It’s interesting how much of the training is focused on mannerisms and body language, and not just techniques. I give them credit for doing this because someone’s gotta do it.
I just watched this whole video and was acting out the calls as they happened. This is very helpful and a great reminder for techniques, body language and mechanisms.. as a new cadet currently in your training class, I feel very confident going into my first on-field training scrimmage game tomorrow. Baseball has been a passion of mine my whole life and now from playing my whole life to transitioning to umpiring, I take this very seriously and want to achieve at the highest level. I wanted to personally thank you because this has always have been a dream of mine and I could never afford it.. I just got all my umpiring equipment and training for free! And this would not be possible without Protect The Game and TSEUA! Love you guys, can't thank you enough!
John. Not sure you even look at comments anymore, but I am re-watching this and just realized that... as the new uic for the local little league... I've taught a lot of what you're covering in this video and others. I didn't realize just how influential your videos were until now. Thanks! You're helping make future umpires better by sharing. Looking forward to the day we have too many great umpires and not enough games.
As a fellow umpire wit 13 years of experience, it's nice to see stuff like this and as I always tell everyone, If you're not learning something each time you go out or watch a video like this, you're not looking at it from the right perspective. Just a side note and my opinion most of these guys were not working deep enough into the slot positions calling behind the plate and a few strikes where missed. I was taught, it's a strike until it isn't a strike.
There is some really good stuff here and tips and tricks that are really valuable. Stuff I know I could and should bring into my game. The "reading the glove label" is a great trick, I love the leaning on pulled foots, dropped balls, etc. Thanks for this
Great vid with a ton of really great info/training. Great mentors/teachers. I love how you also emphasize that you have to allow the play to develop and by following the ball gives you that. It's like John's partner said you can't anticipate what the call is going to be. Allow the play to develop and then make your call. That is a great sign of a good umpire.
If you can get in with the local high school Umpiring association, many have scholarships to send young guys to umpire school. Keep learning rules and fundamentals, because coaches are hard on you young guys. Don't give them a reason to nitpick your calls by being in the wrong place or making simple mistakes and you'll do great.
I wanna see more of these videos. And Mr. Gallante, it's so nice to see someone put so much emphasis on the little things. Those little things are so important for the big picture, like the gestures for calling plays, the height they are done at, what is said, etc etc.
This is good stuff. I was a catcher and did some umpiring for little league. I love your point about umpire positioning behind the plate at the beginning of the video.
@@wolfman92398 I considered going to the MLB school, and when i spoke to someone at the school, he told me I was too old to have a good chance of getting picked up in the pro system. I was 27 at the time.
What's happening there (IMO of course) is that his brain is in a "rut", where he points a couple times and says "he's out" but then flashes the (wrong) safe mechanic. I would advise him to drop the routine ("point and say "he's out") because it will be difficult to rewire his brain to not come up with that wrong safe mechanic. It's too "wired in" and even if he does retrain that routine you have the problem of it showing up again at the worst possible time (like a championship game). Instead come up with a new routine with a new verbal and physical que for that type of call (the bang bang or whacker) that ends up the correct way.
@John Gallante, great job. I don’t know why it’s been a long time since I was directed to this video. Muscle memory on the indicator, loved it. Nice strike zone reference by other instructor however probably not applicable in youth leagues. I didn’t agree on the pointing with the umpire with the great slot stance. He turned his head for all the strikes. You said to keep all their heads forward. His timing was pretty near perfect. I liked the reference on head height with pool of water. I think I’ll use that with my umpires. Again. Great video John.
Another tip for calling balls and strikes is being Consistent. As long as you are consistent, no one will argue balls and strikes. Another tip, when calling balls and strikes, it depends where the ball crosses the plate and not where it is caught.
The strike calls. I am a point guy, not a hammer guy. Just can't get the hammer to work for me. BUT, I stopped looking to my right when I point because with runners on base, I might miss something. I usually work younger ages (still learning and don't have John to help me). The field ump, IF I HAVE ONE, isn't always so good and so I've trained myself to always observe the field even when calling strikes with no runners on. One more thing. I had to stop punching out batters on strike three. For some reason I would punch out a batter on strike 1 or 2 at least once a game. I don't know why? Maybe after more experience I'll stop f'ing up, but until then, I'm not doing the "punch out." It's embarrassing as hell to do it at the wrong time!
I wish I had a class like this here in PA. I just started into Umpiring. I used to play ball so I'm at least familiar with calls, but the patience and timing is something I'm working on.
@JohnGallante where would I have to go to get some good training. Let me know, I have no problem traveling, and I want to be the best I can be no matter what level I'm at in my umpiring career.
