hop to it

Often, umpires confuse leaping and crow hopping by pitchers. While leaping is legal in USA Softball and USSSA, crow hopping is illegal in all four codes (NFHS 2-16; NCAA 10.5.5; USA Softball R/S 40; USSSA 6-1e-3 Note 2) because of the huge advantage it gives to pitchers. Here is a breakdown of the crow hop in the picture below.

The pitcher loses contact with the ground with her pivot foot on the initial drive from the pitcher’s plate. In real time, you will see the pitcher’s initial drive have an upward motion off the pitcher’s plate as opposed to a straight line toward the plate. While the pitcher will lose contact as well on a leap, the mechanics are different as the pitcher’s pivot foot does not replant during a leap and drive a second time.

Another thing to notice is the placement of the pitcher’s hands. As she initially drives, both hands are in front of her body and she hasn’t yet begun her windmill action. The hands have yet to separate as she loses contact with the pitcher’s plate, a telltale sign of an illegal pitch.

Here, the pivot foot returns to the ground and bears weight a second time, which is considered a replant.

This allows the pitcher a second starting point to push off from while delivering the pitch. Considering the pitcher’s circle has an eight-foot radius, and she is more than halfway to the front of the circle, this decreases the distance significantly and gives the batter much less reaction time to adjust to the pitch. Notice the ball is now above the pitcher’s head and she will continue the release after pushing off a second time.

The ball finally comes through the hip on the release, and you will notice the pitcher is now at the front of the circle. This crow hop has decreased the distance to home by eight feet, meaning the pitcher is throwing from 35 feet instead of 43 feet. By not calling this illegal, it gives the pitcher a decided advantage over the offensive team.

teach their catchers to stay completely in fair territory, some teach to be behind the plate and then step forward after catching the ball, some teach them to straddle the plate at the point of the plate and then drop once the catcher catches the ball. Be careful not to tell a fielder where to stand as you may be telling that player something different than what the coach has instructed that player to do and now you’ve crossed over to coaching instead of umpiring.

Normally, if you call obstruction, the coach of the offending team is going to come out of the dugout and ask what you called. This is the time to explain to the coach what you had and let them explain it to the player. During this conversation, use rulebook language, such as, “Coach, your catcher was blocking the runner’s basepath without the ball,” as opposed to saying, “Your catcher must stand here so as not to block the runner’s basepath.”

Preventive umpiring. There are plenty of times in a game where something happens that doesn’t violate a rule, but might be on the edge or could potentially lead to a violation later in the game. In these situations, don’t be afraid to have a subtle conversation with a coach. One way to do this is between innings. Usually, after the third out of an inning, the third-base coach will grab the bat from the home-plate area. This is a great time to quickly relay a message to a coach (as shown in the PlayPic). Remember, the conversation should be quick and subtle. If you have a 60-second conversation, the opposing team will think something is up. Another easy way to relay a message is during a substitution. When the coach comes to you to make a change, you already have them within earshot and when you relay the message, it will appear you are discussing the change. Again, keep the conversation brief. On the flip side, if you need to approach the coach and there is no substitution being made, you can pull out your lineup card and walk over to the coach and relay the message. Everyone will simply think you have a question about the lineup, when in reality, you are relaying whatever message you need to get across. This is a good way to handle chirping from a dugout about balls and strikes or a call where you can quickly give an “unofficial warning” and no one is the wiser, but you get your point across.

The most important thing to remember is you are an umpire, not a coach. Try to relay messages through the coach and allow the coach to take corrective action. It is a great way to build rapport with coaches, to work together to make the game go smoothly and avoid the appearance of coaching players.

Brad Tittrington is an associate editor for Referee. He umpires D-I softball and officiates women’s college and high school basketball, college and high school volleyball and high school football. *