NJSBUA SPONSORED TRAININGS
The spring season is just around the corner!
With high school baseball and softball kicking off in March, it’s time to dust off the mask, sharpen your eyes, and get back into a rhythm.
We are thrilled to announce a series of FREE winter training opportunities designed to get you behind the plate with live pitching.
These sessions are a fantastic way to refine your zone, work on your timing, and ensure we hit the field in mid-season form.
🥎 Softball Training
Location: Fred Hills Sports Academy
5 Fairview Ave, Verona, NJ 07044
DateTimeSaturdays: Feb 28th 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Sundays: Feb 22nd 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Details: Focus on live pitching to call balls and strikes. RSVP: Please contact Bruce Kaufman at 908-447-8112 to confirm which dates you will attend.
⚾ Baseball Training
Location: Zoned Sports Academy
24 Kearney St, Bridgewater, NJ 08807
DaySessions Sundays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM OR 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
February and March
RSVP: Please contact Todd Walker at 908-938-0320 to coordinate your attendance.
📝 Important Reminders
Gear Up: All participants must bring their full protective gear to work behind the plate safely.
Cost: These sessions are provided free of charge to all members.
Goal: Use this time to shake off the winter rust and help us maintain the high standard of officiating the NJSBUA is known for.
TWO MAN CLINIC- Baseball and Softball
March 7th -Newark Academy, 91 South Orange Ave. Livingston
Saturday 8am - 1pm Indoor Training.
Special Guest Speaker Dave Pasquale Athletic Director & Baseball coach.
THREE MAN CLINIC- Baseball
March 21st - PCTI, 45 Reinhart Rd, Wayne
Saturday On Field Instruction
THREE MAN CLINIC- Baseball
June 6th - Lincoln Park, West Side Ave. Jersey City
Saturday 8am- 3pm Live Showcase Games
DIAMOND NATION TRAININGS
I am pleased to announce our 2nd Annual Trackman Plate Training sessions for Officials.
The training sessions will be held Saturday February 28th from 10am-4pm in the Diamond Nation Main Building Cages!!
The training sessions are $10 for each ONE-hour session, unless you have attended at least ONE Winter Umpire Training Session at Diamond Nation. Anyone who has attended a Winter Umpire Training Session at Diamond Nation will be admitted FREE to both days.
Bring ALL of your plate gear, we will have a changing area upstairs in the conference room.
The advantages of Trackman plate training for baseball officials include:
Trackman technology provides precise tracking of pitches, ensuring that officials can make accurate calls on whether a pitch is a strike or a ball. Trackman can also help find out if you struggle with certain parts of the strike zone.
In addition to having the Trackman system available in ONE cage:
We will also have four additional cages rolling all morning and afternoon with LIVE at bats thrown by real pitchers with real batters,
as well as LIVE Bullpen sessions thrown by our Diamond Jacks pitchers, allowing you the opportunity to see real pitching before your season begins!
If you didn't know, the Diamond Jacks have some of the top-rated pitchers in the state, throwing the baseball with top velocity and spin rates!
To sign up, email me or text me your 1-hour Time Preference Slot and which day (or both days) you will be attending.
We will allow 8 umpires per time slot, 48 umpires per day.
Slots are:
10-11am
11-12pm
12-1pm
1-2pm
2-3pm and
3-4pm
Jim Rueb
Director Of Event Operations and Umpire Assignor
Diamond Nation
908-284-1778
"Umpires are expected to be perfect day one and then get better." MLB Commish Bud Selig
Following this train of thought, here are some excellent tools to help you be a better umpire.
Click on any picture below and never stop learning!
Referee Training Center- print and digital products available for all sports. Best resource available!!
Umpire Classroom- courses that you can take online. They also have free videos on YouTube. (sugg Kevin Kane)
RefMasters Community App- officials, players and coaches gather to elevate the game. (sugg Rich Verost)
UmpireEmpire- forum based question and answer community for umpires. (sugg Steve Moskowitz)
Rule of the Day- email that will arrive every day from John Ottovino, dad of Yankees and Mets pitcher. send email to sign up - j.ottavino@att.net
3 Man Reference Card for Base Positions for Baseball and Softball