A good rule of thumb is to give the Pitcher strikes on the Corners and either the Bottom or the Top of the zone. I am not giving the Pitcher all quadrants of the zone.
I'll start by giving umpire's credit for the headache they take on, I'll end by saying this is a cool training video would be alot better if even half of these guys applied 50% of this knowledge during an actual game.
There’s a certain confidence an umpire brings out. Most of these guys don’t have it. When you play a certain high level of ball as I have, they look like little umpires at best. Always room for improvement. How do I get started so I’m giving these kids a fair game?
Few issues here, speaking as a career Catcher: The strike zone is BATTER specific...mid torso to bottom of knee during the swing. Where the catcher's glove is when the ball is caught is irrelivent. The catcher is about 5-6 feet from the start of the plate which give the ball plenty of room to drop. Where the ball crosses the zone of the front plate is the strike zone. Think of a 'K zone' graphic from TV at the front of the plate. If a 5" break curve ball breaks that zone in the lower side, the ball is caught outside the zone. Also, a mature catcher that knows how to frame a pitch is going to make the umpire look stupid once he realizes that the ump is only calling balls and strikes off his glove. The catcher becomes the umpire. I use a well broke in glove and catch balls in my palm, which steals 6-8 inches. With a good base, the catcher can sway in and out 6-8 inches to make it look like the ball hits its target. In a nutshell, the umpire should be watching the ball cross the zone in accordance with the batter.
Who said in any of this video that we should only call balls and strikes based off of the catchers glove? We HAVE said it is a reference that all umpires should use.
@@JohnGallante It was towards the beginning where he talked about the umpire being blocked by the catchers helmet. He placed the catchers glove below the zone and asked if the ump could see it
@@JohnGallante ...crossing the plate? As I said, I wouldn't care where the glove is, as long as you can see the plane of the plate and the batter. If you're judging balls and strikes from the catchers glove, the catcher is the umpire.
I just finished reading all of the comments. John, you have a lot of patience. I would have used the word “idiot” about 25 times in my replies and have told that “catcher” that he needs to stick to catching, he has no clue.
I appreciate the kind words. Just not worth getting worked up over, especially when most of the negative and outrageous comments come from a place of ignorance.
We need more people like John Gallante in the MLB and less people like Angel Hernandez and Joe West. In fact I would highly recommend all umpires everywhere get trained by this guy. He’s a genius.
@@JohnGallante Question..I had a first basemen years ago that liked to run the ball in on 3rd out before the ump made the call..Even if its obvious, I told him not to do that before the call.. ..Do umps get pissed if the kid does that?..I never had one say anything to me..
@@wndowpayne Good question. We look for voluntary release or firm and secure possession. If we have a first baseman running into the dug out with the ball, I would consider that firm and secure possession. So we would follow the ball off the bag with our eyes and call the out when we determine we have sufficient evidence of firm and secure possession.
@@JohnGallante Thanks for the reply..I always worried about an ump feeling " shown up" by a kid doing that and waited for one to say " hey man, let me make the call"..
These guys are doing a great job instructing. Timing is not about when you make the call. It's about when you MAKE UP YOUR MIND whether it was a ball or a strike. The terminology can be misleading if you don't know what they mean by timing or calling a pitch too quick. And trust me on this, you can watch the ball all the way into the mitt and still be making up your mind when the ball is in front of the plate, not in the catcher's mitt. And not even realize you are doing this. I know it sounds strange but if you find yourself inconsistent on close pitches and you are watching the ball all the way into the mitt, even so much so that you can replay the pitch in your mind all the way into the mitt, consider that, Subconsciously. you May be calling the pitch (making up your mind) before the ball reaches the plate. Easier to do than you think. Not a fun experience! This happened twice last year in two of my games. It took me a couple of days to figure out that is what I was doing. Two games in early June 2023, June 7th and June 8th. And I had a pretty damned good strike zone last year. Did well over 100 plates last year out of 206 games.
Softball pu only goes to third for lead runner on balls to outfield or plays other than first play on the infield (3man). Only time this really happens is on a base hit with a runner on first only.
I was told if the Catcher frames it, it’s not a Strike. I determine a ball and Strike where the ball Crosses the plate. That’s how balls and Strikes are called is when the ball crosses the plate
I was calling 17u at perfect game years ago. After a foulball I couldn't get my mask on fast enough to get set to call play before he was already in the windup to pitch. After the 3rd time it happened, I called time in his windup because I was not even behind the catcher to even call play.
I disagree with that statement about the plate guy going up the third base. In a two man system, the plate guy will usually go up to cover third base especially with a runner on first. I always cover third as the plate guy.
I personally give the count a Little bit higher above my shoulders because I am not a tall guy. I am 5’4”. which means I need to give the count a little higher than most guys.
i wonder why he liked the umpire at 3:20 if he just said lets keep our head forward. that's just his normal strike call and hes completely turning his head. clean umpire though, i like his calls too.
