Organizing/Running a Clinic

[zoops]

Some of the longer-serving umpires in our local group would like to organize a clinic opportunity for newer umpires, primarily to teach basic mechanics, rules, field presence, etc.  There are basically no baseball umpire clinic opportunities within a could hundred miles of us.  I've been to a couple small baseball clinics in my career and have some ideas, but I figured I would ask the types of things you have found valuable at clinics you have attended.  We may run this in conjunction with a JV-level tournament where umpires can get game work, we may just run it at a scrimmage.  Thank you for any advice.

[MadMax]

8 minutes ago, zoops said:

Some of the longer-serving umpires in our local group would like to organize a clinic opportunity for newer umpires, primarily to teach basic mechanics, rules, field presence, etc.

Where are you located?

This has great intentions painted all over it, and is very commendable, but I can give you 4 succinct points of advice that will make any of your efforts more effective:

1. Stick to the topics / components I put in bold, and do NOT discuss purported situations, "third world plays" or "war stories". There is no faster way to lose the effectual attention of a group of new umpires than to start talkin' war stories. 
2. When explaining Rules, DO NOT let the "senior instructor" just reference Rules by memory, in layman's terms, nor out of context. Note, Read, and Reference the Rule(s) verbatim, exactly as they are written. Any interpretation or explanation of them should be collaboratively and summarily agreed to by the body of instructors; that is to say, this is the way the association interprets the rule, not the way Tom the Twenty-Five-Year-Guy thinks or believes the rule should be interpreted as. ( @Stk004 knows of this experience)
3. Combine or follow doctrinal instruction (as in, group or classroom talk) with actual, physical exercise. 
4. Have some sort of association "accessory" or "kit" available and ready to distribute to your new guys, because they cannot be expected to willingly obtain, and know how to use (or wear) these accessories. I'm not talking provide full uniforms or CPs for free; instead, I'd consider items like this: 

• Hats (Association, or plain black (or navy if you live in a backwards state); can be given out or sold at a discount)
• Belts (Get a bulk deal on them, sell them at a discount, have a bunch there ready to distribute)
• Pocket-sized notebooks (get a bulk amount of them, give for free or at a steep discount; arrange to have your Association logo and/or your Association's coordinator or assigner's phone number on it, or something; encourage the use of these notebooks to note things like visits, warnings, or other reportable things; for new guys, these notebooks are also helpful to jot down post-game evaluation / feedback notes)
• Challenge Coins (for flipping for Visitor/Home choice on tournaments; very useful, and free advertising)
• Stopwatches (have an "ideal" one picked out via Amazon, WalMart or Target; available for sale at a discount is appreciated)
• Plate Brushes and/or Indicators (touchy subject for some (including me), because while they are valuable to some, they (neither of them) are NOT to be used as a BU, and some PUs (THIS umpire, ahem) don't necessarily need an indicator)
• Water Bottles (can no longer trust or expect the Home team to provide water in this COVID era; can either get them silkscreened with your Association on them, or have a sticker made and put on them)

Lastly, do not let your "senior veteran long-serving umpires" dishearten or discourage any of the new guys by establishing – or even mentioning – that's there some kind of tiered, "pecking order" system in place. This is a clinic to fortify and develop (new) umpires; it's not an initiation into a fraternity. We want to culture that everyone that attends – new guys to veteran guys – should adopt a "get the Rule right" attitude and approach to baseball umpiring. I go so far as to reinforce to my fellow students, colleagues, trainees, and crew members that "we succeed as a crew, and we fail as a crew". That, at each game – whether it be Freshman, JV, Varsity, College, College JV, Adult recreation, or Professional – the umpires are equals, and that there may be a time wherein a "new" umpire rescues the crew by knowing a Rule thoroughly, because he just spent the previous week (re-)studying it, and his partner(s) forgot it after not being confronted with it in the past um-teen years of calling ball.

[BLWizzRanger]

While I can't give you the insight that MadMax did above, something that can be overlooked is the professionalism projection of cleaned equipment. Take 10-15 minutes on how to clean their equipment or prepare for dressing from your trunk - simple, practical things.  I know its not as important in the grand scheme of things and much has a lessor priority at a camp, but it would help them understand that it is important to the chapter and gives the best first impressions.  I actually observed my first two or three partners before I got my routine down.  Maybe common sense to some, but for someone with their head swimming with rules and mechanics for the first few games, knowing what is expected in this manner is important too.  IMHO.

[kylehutson]

Every year, I run a 1-2 hour basic intro clinic for the local rec league. We don't touch rules at all (except for our league exceptions to the rules), but only positioning and more importantly why that positioning is where it is. I cover things like "don't get too close on a force play, but do get close on a tag play" and "on a force play* watch the base, and listen for the pop of the glove", and most importantly "slow down - even when you thing you're taking a long time, you're probably going too fast".

I am also a proponent of https://ump-app.com/ - mostly because they break things up into bite-sized chunks so you're not drinking from the firehose. I know the guy that created it (he's a D1 guy in the area) and he's a quality umpire and instructor.

*for the pedants, "or plays at first"

[SH0102]

Speaking as someone who has seen both, please make sure you run a clinic that actually has the "customers" participating and not just "sitting and getting".

Rather than sitting in a room or bleachers talking about situations and how you would react, where you would line up, why not step on the field or gym floor and run through it?

Line us up, yell out a scenario (deep fly to right, go) and see if we react appropriately.  Can have umpires act as batter and runners (going slowly of course so no one gets hurt) or even just ghost runners and watch how we move, react, look at base touches, etc.

Way better than just talking about it

[MadMax]

2 hours ago, SH0102 said:

Rather than sitting in a room or bleachers talking about situations and how you would react, where you would line up, why not step on the field or gym floor and run through it?

Way better than just talking about it

Ah, I'm reading that you've gone to a "local association" clinic! 

One of the greatest challenges to effective training and instruction is leadership (often defined solely upon years served or operated within the organization) failing to implement and model the substance of the instruction themselves prior to teaching it. You can't possibly teach someone how to do something fairly complex if you yourself can't – or worse, won't – do it. When it comes to these "local association" clinics, if they don't physically demonstrate the prescribed or expected practices, it's likely because the leadership doesn't have it in their repertoire, or they don't understand it themselves. 

The readership here knows my seething, loathing contempt for the (use of the) navy umpire shirt; it's not the shirt itself that is the problem. Instead, it's the stubborn refusal to adapt, adopt, and progress that is symptomatic of this stagnation and inability to incorporate new techniques and practices. 

[Mudisfun]

What level are you talking about? Really new, new umpires who have little to no knowledge of the mechanics, or a more advanced clinic with people who at least know the basics?

I help run our local outreach clinic for our LL district, and don't start snickering... We have retired MLB guys who help run our clinics, and pretty much smoke the field training provided in our HS group as these students want to learn versus have to be there to meet a training hour requirement.

 

Our standard 4 hour clinic: 

Basic 6 - Ball, Strike, Time (all plate stance), Safe, Out, Foul (Hands on knees set, base umpire).

Break into groups of 3, 50 minute cycles:

Angle distance, Soft Toss and Pivot/button hook stations.

Back together at the end, basic 6 once again and then dismissed.

We have 1 lead instructor per station, one voice. The lead runs the evolutions and the other instructors demo and then give one on one feedback as the students run through the exercises.

We train a couple hundred completely novice umpires a year and many of them have moved on to high level HS and College.

And yes, do not let the old crusty guys run it just because they have been there... get motivated and happy instructors. It makes a difference.

 

[zoops]

Thank you for the feedback guys, all of you make good points.  We're in the northern US for whomever asked.