It is the only occupation where a man has to be perfect the first day on the job and then improve over the years.
-ED RUNGE, Umpire

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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.


Introductory Remarks
with IBUA Directors,
Ron Covis and Frank Leparik

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.


Basic Plate Mechanics
with Ron Covis

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.


Working in the "B" position
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.


"Bullet" Alexsander telling us which end of the stick to pick up

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Any time I got those 'bang-bang' plays at First base I called 'em out. It made the game shorter.
-TOM GORMAN, Umpire
NEXT

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Any member of the AFU that would be interested in writing an article about umpiring and would like to have them published on our web site please contact Dave Mekelburg AFU#9 at: info@americanfederationofumpires.com