Something has to be done about the umpiring at home plate. There are literally hundreds of bad calls made on balls and strikes that affect the outcome of the season. I don’t think automation is the answer but I definitely believe that umpires need better tools to be able to do their jobs. MLB has the money and the technology exists for something better. Augmented reality glasses comes to mind.
For most levels beyond high school, yes. And even for HS, you're "trying out" while working subvarsity and non-district games. Think about what people WANT to do. No one WANTS to do little league baseball or low-level JV. People WANT playoff assignments, they WANT big games, they WANT to be in the MLB. For all of that, yes, you have to try out
You can’t really always use the catchers body to dictate your strike zone. I see a ton of high school catchers moving significantly (feet pretty much straddling either corner of the plate) to set up location for their pitcher. If catcher is set up outside on a right handed batter and the ball is on the catchers right shoulder it is far from the strike zone.
May not be in the video, but we cover this. Obviously if the catcher set up on the outside corner, your reference points for in and out will change. However, up and down will not change unless the catcher stands up or goes down to a knee. As we said in the video, this is not a hard and fast way to call balls and strikes. It is a reference to use to avoid egregious misses by an amateur umpire.
Respectfully, I disagree that a 2-man mechanic of PU covering 3B being a "softball mechanic". Your mechanics are whatever you and your partner have agreed upon during your pre-game meeting before you take the field as a 2-man crew. "Man on first, one out...what are we doing? Men on first and second, one out...what are we doing?" and so on... There is no right or wrong way here on coverage. It's whatever you agree upon...Thank you very much for sharing this, Mr. Gallante.
Robert, thanks for the comment. The PU covering third base mechanic we were referring to was with no one on base, base umpire in A position. In this case, the batter hits a triple, the base umpire should take the runner all the way to third base. Making the plate umpire take the batter runner in to third base on a triple with no one on is a softball mechanic.
12:55 and 14:10 you mention voluntary release. That is a requirement for a catch, not the type of play (by pure definition, tag play) shown here at first base. Great stuff, though.
I think we should stick with voluntary release on tag plays as well. We need to see and confirm firm and secure possession of the baseball before calling outs. Thanks for watching, Jeff.
Could I please get some help with a rule....no out and a runner on first..the batter hits the ball over the fence and. And makes contact and passes the runner....I called the batter out and allowed the runner on base to score....ASA slow pitch....thanks
So, no reply to this? Not saying I know softball, but in baseball, if the following runner (in this case, the guy who hit the home run) passes the lead runner, he is out. I had a friend need to deal with this when the lead runner arrived at home plate, BUT never touched home plate nor passed it. Just stopped a couple feet before reaching home and stood cheering his team mate. Once the following runner "scored" the umpire friend of mine called him out. Inning over as there were two outs. NO RUNS SCORED. FYI, get ready for ejections! LOL
I have only umpired at the major little league level (and some high school preseason when there weren't other umpires) without training. I would track the pitch only to the plate so the glove placement didn't fool me (believe it or not, some of these middle school catchers were doing it), especially the high school games. Is that wrong? I put my head at the top of the batters strike zone and in the batters pocket (whichever side the batter is on is the side of the catcher I am on. People take the ball coming out way too seriously. I have done that once in a real game and I just corrected it and no one really cared. Definitely should try to avoid it though.
When I umpired the strikezone was determined by the front leg of the batter it may have changed since then... So the catcher doesn't have a thing to do with whether or not it is a strike i.m.o.
John Gallante forgive me if I’m not getting the point of these tryouts but shouldn’t being a trained umpire be a requirement to try out? I apologize if that’s a stupid question haha I’m just having trouble understanding
@@ryanstreit3632 if you ever tried to find umpires for an entire little league season, you'd understand why so many guys that dont belong on a field are out there. Sometimes, you just have to take what you can get so that you get a game covered. The higher level you go, the more training you get.
@@ryanstreit3632 you dont need official training. If you know what your doing you can be an ump. these tryouts are for the premier games of this umpire association. If the umpires dont show they have what it takes, they wont be assigned to ump premier high level games.
