Softball

4 Habits Softball Umpires Must Have

If you took a poll of coaches and players and asked them to name the skills and habits that are important for an umpire...

Softball Leaders Give Advice on Making the Most of Your Camp Experience

In 2020, many umpires didn’t have the chance to hone their skills and work on new ones developed in the offseason. As a new...

Don’t Take A Pass On Interference Calls

How often have you heard the following called out during your softball officiating career: “Break up the double play,” or “Blue, she’s got to slide!” As an umpire,...

Bunt, Slap and Checked-Swing Quandaries

The photo above provides an interesting conundrum for umpires. While it is just a snapshot, it leads to some intriguing questions and forces us to get into the...

A Pre-Pitch Checklist For Maximum Performance

An old British Army adage known as the “7 P Rule” originated during World War II. The gist of the rule is that proper prior planning prevents poor...

In ‘Crews’ Control

T here is nothing more beautiful in softball umpiring than watching a crew work together to cover the diamond. When it is a well-oiled machine,...

Five Steps Toward Being Truly Great

Let’s assume you are a good umpire, even an exceptional umpire. You do well on association exams and know your mechanics. Nevertheless, do you...

Getting the Ruling Right Isn’t a Travesty

One of the “catch-all” rules in softball refers to “making a travesty of the game.” That was put in place to take care of those players who try...

Does Your Partner Get the ‘Point’?

We often think we are communicating well with our partners, when we really aren’t. Good communication is the key for a successful umpiring team. The...

Know When to Use the ‘Sell’

As novice or veteran umpires, we all look forward to the exciting catch, tag or play at the plate that has us standing in...

In the ‘Try Right Zone’

The plate umpire in fast-pitch softball faces the demanding task of making split-second rulings hundreds of times each game, regardless of the competition level....

Advanced Softball Mechanics

Today’s players are quicker, faster, stronger, smarter, more athletic and better coached. Ask yourself: are our mechanics keeping pace with the rapid development of...

8 Points for Pre-Pitch Planning

With each batter and before every pitch, umpires must do some pre-pitch planning. Where do I go on a hit to the outfield? A hit to...

Moot Button

There’s a nationwide shortage of officials. It’s gotten harder in all sports to get and keep officials, and softball is no exception. Criticism from...

An Inside Job

O ne of the toughest jobs for a softball umpire is ruling on inside pitches. There is a lot happening at once and there are...

Going Out in Style?

More than half of the time while working the bases in fast pitch, you’ll be setting up in position A down the right-field foul...

Tips On Staying Present

As an umpire, even we get nervous once and a while or you start to focus on a previous play. Maybe as the field umpire, your mind...

Be Careful Using Other Sports to Explain Softball Rules

No-calls are common to officiating in all sports. Sometimes it’s advantageous to use examples from other sports to explain softball rules and plays. Unfortunately,...

Atypical Interference

There have been many articles written about interference, but most predominantly cover runner interference. The other acts of interference that may be perpetrated by...

When the Pitcher has Possession and Control in the Circle

In a game I worked last season, there were runners on second and third when the batter hit a little humpback liner over the...

Let’s Go Camping

A s the majority of spring sport seasons never got off the ground, many umpires didn’t have the chance to hone their skills and work...

Flex Your Mental Muscles

"Coach, do you have any changes?” Be honest. How many of you dread asking this question during the pregame conference? We know the most...

Four Tips for One-Umpire Mechanics

It’s not news that budgets for athletic programs, especially in recreation and intramural leagues, have had to be tightened. Often the first items trimmed...