I get to see a lot of video that is shot from this angle. This particular video was the scouting video for this pitcher. When I saw it I realized how valuable it was as a training tool. I was, honestly, stunned by the head movement of the Umpire. Considering this was in a college game I was really surprised because the NCAA Evaluation form for Umpires has “Stability of Head and Body Position” as its very 1st area for an evaluator to review. An umpire can be ranked from 1-5:
1 – Unacceptable
2 – Below Standard
3 – Meets Standard
4 – Above Standard
5 – Oustanding
If you were evaluating this umpire what score would you offer?
And if you’ve ever had your partner mention to you that your head is dipping, THIS is what they mean and YES it is very noticeable to Mom and Dad sitting in the bleachers.
I think head stability is critical. How do you convince a new umpire that head stability is important especially when you see them drifting and dipping like the guy in the video. It is so critical to minimize head movement so that we don’t miss the border pitches. Anybody can get the ones down the middle at the belt.
I think one thing which could help is the umpire have a physical locking mechanism. I notice it is not only the head but his entire body positioning which is moving. Use his arms to lock in.
Another thing I think the umpire should consider is his set up. In my opinion he is bent too far over at the waist leaning forward rather than adjusting his height by the width of his stance and his squat.
Agree completely with you Warren — he doesn’t get ‘locked in’ at all — and that’s a major contributing factor to his head height inconsistency. In my opinion, that is …
I give him a well deserved 1. He tries to lock in. His arms go from almost straight to very bent, and that’s where he starts to really dip. The other thing I tell guys in my group is don’t touch the catcher. He seems like he is reaching out for the catcher, and I don’t know if he is actually touching him, but I think that this just shows little confidence in your set up when you are reaching out with your right hand for spacing…My opinion only!!