I appreciate the heck out of this video, but it advocates selling calls way too often. Maybe it's an east coast thing (we tend to be a bit more reserved out here), but the trainer I work with (former MiLB guy) stresses that you should save the sell for when you really need to sell something. Quiet confidence can be just as effective as being demonstrative. If you sell everything, then it means nothing when you really need to sell it. Only point and verbalize in specific situations, and even then only when it will help clarify what just happened. Examples: 1) a pulled foot (call safe, then signal the pulled foot); 2) a *normal* tag (never a missed tag) in something like a rundown situation where the fielders may need to be assured that they got the out and can focus on any other play that may be developing if need be; 3) a swipe tag, where you point at the fielder until you can determine whether he had possession of the ball, then signal safe or out (and only verbalize the reason on a safe call where the runner would likely have been out if the fielder had possession of the ball). The closer the play, the more demonstrative you get. A pulled foot on a bad throw that would have beat the runner by a step doesn't need much emphasis, if it needs any at all. Everybody saw it by that point. On a play where they had the runner if not for the pulled foot, that's where you get loud and expressive. Save the big sales (usually on an out) for the bang-bang plays, because that explosion of energy is almost like violence of force. It overwhelms them and they may not be quite sure how to react, and by then you're gone. Speaking of, I do like how they tell you not to hang around after a play. That's another way to sell, especially on an out call. (You may have to hang out on a safe call to make sure the runner doesn't come off the bag and get tagged or something.) Call him out and get out of there back to wherever you need to be according to the mechanics. You don't need to hang out and stare at the base. You saw it, you got the call right, see ya later. Anyway, thanks for reading my book.
It’s interesting how much of the training is focused on mannerisms and body language, and not just techniques. I give them credit for doing this because someone’s gotta do it.
All of a sudden I think it would be fun and very interesting to go to umpire school lol.
do it
I've been, and it's great
I’ve been to one, it’s hard work and grueling, but well worth it
I was thinking the same thing.
I just watched this whole video and was acting out the calls as they happened. This is very helpful and a great reminder for techniques, body language and mechanisms.. as a new cadet currently in your training class, I feel very confident going into my first on-field training scrimmage game tomorrow. Baseball has been a passion of mine my whole life and now from playing my whole life to transitioning to umpiring, I take this very seriously and want to achieve at the highest level. I wanted to personally thank you because this has always have been a dream of mine and I could never afford it.. I just got all my umpiring equipment and training for free! And this would not be possible without Protect The Game and TSEUA! Love you guys, can't thank you enough!
John. Not sure you even look at comments anymore, but I am re-watching this and just realized that... as the new uic for the local little league... I've taught a lot of what you're covering in this video and others. I didn't realize just how influential your videos were until now. Thanks! You're helping make future umpires better by sharing. Looking forward to the day we have too many great umpires and not enough games.
Thanks Marvin. I'm glad it is helping others. Always appreciate your support
These are some great tips, I'll have to implement them into my games this season
Thanks Dante! Im glad it helped!
I agree. The positions and talk about the tracking confirmed I am close but not there yet.
Appreciate you Blue!
As a fellow umpire wit 13 years of experience, it's nice to see stuff like this and as I always tell everyone, If you're not learning something each time you go out or watch a video like this, you're not looking at it from the right perspective. Just a side note and my opinion most of these guys were not working deep enough into the slot positions calling behind the plate and a few strikes where missed. I was taught, it's a strike until it isn't a strike.
I think the umpires I had this weekend need to go here.
There is some really good stuff here and tips and tricks that are really valuable. Stuff I know I could and should bring into my game. The "reading the glove label" is a great trick, I love the leaning on pulled foots, dropped balls, etc. Thanks for this
Thanks for watching! Glad it helped
Great vid with a ton of really great info/training. Great mentors/teachers. I love how you also emphasize that you have to allow the play to develop and by following the ball gives you that. It's like John's partner said you can't anticipate what the call is going to be. Allow the play to develop and then make your call. That is a great sign of a good umpire.
Thank you! Appreciate it very much
I feel like Bill is Angel Hernandez in disguise
I've been umping for 2 years and I'm only 19, I hope to be here one day and go beyond this
Keep focused, keep learning, you never know
If you can get in with the local high school Umpiring association, many have scholarships to send young guys to umpire school. Keep learning rules and fundamentals, because coaches are hard on you young guys. Don't give them a reason to nitpick your calls by being in the wrong place or making simple mistakes and you'll do great.
So glad RUclips recommended this to me. Really easy to watch, informative, entertaining. Thanks!
Really great video. Always great learning learning learning. The little things matter great observation of clinician.
Thanks Damien! Glad you got something out of it
I wanna see more of these videos. And Mr. Gallante, it's so nice to see someone put so much emphasis on the little things. Those little things are so important for the big picture, like the gestures for calling plays, the height they are done at, what is said, etc etc.
Thank you! I appreciate your support
John now that no games due to virus I’m glad this video still here to reuse and refresh
This is good stuff. I was a catcher and did some umpiring for little league. I love your point about umpire positioning behind the plate at the beginning of the video.
