IBUA 1999 Northeast Advanced Umpire Clinic
by Dave Mekelburg AFU #9
Improvement was my goal, when I attended the IBUA 1999 Northeast Advanced Umpire Clinic, held August 21-23 at the Wolf Hill Park, Huntington, N.Y. It was a comprehensive clinic involving all the relevant mechanics needed to successfully work in the standard 2-man system.The clinic was attended by 28 umpires from 3 different states.
The clinic started on a rainy Friday afternoon. After introductory remarks by the IBUA training staff it was time to get to work.
All of the sessions started and ended with line drills. The mark of any good umpire is the basic out and safe call. Repetition is the key. The instructors stressed timing, clarity, and the power of each mechanic to help 'sell' the call.
After being divided up into smaller groups, we started the field drills. My first drill was basic plate mechanics. Plate mechanics is a very personal mechanic with many variations. I use the box. The IBUA training staff helped me correct positioning errors and get a better look at the outside pitch.
My last field session of the day was basic field mechanics concentrating on positioning and foot work. The staff stressed timing and getting the best look possible from all basic situations.
After a short Q/A session and more line drills, day 1 was over and I was looking forward to tomorrow.
Any time I got those 'bang-bang' plays at First base I called 'em out. It made the game shorter.
-TOM GORMAN, Umpire
The clinic started on a rainy Friday afternoon. After introductory remarks by the IBUA training staff it was time to get to work.
All of the sessions started and ended with line drills. The mark of any good umpire is the basic out and safe call. Repetition is the key. The instructors stressed timing, clarity, and the power of each mechanic to help 'sell' the call.
After being divided up into smaller groups, we started the field drills. My first drill was basic plate mechanics. Plate mechanics is a very personal mechanic with many variations. I use the box. The IBUA training staff helped me correct positioning errors and get a better look at the outside pitch.
My last field session of the day was basic field mechanics concentrating on positioning and foot work. The staff stressed timing and getting the best look possible from all basic situations.
After a short Q/A session and more line drills, day 1 was over and I was looking forward to tomorrow.
Any time I got those 'bang-bang' plays at First base I called 'em out. It made the game shorter.
-TOM GORMAN, Umpire
