Base Umpiring Essentials

The short answer: You'll make your call with a hand/arm signal and shout "He's Out!" or "She's Safe" or some variation of that.

The #1 rule of umpiring – take your time making a call

-  There's no need to rush your call and you have a lot more time than you think. Watch the play ... process what you saw ... then make your call.

-  You should use both an arm gesture and shout your call out loudly to ensure all players, coaches and spectators know your call. More on making calls in Umpiring Tips.

Practice your calls using these video examples

• Calling the runner out
• Calling the runner safe

Put it all together

-  These videos show full mechanics including moving into position, the chest to ball technique, reverse pivot and making the call (first base example).

• Calling the runner out (full mechanics)
• Calling the runner safe (full mechanics)