Thanks man! Appreciate it
@@JohnGallante What's the youngest umpire you have seen come through your system? I'm 21 and i would love the chance to do something like this haha
@@wolfman92398 I considered going to the MLB school, and when i spoke to someone at the school, he told me I was too old to have a good chance of getting picked up in the pro system. I was 27 at the time.
Nice video. Great training.
Good that the instructors are dress appropriately in this session unlike others with a hoodie and board shorts.
23:15 that guy was too funny. At least he could laugh about it.
What's happening there (IMO of course) is that his brain is in a "rut", where he points a couple times and says "he's out" but then flashes the (wrong) safe mechanic. I would advise him to drop the routine ("point and say "he's out") because it will be difficult to rewire his brain to not come up with that wrong safe mechanic. It's too "wired in" and even if he does retrain that routine you have the problem of it showing up again at the worst possible time (like a championship game). Instead come up with a new routine with a new verbal and physical que for that type of call (the bang bang or whacker) that ends up the correct way.
he reminds me of Bartolo Colón
thats what i was thinking XD
Man at 11:10 that pitch looked like a strike and he called it a ball and then the very next pitch was low and he called it a strike. 😂
@John Gallante, great job. I don’t know why it’s been a long time since I was directed to this video. Muscle memory on the indicator, loved it. Nice strike zone reference by other instructor however probably not applicable in youth leagues. I didn’t agree on the pointing with the umpire with the great slot stance. He turned his head for all the strikes. You said to keep all their heads forward. His timing was pretty near perfect. I liked the reference on head height with pool of water. I think I’ll use that with my umpires. Again. Great video John.
exactly
5:41 great discussion on framing the strike zone
How did i end up here?
Ant Dollas agreed. It’s 11:20 at night and I’ve suddenly watched 2 umpire videos now
Ken Gibson somehow I’m in the same situation?😅
Man o man. I went from Shark Tank pitches to a Mike Scoscia-Frank Robinson argument to here. A long and winding road.
And I watched the whole thing!
Man, there's definitely a prevalent body type for umpires...
Not everyone that loves the sport is athletic enough to play it I suppose.
let see you do better
@@crazyzippyfumblefish thats pretty much every first or third baseman. Mostly first tho
It's called, "I really like baseball but the window for playing has passed so I'll umpire instead."
How old to attend the camp?
I umpire little league. This was a helpful watch before play offs start
What happened? Would love to see you guys back again.
I have high expectations for umps now
Fascinated by this stuff. And from a fellow Tartan no less! (I graduated in 09).
Thanks Chuck!
John,
Love the info on your videos, you really know your shit. I feel like I should have to pay to watch these!
Another tip for calling balls and strikes is being Consistent. As long as you are consistent, no one will argue balls and strikes. Another tip, when calling balls and strikes, it depends where the ball crosses the plate and not where it is caught.
Love the videos man, never umper a baseball game but I reffed hockey for a short time.. Lots of similar techniques.
The strike calls. I am a point guy, not a hammer guy. Just can't get the hammer to work for me. BUT, I stopped looking to my right when I point because with runners on base, I might miss something. I usually work younger ages (still learning and don't have John to help me). The field ump, IF I HAVE ONE, isn't always so good and so I've trained myself to always observe the field even when calling strikes with no runners on. One more thing. I had to stop punching out batters on strike three. For some reason I would punch out a batter on strike 1 or 2 at least once a game. I don't know why? Maybe after more experience I'll stop f'ing up, but until then, I'm not doing the "punch out." It's embarrassing as hell to do it at the wrong time!
I wish I had a class like this here in PA. I just started into Umpiring. I used to play ball so I'm at least familiar with calls, but the patience and timing is something I'm working on.
Where in Pennsylvania?
@@JohnGallante Somerset County South Western part of the state
@@the.tricky.outdoorsman ahhh that's tough. a bit out of our range
@JohnGallante where would I have to go to get some good training. Let me know, I have no problem traveling, and I want to be the best I can be no matter what level I'm at in my umpiring career.
A good rule of thumb is to give the Pitcher strikes on the Corners and either the Bottom or the Top of the zone. I am not giving the Pitcher all quadrants of the zone.
Wow this video I had a better understanding of umpires. I like the criticism he gives
This was some really good stuff...
Thanks Henry!
@@JohnGallante I plan on passing this vid to the instructional chairperson for the HS association I am part of. I really enjoyed watching it!!!
On a Punch out, always keep your head down. I always keep my head down on a Punch out especially on a Play at the Plate.
John is awesome, spot on with everything
Thanks Matt
Its good to see someone holding these umpires accountable.
One thing I will say, I always tell my base guys that I will get calls at third base. It’s a Common 2-Man Crew Mechanic
3:44 Tom Hallion strike three call?
