Baseball League Umpire Education

The Baseball League Umpire Employment program is designed to recruit, train and certify young adults to become independent contractors, serving as umpires in the Department’s youth baseball leagues. Curriculum will focus on developing a solid knowledge in the rules of baseball, learning proper umpire mechanics and positioning, and honing this knowledge and skill by actively umpiring youth baseball games. Participants completing the program will receive a B.L.U.E. Certification from the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks showing they have been trained and vetted as a capable umpire and are endorsed to work at any of our over 180 Recreation Center programs Citywide.

Classroom training

  1. Qualities of a good umpire
  2. High School and Department rules review
  3. Player safety
  4. Code of conduct
  5. Preventative umpiring
  6. Techniques for de-escalating situations involving an angry coach or spectator
  7. Liability
  8. Paperwork – documenting injuries, poor field conditions, code of conduct incidents, etc.

On-field training

  1. Mechanics / Signals
  2. Play Positioning
  3. Importance of Hustle
  4. Checking the field for hazards before the game
  5. How to conduct a pre-game meeting with coaches/managers
  6. Actively umpiring several scrimmage games