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As a fast-pitch baseball or softball umpire, you need to choose your equipment with care. The right equipment is of course essential for safety, particularly since you will most likely be working youth league or high school games where the young pitchers don't have great ball control and where inexperienced catchers don't catch or block as many wild pitches and foul tips as they should. The right equipment is also important for comfort. You will be on your feet for the entire game and won't be able to take off your gear or rest in the dugout for half of each inning like the players do. You want to make sure that your equipment makes you feel both safe and comfortable so that you can focus on calling the game. Here is a list of basic equipment that you will need when working fast-pitch amateur games.

Facemask
Umpire facemasks are similar to the masks worn by catchers. Most masks these days are lightweight, have Velcro adjustments, and have extended bars that provide extra protection near the ears and throat. If desired, a separate throat guard can be attached to the bottom of the facemask. One of the principle factors affecting the price of umpire masks is the type of material that the padding is made out of. A mask with leather padding can cost twice as much as a mask with padding made from synthetic material. Leather padding is more comfortable and durable, but has little effect on actual safety, so the choice of material ultimately comes down to personal preference. Facemasks should fit snugly, should not impede peripheral vision, and should not slide around when you move your head from side to side.

Chest Protector
There was a time when home plate umpires had to use big, thick foam shields as chest protectors. Now, chest protectors are much more streamlined, and are designed to be worn under your shirt. You can buy a soft chest protector, which is basically the same as the chest protectors worn by catchers. Or, you can buy a chest protector with an outer shell made of hard plastic. Whether you need a hard or soft chest protector depends on the kinds of games you will be working in. If you are working in high school games, where some pitchers can consistently throw fastballs in the high 70s or low 80s, you will probably need a hard protector. If you are working in youth league games where the pitchers don't have as much arm strength, you can get away with using a soft chest protector.

Shin Guards and Plate Shoes
You will also need to invest in shin guards and plate shoes. Umpire shin guards protect from the top of the knee down to the top of the foot, and usually have extra flaps to protect the ankles. Unlike catcher shin guards, which are worn outside the uniform, umpire shin guards are made to be worn under the pants. As with chest protectors, shin guards come with either a soft shell or a hard shell. Again, the type of games you will be working in is the determining factor as to whether you need soft shell or hard shell shin guards.

Plate shoes are special protective shoes for umpires. They often have built-in steel plates that protect your toes and they have additional protective plates called metatarsal plates. As the name implies, these plates cover the tops of your feet and provide protection to the metatarsals. There are also spikes in the soles of umpire plate shoes, which give you the traction you need when walking or running on dirt and grass field surfaces.

Accessories
In addition to the protective equipment listed above, you will need several accessories to help you during the game. First, you need an indicator (also called a counter). An indicator is a plastic device that fits in your hand. It has click wheels on it that keep track of balls, strikes and outs. Some indicators also have a fourth click wheel that for keeping track of innings. If you are a new umpire, one of the most important things you need to do is to get in the habit of resetting your indicator after each batter. If you forget to do it, it can obviously lead to some pretty big or embarrassing mistakes.

A second accessory that you should have is a plate brush. This is a small, hand-held brush that you use to dust off the plate. This not only helps you, but also increases visibility for the pitcher and batters. Some newer plate brushes come with a special handle that doubles as a bat-checker. The handle has a circular hole in it that conforms to the maximum diameter allowed for bat barrels. These brushes are available for either baseball or softball dimensions.

A third accessory that you might need is a ball bag. This is simply a bag that attaches to your belt and allows you to carry extra game balls. Ball bags are not absolutely necessary, as most recreational leagues just use one game ball. But sometimes there are extra game balls available, particularly during tournament play or championship games, so it's a good idea to have one on hand just in case.