I'll start by giving umpire's credit for the headache they take on, I'll end by saying this is a cool training video would be alot better if even half of these guys applied 50% of this knowledge during an actual game.
John great video!!
So...this is where my chapter got most of their teachings
This is great stuff. Thanks for posting!
There’s a certain confidence an umpire brings out. Most of these guys don’t have it. When you play a certain high level of ball as I have, they look like little umpires at best. Always room for improvement. How do I get started so I’m giving these kids a fair game?
Few issues here, speaking as a career Catcher: The strike zone is BATTER specific...mid torso to bottom of knee during the swing. Where the catcher's glove is when the ball is caught is irrelivent. The catcher is about 5-6 feet from the start of the plate which give the ball plenty of room to drop. Where the ball crosses the zone of the front plate is the strike zone. Think of a 'K zone' graphic from TV at the front of the plate. If a 5" break curve ball breaks that zone in the lower side, the ball is caught outside the zone. Also, a mature catcher that knows how to frame a pitch is going to make the umpire look stupid once he realizes that the ump is only calling balls and strikes off his glove. The catcher becomes the umpire. I use a well broke in glove and catch balls in my palm, which steals 6-8 inches. With a good base, the catcher can sway in and out 6-8 inches to make it look like the ball hits its target. In a nutshell, the umpire should be watching the ball cross the zone in accordance with the batter.
Who said in any of this video that we should only call balls and strikes based off of the catchers glove? We HAVE said it is a reference that all umpires should use.
@@JohnGallante It was towards the beginning where he talked about the umpire being blocked by the catchers helmet. He placed the catchers glove below the zone and asked if the ump could see it
@@Antisober14 If you can't see the catchers glove hand, you probably can't see the ball either.
@@JohnGallante ...crossing the plate? As I said, I wouldn't care where the glove is, as long as you can see the plane of the plate and the batter. If you're judging balls and strikes from the catchers glove, the catcher is the umpire.
We'd have to buy a round for the crew and any other umpire who saw us make a double call. You learned quickly, or went broke quickly.
Good stuff John.
Appreciate your support!
I just finished reading all of the comments. John, you have a lot of patience. I would have used the word “idiot” about 25 times in my replies and have told that “catcher” that he needs to stick to catching, he has no clue.
I appreciate the kind words. Just not worth getting worked up over, especially when most of the negative and outrageous comments come from a place of ignorance.
We need more people like John Gallante in the MLB and less people like Angel Hernandez and Joe West. In fact I would highly recommend all umpires everywhere get trained by this guy. He’s a genius.
Joe West is one of the greatest umpires of all-time. Shows how much you know.
Guy knows his stuff
Thanks man! Appreciate it
@@JohnGallante Question..I had a first basemen years ago that liked to run the ball in on 3rd out before the ump made the call..Even if its obvious, I told him not to do that before the call.. ..Do umps get pissed if the kid does that?..I never had one say anything to me..
@@wndowpayne Good question. We look for voluntary release or firm and secure possession. If we have a first baseman running into the dug out with the ball, I would consider that firm and secure possession. So we would follow the ball off the bag with our eyes and call the out when we determine we have sufficient evidence of firm and secure possession.
@@JohnGallante Thanks for the reply..I always worried about an ump feeling " shown up" by a kid doing that and waited for one to say " hey man, let me make the call"..
@@wndowpayne Anytime. If you have an umpire feeling shown up for that, he probably shouldn't be umpiring. Just part of the game.
Crazy how I work for perfect game without going through this 😂
I was wondering where Tai Lopez was...
These guys are doing a great job instructing.
Timing is not about when you make the call. It's about when you MAKE UP YOUR MIND whether it was a ball or a strike. The terminology can be misleading if you don't know what they mean by timing or calling a pitch too quick.
And trust me on this, you can watch the ball all the way into the mitt and still be making up your mind when the ball is in front of the plate, not in the catcher's mitt. And not even realize you are doing this.
I know it sounds strange but if you find yourself inconsistent on close pitches and you are watching the ball all the way into the mitt, even so much so that you can replay the pitch in your mind all the way into the mitt, consider that, Subconsciously. you May be calling the pitch (making up your mind) before the ball reaches the plate. Easier to do than you think. Not a fun experience!
This happened twice last year in two of my games. It took me a couple of days to figure out that is what I was doing. Two games in early June 2023, June 7th and June 8th. And I had a pretty damned good strike zone last year. Did well over 100 plates last year out of 206 games.
And somehow we have an Angel Hernandez in MLB
Softball pu only goes to third for lead runner on balls to outfield or plays other than first play on the infield (3man). Only time this really happens is on a base hit with a runner on first only.
I was just wondering what I needed to get into one of these school
Experience and just applying but a lot of these schools are mainly just open to anyone for like 10-200 dollars.
