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I would imagine it would cut down missing signals a great deal. I've never used them in baseball (though I did use a number system just no wristbands) I have however used them for many years with a no huddle offense in youth football. Way better than signals but football has built in time to read the wristbands baseball doesn't. I don't understand the wrist bands in baseball.  A number system that can't be figured out by the other coach is easy enough without the wristbands. 

ironhorse posted:
Scotty83 posted:

 I don't understand the wrist bands in baseball.  A number system that can't be figured out by the other coach is easy enough without the wristbands. 

Can you explain an example? I'm not sure how to do that, but if it's possible I'd love to hear the explanation.

You just use one number per action. Like 1 for steal with a take. Then change which spot in the order the number with meaning is. Ex. If it's the first number then call out 137. If the second number 317 or third 371. The 1 told them what to do. Depending on the other coach and how the games going sometimes you have to change it a lot some times only once a game. I've had a couple teams have trouble with it at the start of the season. So I had a dry erase board in the dugout only my players could see then every inning write down which action number it would be. In the rare occasion say we had a lot of steals or bunts in an inning the any same number all three times, like 444 or 777, meant move the action number up one. It really doesn't matter if every coach in the district knows 1 means steal. If they gear up for a steal every time you call a 1 then just put a 1 in every number you call just in a nonaction spot in the order. 

Its also pretty easy to bait a coach that thinks he has it figured out. I actually got a coach once that got all caught up in it to walk a kid with pitchouts trying to catch a kid stealing lol. 

My sons freshman year he played another HS, and both coaches did the wristguards thing, and every pitch they would call out numbers.

We were hanging out with a dad from the other team who my son had played summer ball  when he yelled out...... BINGO!!!! you coaches just called all the numbers on my Bingo card!!

Needless to say everyone the stands started laughing.  

The vast majority of college teams I know will use the wrist band for calling pitches and defensive signals. The coach doesn't yell out he just flashes the numbers example 3 - 2 - 1 and that's it. As far as base runners most I watch still use an indicator and signs. I thought the wrist band deal was going to take over but I'm seeing more go back to traditional signs for baserunners now. 

Yelling out numbers the entire game probably got old for these coaches. I know that I found it annoying but to each his own. It may be different for you other people but I am seeing less of it not more. As far as baserunners. 

Scotty83 posted:
ironhorse posted:
Scotty83 posted:

 I don't understand the wrist bands in baseball.  A number system that can't be figured out by the other coach is easy enough without the wristbands. 

Can you explain an example? I'm not sure how to do that, but if it's possible I'd love to hear the explanation.

You just use one number per action. Like 1 for steal with a take. Then change which spot in the order the number with meaning is. Ex. If it's the first number then call out 137. If the second number 317 or third 371. The 1 told them what to do. Depending on the other coach and how the games going sometimes you have to change it a lot some times only once a game. I've had a couple teams have trouble with it at the start of the season. So I had a dry erase board in the dugout only my players could see then every inning write down which action number it would be. In the rare occasion say we had a lot of steals or bunts in an inning the any same number all three times, like 444 or 777, meant move the action number up one. It really doesn't matter if every coach in the district knows 1 means steal. If they gear up for a steal every time you call a 1 then just put a 1 in every number you call just in a nonaction spot in the order. 

Its also pretty easy to bait a coach that thinks he has it figured out. I actually got a coach once that got all caught up in it to walk a kid with pitchouts trying to catch a kid stealing lol. 

I gotcha, but doesn't that limit you to only be able to have 10 "things" to put on?

And kids have to memorize those 10?

adbono posted:
D1catcher posted:

I've used one since highschool. Coach flashes numbers, look at wristband, call the pitch. 

Takes about 10 seconds

Can you recommend a brand?  Also would appreciate your input on any particulars.

We use Neumann ones now. There's was a weird consolation in the wristband industry apparently a few years ago that made it hard to get anything else. Been happy with them.  We give the kids 1-pane wristbands and the coaches have 3-pane wristbands to carry a little more info.

We have used wristbands for 9 years now at the high school level, kids started to not understand hand signs something simple such as touches to the box (touches to chest and stomach).  We use own the Zone and for some reason we might miss 2 signs all year.  We use the same cards on offense, we have a new card for each game, we use it by never calling the same number twice, it works as we want to hit and run, there are 20 sets of three number sequence that work for hit and run such as 345 the players look down see two letters such as SQ and it tells them its a hit and run.  We don't yell numbers and I will even go as far as to say it will take a below average coach and make him better as he now has to think about scenarios before they happen and if a pitch is a ball or strike and the count and possible count and who is on and who is on deck and what the defensive team does and who the pitcher is and how he is throwing.  Its not complicated and players get it. We also have quick signs body indicators for times where our numbers dont mean anything or we dont want to give numbers, they are a single touch to the body, such as a nonchalant touch to the nose could be steal. 

We use Nuemann wrist bands but the own the zone software and like I said 9 years of using it and yes I learned about it from college coaches. Who use it for offense, pitching and defensive scenarios.  

Last edited by right arm of zeus
ironhorse posted:

And for the record, we don't yell out numbers. We still use an indicator and spots on the body to represent numbers. Although, with some of our non-honor student kids I've been known to yell them out.

True story: I once literally yelled from the third base box, "Tyler!!!!! You are stealing! On the next pitch!" Great kid, understood the signs...he just forgot them between the time he acknowledged them and the actual pitch happened. He was one of those kids that very frequently got caught up watching the game while he was supposed to be playing the game.

(Believe it or not, he was safe on the steal. Defense froze. Probably thinking there was no possible way that the steal was actually on.)

As for the cards: never used them, never liked the shouting out of numbers and whatnot, and just one more thing to have to bring along and keep organized on game day. I totally get that they can be very effective--but I rarely called the pitches (I had a catcher for that), and never felt that the defense needed to be so complicated that a few simple gestures (signs) couldn't suffice. Same with offense. If I really needed to do something exotic, I could just ask Blue for time...

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