]

What, if any, online resources do you recommend for rules study? This forum is great for anecdotal/situational rules discussion, and I've been using umpirebible quite a bit, but I'm also looking for other options. I would especially like resources that have practice tests/quizzes.

 

[SH0102]

I promise I am not being snarky, but have do you just read the rule book?  I mean, that is honestly the best "tool" there is.  I have been a part of baseball, as a player, fan, coach, and umpire, for almost 40 years now and when I started doing college, I dove into the rulebook and was blown away by how much there was to learn, especially the importance of definitions.

I made my own quizzes and sent them to a friend also starting out in college.  10 - 20 questions from each of the nine sections of the rule book (I did not do official scoring) and then a separate one on replay and getting together situations.  For me, that was far more helpful than just googling some source, I read the rule(s) and thought of different scenarios where this could come into play, and made my own case plays and questions about them.

That mental visualization helped me retain the info and draw upon it when the situations arose in season.

To each their own, but I think the rule book itself, coupled with your own version of studying and manipulating situations to help you learn them, is a great tool.  UmpireBible i find helpful if I need to navigate rule sets in a short time span (NCAA game today, HS games tomorrow, OBR youth games saturday or something)

[NavyBlue]

I'm with SH0102, nothing beats study of the rule book.  

Try combining rules and then figure out how to handle the situation.  This forces you to think through the rules.  E.g., balk with a hit by pitch on ball four or strike three; catcher's interference with an outfielder throwing his detached glove and hitting the batted ball such that the ball goes over the fence; batter is walked but when he tosses his bat it hits the mishandled pitch by the catcher and knocks it further away from the catcher who is trying to recover it to retire a late-stealing runner; infield fly ball with R2, F4 and F6 all converging and watching the ball in the air when R2 and F4 (unprotected fielder) collide while R2 is trying to return to 2B and the resulting collision knocks R2 into F6 (protected fielder).   You could even write each rule number on slip of paper and draw two (or three) out of a hat and see what you can come up with.  

For a hard reference, if you are calling under different rule sets (NFHS and OBR), then there a few books and documents that compare the two rule sets.  Spend time understanding the differences and you'll find that you will understand the rules themselves much better.

[pl8ump1012]

Thank you both. I definitely am studying the rule book too; I like the idea of coming up with my own scenarios of what I could come up with for each one to help apply the learning. That said, I still like the idea of practice tests/quizzes (applying the rules to scenarios someone else comes up with, vs. coming up with scenarios that apply to the rules) so if anyone has ideas for that, I'm still open for that.

I really appreciate the ideas/advice!

 

[SH0102]

If you search the HS and College threads on here, there are threads devoted to the annual test questions

[MidAmUmp]

Check out the Ump-App at www.ump-app.com

It is a great app for umpire associations to train new recruits and current members. 

Get with your association and we will be happy to set up a demo for you. It is definitely the new trend for umpire education. No more trying to find a place to meet, hoping people show up and pay attention while they are there instead of being on their phones. We’re putting the training on their phones!

Email me at jasonblackburn@ump-app.com if you would like to set up a demo. 

[Richvee]

If you do high school

ball, this is great place that has the past  twenty some-odd years of FED rule changes and interpretations. 
http://www.stevetheump.com/NFHS_rules.htm

[boyinr]

The Baseball Rules in Black and White app is very nicely done IMO.  I learned about from the Gerry Davis podcasts.  They even have a 10% discount code to use on Gerry's site.  

[Velho]

This should keep you busy @pl8ump1012 😃

https://quizlet.com/220965927/wendelstedt-umpire-school-rules-and-interpretations-flash-cards/

This one is also interesting - and further evidence for those that think Aaron Boone shouldn't keep his job (which doesn't include every Red Sox fan I know) https://www.closecallsports.com/2013/06/espn-baseball-quiz-media-scores-low.html

[pl8ump1012]

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for, @Velho!

[GreyhoundAggie]

On 12/7/2021 at 10:36 PM, MidAmUmp said:

Check out the Ump-App at www.ump-app.com

It is a great app for umpire associations to train new recruits and current members. 

Get with your association and we will be happy to set up a demo for you. It is definitely the new trend for umpire education. No more trying to find a place to meet, hoping people show up and pay attention while they are there instead of being on their phones. We’re putting the training on their phones!

Email me at jasonblackburn@ump-app.com if you would like to set up a demo. 

I'll have to check that out. Sounds really interesting Jason.

[mac266]

I use www.umpirebible.com

I umpire in both NFHS and OBR rule books, so I'm constantly looking at the page which shows the differences.