Is that Ruxin from The League doing all the talking, I kept waiting for Rafi to pop out from behind one of those masks?
I was told if the Catcher frames it, it’s not a Strike. I determine a ball and Strike where the ball Crosses the plate. That’s how balls and Strikes are called is when the ball crosses the plate
do you have to be high school certified to do this try out? i have little league experience and have done hs games but don’t have the certification
You do not need to be high school certified to try out
I was calling 17u at perfect game years ago. After a foulball I couldn't get my mask on fast enough to get set to call play before he was already in the windup to pitch. After the 3rd time it happened, I called time in his windup because I was not even behind the catcher to even call play.
One more comment. Balls and Strikes are determined where the ball crosses the plate not where the catcher catches it.
Excellent training tools, would love to meet up with you sometime and talk umpiring!
Thanks Bill! Appreciate it
He held! He held! Safe!!!!
joe west should take this course
Me and my partner are not your typical looking umpire. Def most athletic crew you will see out there.
I disagree with that statement about the plate guy going up the third base. In a two man system, the plate guy will usually go up to cover third base especially with a runner on first. I always cover third as the plate guy.
“BALL FOUR!!!!!”
HoLy ShiT
I personally give the count a Little bit higher above my shoulders because I am not a tall guy. I am 5’4”. which means I need to give the count a little higher than most guys.
How did angel hernandez pass one of these
I used to practice at this facility
Where is this
James Schleis bridgewater nj it says it in the beginning
I play for them
Nice
i wonder why he liked the umpire at 3:20 if he just said lets keep our head forward. that's just his normal strike call and hes completely turning his head. clean umpire though, i like his calls too.
Where y’alls associations located at ? And when is the next clinic ?
Something has to be done about the umpiring at home plate. There are literally hundreds of bad calls made on balls and strikes that affect the outcome of the season. I don’t think automation is the answer but I definitely believe that umpires need better tools to be able to do their jobs. MLB has the money and the technology exists for something better. Augmented reality glasses comes to mind.
MLB umpires are averaging around 97% and climbing.
hbk314 www.google.com/amp/s/www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/guid/17255752-5A16-11E9-BFCF-FC5051E36806
What an interesting video to past that tangent on.
@@Jameswilllee That study is flawed. Any pitch within 1.47 inches of the zone would be incorrectly considered to be a ball.
COME ON BLUE! HORRIBLE CALL!
Do you guys do showcases in NorCal? And how do i get on to the roster for umpires. I’ve done a couple of your tournaments through NCTB.
I would like to tryout!
You have to try out to be an umpire?
For our organization, yes.
@@JohnGallante I see
For most levels beyond high school, yes. And even for HS, you're "trying out" while working subvarsity and non-district games. Think about what people WANT to do. No one WANTS to do little league baseball or low-level JV. People WANT playoff assignments, they WANT big games, they WANT to be in the MLB. For all of that, yes, you have to try out
Yes Hs In ny, we use scrimmage to determine our level.
Just curious... Is the instructor a former MLB umpire? Is the instructor a former MiLB umpire? I like the instruction, just curious.
Call me crazy but is there not something extremely creepy about like... too many umpires?
Where do you guys hold your clinics?
All over the NY/NJ/PA metro areas
You can’t really always use the catchers body to dictate your strike zone. I see a ton of high school catchers moving significantly (feet pretty much straddling either corner of the plate) to set up location for their pitcher. If catcher is set up outside on a right handed batter and the ball is on the catchers right shoulder it is far from the strike zone.
May not be in the video, but we cover this. Obviously if the catcher set up on the outside corner, your reference points for in and out will change. However, up and down will not change unless the catcher stands up or goes down to a knee. As we said in the video, this is not a hard and fast way to call balls and strikes. It is a reference to use to avoid egregious misses by an amateur umpire.
@@JohnGallante sorry I missed it, great point.
This is actually really informal
Respectfully, I disagree that a 2-man mechanic of PU covering 3B being a "softball mechanic". Your mechanics are whatever you and your partner have agreed upon during your pre-game meeting before you take the field as a 2-man crew. "Man on first, one out...what are we doing? Men on first and second, one out...what are we doing?" and so on... There is no right or wrong way here on coverage. It's whatever you agree upon...Thank you very much for sharing this, Mr. Gallante.
Robert, thanks for the comment. The PU covering third base mechanic we were referring to was with no one on base, base umpire in A position. In this case, the batter hits a triple, the base umpire should take the runner all the way to third base. Making the plate umpire take the batter runner in to third base on a triple with no one on is a softball mechanic.
I apologize Mr. Gallante. I didn't get that context. Yes, that is not done in our game...keep up the good work here.
