Every baseball player is very specific and superstitious about their equipment. They have to have their socks and hat a certain way. They have to have a helmet that has to fit right. Every baseball player needs a bat that is the right size and most importantly every baseball player needs the right baseball glove. It’s not enough just to find the right baseball glove, it also has to be broken in and made comfortable. Once you have a baseball glove that is broken in you will feel a lot more comfortable in the field. So here are some tips on breaking in your baseball glove.
Before you actually go about breaking in your baseball glove here is the goal. First of all leather needs to be softened. This will make it easier to open and close and it will form to your hand better. Second of all, the baseball glove should have a pocket right in the palm of the hand so that when the ball is caught the baseball glove kind of forms around the ball enabling it to be caught easier.
Before a baseball glove can be broken in, it must be bought. This is a more important step than some might think. There are different types of gloves to consider. Infielders need gloves that will be smaller because they’ll be throwing the ball a lot and it’s easier to retrieve the ball. Outfielders are mainly just going to be catching the ball so they usually will have bigger gloves to help them catch. There is also a special type of baseball glove for first basemen and catchers. It isn’t necessary to buy the most expensive glove because even a decent baseball glove will be good once it’s broken in. Steer clear of the cheapest gloves though because you get what you pay for.
Many people say in order to soften the leather the owner will want to lubricate it. This is true but be careful. The best thing to use when lubricating a baseball glove is Lexol leather conditioning. If the owner of the baseball glove can’t find that then many people say the next best thing is shaving cream. Be careful how much it is lubricated. Only use enough leather conditioning or shaving cream to coat the glove. Do not lubricate it so much that the baseball glove is damp and becomes heavier.
When the baseball glove is not being used there is one of two things to do with it. The first option is to get a glove guard. A glove guard is basically the shape of the inside of the glove. By leaving a glove guard inside If a glove guard is not available or too expensive then simply leave a baseball or even better, a softball, inside the closed baseball glove. Either way it will start to form properly around a baseball forming that pocket I was talking about.
The most important thing to do when breaking in a baseball glove is to use it every day. Even if there isn’t a game or practice go out and play catch. The more you play baseball the quicker will be broken in. Also if there is somebody in your neighborhood that throws harder than others, and you can catch their throws without being hit in the face, choose that guy to throw with. The harder the ball hits a baseball glove the more it will loosen and the quicker your baseball glove will be broken in. If you have a pitching machine available then get someone to crank up the speed and shoot balls to you.
If you follow these steps your baseball glove should be broken in really quickly.
