Strike Zone Strategies by Bob Fontaine, UIC 



  • Every pitch that leaves the pitcher's hand is a strike until it proves to you that it's not.
  • Get into the habit of crisp game flow by calling many strikes during your game,- the 2001 plan to call the rule book strike zone will help you.
  • Coaches want consistency more than anything else. A key ingredient to consistency is proper timing. The most common problem with umpires at all levels is calling a pitch too fast. Slow down, relax, see the pitch, hear the pop of the catcher's mitt, call the pitch. Develop a rhythm that is deliberate, it affords you more time to rerun the pitch several times in your brain. Call balls and strikes, it's hard to develop a rhythm if you just call strikes. Learn how to "bulldog" a pitch.
  • Borderline pitches are strikes- any part of the ball passing through the strike zone is a strike.
  • Your strike zone in the 7th inning must be exactly the same as it was in the 1st inning. Umpires have a tendency to squeeze the zone late in the game because they are tired. Boxers are trained to finish strong, train yourself to finish strong.
  • Your strike zone for strike three must be exactly the same as it was for strikes one and two. Attention to this one aspect of your game will identify you as an umpire who is CONSISTENT and therefore respected.
  • Call strikes as they are defined by the rule book, not your version of the strike zone. There are many benefits: hitters become aggressive, pitchers develop a rhythm and games move along faster.
  • North South East West Wherever The Twain Shall Meet. in lopsided scoring games don't you be lopsided. When your strike zone is from dugout to dugout you lose respect from everyone at the game, undermine your own authority while holding yourself up for criticism. There are subtle, effective ways to move the game along without the whole world knowing that it is being done.
  • Box, Slot, Scissors, knee, Rock, Paper -whatever style you use you have got to be able to clearly and consistently see the catcher catch the pitch on the outside corner. We have a tendency to squeeze the inside pitch even though we are looking right at it in the zone. Pitches at the knees must be called strikes at the levels we umpire at. You cannot waiver on pitches at the top of the strike zone, if it was a strike for the lower half of the lineup it too must be a strike for the batter in the four hole.
  • If a pitcher is consistent in an area of the strike zone let it work in his favor.

  • The Five Attributes Of A Great Umpire
    1. A thorough grasp of the rules and their accurate implementation
    2. Superior timing and mechanics
    3 .Finely tuned, keen judgment
    4. Masterful game control
    5. Crisp appearance