12:55 and 14:10 you mention voluntary release. That is a requirement for a catch, not the type of play (by pure definition, tag play) shown here at first base. Great stuff, though.
I think we should stick with voluntary release on tag plays as well. We need to see and confirm firm and secure possession of the baseball before calling outs. Thanks for watching, Jeff.
Yeah, too many times umpires are staring at the runner and doing a punch out while the ball is rolling in the dirt near the fielder.
17:33 that umpire was godly at slowpitch
Do they practice being blind?
The gray haired man missed every call 🤣🤣🤣
Zoned bridgewater lol i live right there
Could I please get some help with a rule....no out and a runner on first..the batter hits the ball over the fence and. And makes contact and passes the runner....I called the batter out and allowed the runner on base to score....ASA slow pitch....thanks
So, no reply to this? Not saying I know softball, but in baseball, if the following runner (in this case, the guy who hit the home run) passes the lead runner, he is out. I had a friend need to deal with this when the lead runner arrived at home plate, BUT never touched home plate nor passed it. Just stopped a couple feet before reaching home and stood cheering his team mate. Once the following runner "scored" the umpire friend of mine called him out. Inning over as there were two outs. NO RUNS SCORED.
FYI, get ready for ejections! LOL
I have only umpired at the major little league level (and some high school preseason when there weren't other umpires) without training.
I would track the pitch only to the plate so the glove placement didn't fool me (believe it or not, some of these middle school catchers were doing it), especially the high school games. Is that wrong?
I put my head at the top of the batters strike zone and in the batters pocket (whichever side the batter is on is the side of the catcher I am on.
People take the ball coming out way too seriously. I have done that once in a real game and I just corrected it and no one really cared. Definitely should try to avoid it though.
When I umpired the strikezone was determined by the front leg of the batter it may have changed since then... So the catcher doesn't have a thing to do with whether or not it is a strike i.m.o.
Mike Murphy - I agree. You can have a 5ft tall batter then a 7 ft tall batter. Obviously their chest and knees will be at different levels.
11:30 strike? Strike?!
To avoid teaching more than coaching, shouldn’t umpires go through this type of training before they’re allowed to officiate games?
In a perfect world, yes. But we get umpires trying out that have never been trained, so we teach them.
John Gallante forgive me if I’m not getting the point of these tryouts but shouldn’t being a trained umpire be a requirement to try out? I apologize if that’s a stupid question haha I’m just having trouble understanding
@@ryanstreit3632 if you ever tried to find umpires for an entire little league season, you'd understand why so many guys that dont belong on a field are out there. Sometimes, you just have to take what you can get so that you get a game covered. The higher level you go, the more training you get.
@@ryanstreit3632 you dont need official training. If you know what your doing you can be an ump. these tryouts are for the premier games of this umpire association. If the umpires dont show they have what it takes, they wont be assigned to ump premier high level games.
John why dont you do it and show them?
Its supposed to be a try out, not a clinic.
Angel Hernandez needs a couple weeks
4:54 That's a strike
Hahaha so
Douchey yet damn great
The old guy blew at least 4 calls
I appreciate the heck out of this video, but it advocates selling calls way too often. Maybe it's an east coast thing (we tend to be a bit more reserved out here), but the trainer I work with (former MiLB guy) stresses that you should save the sell for when you really need to sell something. Quiet confidence can be just as effective as being demonstrative. If you sell everything, then it means nothing when you really need to sell it.
Only point and verbalize in specific situations, and even then only when it will help clarify what just happened. Examples: 1) a pulled foot (call safe, then signal the pulled foot); 2) a *normal* tag (never a missed tag) in something like a rundown situation where the fielders may need to be assured that they got the out and can focus on any other play that may be developing if need be; 3) a swipe tag, where you point at the fielder until you can determine whether he had possession of the ball, then signal safe or out (and only verbalize the reason on a safe call where the runner would likely have been out if the fielder had possession of the ball).
The closer the play, the more demonstrative you get. A pulled foot on a bad throw that would have beat the runner by a step doesn't need much emphasis, if it needs any at all. Everybody saw it by that point. On a play where they had the runner if not for the pulled foot, that's where you get loud and expressive.
Save the big sales (usually on an out) for the bang-bang plays, because that explosion of energy is almost like violence of force. It overwhelms them and they may not be quite sure how to react, and by then you're gone.
Speaking of, I do like how they tell you not to hang around after a play. That's another way to sell, especially on an out call. (You may have to hang out on a safe call to make sure the runner doesn't come off the bag and get tagged or something.) Call him out and get out of there back to wherever you need to be according to the mechanics. You don't need to hang out and stare at the base. You saw it, you got the call right, see ya later.
Anyway, thanks for reading my book.