Between games recently, another umpire and I were sitting in the press box talking about camps and clinics. We had been working games together, and the break gave us time to talk about how officials learn. Our conversation got into something I had experienced at more than one camp: you start in a classroom with instruction and PowerPoint, then move to the field, where you have to turn knowledge into action.
I had experienced that approach at two-man camps in Virginia with the Northern Virginia Baseball Umpires Association (NVBUA) and Mid-Atlantic Collegiate (MAC). Here locally, I attended a Collegiate Baseball Umpire Association (CBUA) two-man and three-man clinic in September 2025, followed by a CBUA advanced three-man clinic in July 2026. Across those camps, classroom instruction gave us a chance to study where each umpire belonged. On the field, we had to move, read the play, and work together.
If you do not umpire, a rotation is simply the way the crew changes positions and responsibilities as a play develops. We need to cover the play without leaving a gap or putting two people in the same place. A slide can show that clearly. Doing it while runners and the ball are moving takes practice.
During the conversation, I brought up feedback from the assignor about the September 2025 clinic. He told me my timing was off and thought I was anticipating plays when I made my calls. That gave me something specific to work on. Understanding what to do in the classroom was one thing. Doing it correctly on the field was another.
That is why the conversation stayed with me. I could understand the instruction and still have something to improve when I stepped onto the field. The lesson reaches well beyond umpiring.
The Classroom Gives You a Starting Point
I value good instruction. Books, classes, diagrams, and plans can save us from learning every lesson the hard way. At an umpire clinic, it helps to understand the assignment before a live play asks you to carry it out.
Then the work starts moving. You have to see what is happening, know your responsibility, and get into position at the right time. The diagram has not become useless. You are finding out whether you can use what it taught you.
The same thing happens in leadership. A book can help you prepare for a difficult conversation, but you still have to sit down with the person. A calendar can help you protect family time, but you still have to make a choice when something competes with it. Knowing that you should listen is a start. Letting someone finish before you answer is the practice.
Instruction prepares us. Practice shows us what still needs work. We need both, and we lose something when we mistake finishing the class for finishing the learning.
Ask About the Part You Need to Improve
The useful part of that conversation was getting specific. The assignor had pointed to my timing and what he thought was anticipation in my calls. I needed to look at how I was making those calls, rather than just whether I understood the instruction. A broad comment about getting better would have been harder to use.
That matters when we ask for help. We can ask someone how we did and hope for a reassuring answer. Or we can ask about the part of the work we are trying to improve: whether the decision was clear, whether we listened, or whether our timing helped or hurt.
Correction is easier to use when we understand what needs to change. It also gives us something to watch the next time we try. We do not need to turn every mistake into a long argument about our intentions.
That does not mean accepting every criticism. Someone can misunderstand the situation or offer advice that does not fit. Hear the feedback, ask questions, and compare it with what happened. When it is sound, use it.
There is no shame in finding a gap between what you know and what you can do. The trouble comes when you spend more effort defending the gap than closing it.
The Standard Brief
One weekly essay on faith, discipline, family, and putting what you believe into practice.
Turn Knowledge Into Action
To turn knowledge into action, start with one thing that matters. More information may help, but it may also let you postpone the part that makes you uncomfortable. Before signing up for another class or building another plan, ask what you need to practice with what you already know.
Keep it tied to a real responsibility. At work, that might mean making a decision you have delayed. At home, it might mean listening without reaching for your phone. In a craft, it might mean practicing one skill and asking someone qualified to watch.
You can work through it in five plain steps:
- See Clearly: Describe what happened. Keep what you know separate from what you are assuming.
- Decide What Matters: Name the responsibility you need to serve and the part of the work that needs attention.
- Explore and Choose: Look at your options. Choose a step that fits the situation and your actual limits.
- Move to Action: Try it. Be clear about what you will do and when.
- Review and Adjust: Look at what you attempted, what happened, and what you will change next time.
You do not have to make this complicated. A few honest notes and a useful conversation may be enough. The important part is doing something that lets you learn from the result.
And choose the practice carefully. If the problem is an unclear decision, organizing more tasks will not settle it. Decide what deserves the effort first. Then let your tools help you follow through.
Faith Calls Us to Practice What We Hear
James 1:22 calls us to do what the Word says, rather than only hear it. That is a serious warning for anyone who enjoys learning but keeps putting off obedience.
We can know that patience matters and still answer harshly. We can talk about serving our family and give them only the attention left over at the end of the day. Honesty matters, yet we can soften the truth when it makes us look bad.
Those are ordinary places to practice what we believe. We do not need a dramatic moment before we can listen, tell the truth, keep a promise, or admit that we were wrong.
Our obedience does not earn God’s grace. It is a response to it. That gives us a reason to face correction honestly and keep growing, rather than pretend we have already arrived.
Take the Lesson Back to the Field
The conversation in the press box brought me back to why camps include field work. We need a place to try what we have learned and people who can help us see what we miss. Returning to the classroom can help, but at some point we have to work the play again.
You may already have one lesson that needs that kind of practice. Choose the one that serves a responsibility you actually carry. Make a reasonable attempt, pay attention to what happens, and ask for useful feedback.
You will not control every result. You can own what you attempt and how you respond to correction. That is enough to give the next attempt a better starting point.
A PowerPoint can show the rotation. We still have to step onto the field and learn to work it together.
Your Next Move
Put One Lesson to Work.
Choose one thing you already know you need to do better. Try it in a real situation this week. Ask someone you trust what they noticed, then decide what to change the next time.
The Standard Brief delivers one direct weekly essay on faith, discipline, family, and execution.
Pick one thing. Practice it. Take the correction.