Tips for Breaking in Baseball Glove
Throw Harder Increase Pitching Performance and reduce injury Breaking In Your Baseball Glove is one of the key components of being successful in youth baseball. Properly fielding a ground ball or catching that fly ball is much easier with a properly broken in youth baseball glove. I have heard that major league players always have at least one glove breaking in besides the glove they are playing with. That way a good baseball glove is ready to go.
Now, all of us can’t have two baseball gloves, but we can make sure the baseball glove we are using is broken in properly. The most important thing to do is play catch with it as much as possible.
Steps to breaking in your baseball glove:
1. Work the Padding
Using both hands, grab the heel of your glove by each side and twist back and forth. Do the same with the fingers and thumb of your glove. This technique will ease the tension of the fibers inside the glove padding creating a more comfortable fit.
2. Soften the Leather
Condition your glove with a light coating of Rawlings® GlovoliumTM leather treatment oil. This will soften your glove and it will be more comfortable as a result. PLEASE NOTE: SOME GLOVE OILS WILL DARKEN THE LEATHER.
3. Wrap Your Glove
Place a baseball in the pocket of your glove and fold it closed. Fold it the way you want your glove to close in your games. Secure your glove with rubber bands and let it rest in a cool, dry place. This will allow your glove to conform to the shape of a baseball more readily and easily.
I like to use two baseballs, one in the pocket and one in the webbing.
4. Play Catch
The more you play with and use your new Rawlings® glove, the better it will fit and feel to your hand.
5. Maintain Your Glove
Inspect the laces of your glove every six months and replace them as needed. Always store your glove in a cool, dry place with a ball in the pocket when not in use and during the off-season. Treat your glove with Rawlings® Glovolium to make sure it will last for years, breaking in your baseball glove
How to oil your glove based on glove type:
All Leather baseball gloves
This glove can be very stiff to game ready depending on the model of glove . After playing catch to where the pocket takes shape, apply a light coating of the glove oil to the palm, web and back. This only needs to be done a few times per season. Don’t over-oil your glove.
Leather palm & Synthetic back baseball gloves
This glove is game ready. After playing catch to where the pocket takes shape, apply a light coating of glove oil to the palm and web. This only needs to be done a few times per season. Don’t over-oil your glove.
All Synthetic baseball gloves
This glove is game ready and NO OIL is required. Playing catch is the best way to form a deep-well pocket.
Don’t over-oil your glove. Remember the best advice is “Lubricate, don’t saturate” the leather shell. An excessive amount of oil applied to your glove adds weight and collects dirt while reducing shape retention.
Rawlings® DOES NOT recommend submerging your glove/mitt in water, placing your glove in a conventional/microwave oven or heating your glove/mitt in any way to soften the material. Doing these things can damage your glove and affect your glove’s warranty.
