Fingergrip Whistle or with a Lanyard? Officials Offer Pros/Cons to Beginners

Nov 7th, 2012

If you are a new official, you may have the rules down but still be figuring out what equipment works best for you! When it comes to fingergrip or whistles on a lanyard we asked our Facebook fans to weigh in on which one they prefer and why! Looks like officials are pretty equally divided but hopefully these comments will help you decide which may be right for you.

Fingergrip Whistle

Benefits of Fingergrip Whistles:

Collin - "Finger, you have time to think before you blow"

Bill - "Finger whistle - it gives me a second to think about the play"

Steve - "Finger- don't have to blow it on every play"

Jason - "Finger- I never have to look for it"

Fingergrip Whistle

Benefits of Lanyard with Whistle:

Whistle with Lanyard

Rick - "Lanyard, you just can't make proper signals with a finger whistle"

Lee - "Lanyard - I like both hands free"

Grant - "Don't like the feel of the of the finger whistle or the look of one armed signals. I spit it out at the snap to avoid IW"

John- "Whistle with Lanyard - easier to use"

Standard Whistle

And we even had a few fans prefer both

Sean - "I use both, Lanyard pre-snap to catch false starts, finger whistle otherwise"

Mike - "I use both - lanyard until the snap and then drop it out of my mouth for no inadvertent whistles"

Still undecided? Try them both ways and see what works for you! 

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About the Author

Picture of Jim Kirk

President Jim Kirk

Jim is a leading expert, educator and author on umpire gear, safety & appearance. After playing baseball at Centre College, he worked as a high school umpire. He became involved in E-Commerce while working on an MBA in the early 2000s and bought Ump-Attire.com in 2006, He eventually led it to the leading umpire gear & attire retailer worldwide, a “Best Places to Work in Louisville” honor in 2020 & 2021 and a National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) Preferred Vendor. He maintained a long-standing relationship with Minor League Baseball Umpire Development & Training Academy for 10 years. He serves as an adviser to UMPS CARE Charities, the charity of MLB umpires, served as a 2-term board of director from 2012-2018, and was named their 2015 Ambassador Award recipient. A supporter since the inception of the Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy, he was named to their Board of Directors in 2020.

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