Softball

Softball

Handling Tough Situations on Difficult Pitches

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

Obstruction Deduction

Umpires are tasked with making thousands of split-second decisions over the course of their careers. Some of those calls are obvious, while others aren’t...

Tips for Working With Catchers

One of the attributes of a successful plate umpire is the ability to work with catchers. The catcher is a major factor in a...

They’re Counting on It

One of the most important jobs for softball umpires is game management. And one of the most overlooked aspects of game management is giving...

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...

Talk the Talk

F or umpires, one of the most important skills is game management. And perhaps the most important skill when it comes to being a good...

When Two Umpires Converge on the Same Base

Many of us who have been umpiring for a number of years have seen the situation in which one umpire is dutifully making his...

First Base Barricade

Obstruction is a common occurrence in softball. It happens most often at home plate as catchers try to prevent a runner from scoring. However,...

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...

Step On the Field and Handle Your Business Like a Boss

A fellow brother in blue, who passed away much too soon, had a mantra he used both in life and on the field. That mantra...

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...

It’s in the Bag

Is your softball bag or automobile trunk of gear packed for the season ahead? If so, are items easy to locate? It can be...

Preventing Umpire Interference

The umpiring crew must be sure the playing field and other conditions are safe to start the game and all conditions remain safe throughout...

6 Tips to Improve Your Plate Performance

Everyone wants to be known as a good plate umpire. When coaches think about preferred and non-preferred lists of umpires for postseason playoffs, they...

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,...

Step-By-Step Focus

The pause, read and react technique has been used for many years. Some associations call that process, wait, interpret, choose. Others coin it, read,...

Catch to Dropped Ball

Fielders can often appear to make excellent diving catches, but the calling umpire for the play must have patience in that situation before declaring...

Rules Take Many Arguments Out of the Game

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...

The “No Nonsense” Umpire

Am I a good umpire?” Umpires should ask themselves that question (and answer it honestly) every so often. I like to think my long umpiring...

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...

Making Amends After a Blown Call

It’s a terrible feeling. You’ve blown a call. You know it. Your partner may or may not know it. What’s worse, the blown call...

Keep Watch on Baserunners Abandoning Their Base

Webster’s defines abandonment as “to leave or forsake completely; to give up possession or control of or to give up, discontinue or withdraw from.”...

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...

Strike First With Slow-Pitch Pitchers

One topic that garners a lot of discussion among baseball umpires is whether or not you should describe pitches for pitchers. That discussion also depends a great deal...

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