16yr old Umpire in Cali

[UmpireTommy]

Hey all I wanted to introduce myself, I am an umpire in California I’m 16 and I’ve been umpiring little league for 6 years and I just started doing higher levels of travel ball such as five tool and perfect game tournaments. I still play baseball but I love being around the game any way I can. I’d love some advice on how I should manage some of these higher levels games especially when the teams are older than me, although I’ve yet to run into many problems and how I continue to improve my umpiring. Do you recommend clinics, camps, working with veterans, or getting my eyes checked?? 

[SeeingEyeDog]

Welcome to the party, pal. Umpiring is like anything else. You get out of it what you put into it. If you want to get better, listen to and apply the feedback you receive from your veteran partners. At the same time, while The Game has been around 100 years and we try to uniformly umpire it, you are going to encounter variances in style in how certain calls and certain plays are taken and made. In addition to listening to your veteran partners, get one or two local umpire mentors that you trust and bring them your conflicting feedback. As you get some time under you (years) you will begin to know on your own what feedback to apply and which to discard. Always carry a small notebook and pen onto the field. In between innings, write things down to talk with your partner or mentors about. Attend as many camps and clinics as your time, budget and travel will allow. Make sure your assigners know you are going to camp and if you are being evaluated in actual games, make sure your assigners get your evaluations. Your umpiring aspiration should always be to work the highest level of baseball you and your assigners think you are fully capable of handling. For some people, that's 9U. For others...that's MLB. If you are ever unsure of why you are not working better baseball, ask you assigners or your mentors what you need to do to move up to the next level. Then you will have a specific set of goals to achieve to reach that level. Spend time here on Umpire Empire, reading old posts and posting new questions. Get a free YouTube subscription for CloseCallSports to see and hear breakdowns of important baseball plays. The quickest route to moving up...is plate work, specifically your strike zone. Plate work moves us up, base work keeps us up. Finally, never forget umpiring is 5 things: Mechanics, Rules, Game Management, Judgement and Appearance.

~Dawg

P.S. Have goals and things you are working on. During your pre-games, TELL your partner what you are working on. Keep it simple, don't overwhelm yourself. And feel free to ask your partner what THEY are working on. Their answer about what they are working on will tell you a lot about your partner because an umpire who is not working on something, is not improving.

[The Man in Blue]

@SeeingEyeDog gave lots of great information, so I will focus on one specific point you brought up ...

 

17 hours ago, Worlds Worst Umpire said:

 I’d love some advice on how I should manage some of these higher levels games especially when the teams are older than me, although I’ve yet to run into many problems and how I continue to improve my umpiring.

This can be tricky, so here is my best advice: BE PROFESSIONAL.

Dress the part ... make sure your uniforms fit well and look good.  Do NOT wear logos from one org to another org.  This first impression will take you a long way.

Hustle ... get in position, jog from point to point after an out and between innings.  Between innings, jog to your "rest" position if you are in the field.  If you are behind the plate, get to your "rest" position.  Don't go have conversations, don't go talk to the fence.  Show them you are a professional there to do a job, not a kid at a summer gig.

Be an old man.  Exude authority and reinforce that you belong there.  Don't be arrogant, don't be a red @$$ ... be confident.

 

Welcome to the ranks @Worlds Worst Umpire!

 

[concertman1971]

Welcome @Worlds Worst Umpire if you are in Orange County, I highly recommend getting in contact with the guys over at the OCBOA. One of the best (nearly) free training you can get.

[UmpireTommy]

1 hour ago, concertman1971 said:

Welcome @Worlds Worst Umpire if you are in Orange County, I highly recommend getting in contact with the guys over at the OCBOA. One of the best (nearly) free training you can get.

Thanks @concertman1971 they have been so helpful and gotten me some great guys to work with this summer.

[Mudisfun]

Welcome! I am just up the road from you in D62 (Huntington Beach area) who also works games in D68 and in D55.

You mention being 16, so OCBOA will not be an option for you for a couple of years; you have to be 18 to join. However, if you are already working for Scott at BBUA, your already working with a bunch of us from the unit, so you are being exposed to a ton of really good umpires. We have a bunch of D1/D2/D3 guys in our HS unit who work for BBUA, so keep seeking them out 

Locally in D68 you have Jeff DuChateau who not only is a great HS umpire, but who also just worked the LL Intermediate Regionals in Nogales, AZ with me. Awesome guy who lives close to you!

I'm not sure what training D68 does, but our district puts on some really good mechanics training as we get closer to spring. You are more than welcome to jump in. The cost is zero other than your time and energy. We typically have a couple of 4 hour fast start trainings then we have an 8 hour advanced mechanics training, typically in March. You are more than welcome to jump on our message board where we push out dates, discuss LL rules, etc... free to join of course. https://cad62.groups.io/g/main

Feel free to email/message... there are some other assignors I can connect you with to keep you working throughout the winter as well. 

Kevin

cmnllblue@gmail.com

[UmpireTommy]

53 minutes ago, Mudisfun said:

Locally in D68 you have Jeff DuChateau who not only is a great HS umpire, but who also just worked the LL Intermediate Regionals in Nogales, AZ with me. Awesome guy who lives close to you!

I actually just worked with Jeff on the 12U Sectional Semifinal game before he left for the great city of Nogales. He’s a great guy and knows a ton. D68 has some similar training but it never hurts to get some extra work in.