Baseball is a game of inches and sometimes, even when you think your glove is in great shape, the ball will still find a way to go over it. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your glove just because it’s not perfect. Even if there’s some damage to be worked out and some new leather needs to be molded around the old one, you can still break in a new glove. Here’s how: Let’s face it: Even if you practice catch every day, chances are good that your baseball gloves aren’t the most perfect equipment in the world. Your fingertips are probably a little sore from all of the swinging and kicking, and maybe you got cut playing catch last night or two. Or maybe there was that one time that someone hit something really hard with one of your gloves and it deflated them for like five minutes straight. Whatever the case may be, this guide isn’t about telling you that having weird-looking fingers (or any other factors) means you’re never going to be able to become Monster Moxie or anything like that. It’s about giving you tips on how to get the most out of your baseball glove!
How to Break In a Baseball Glove
- The first thing you need to do is determine if your glove is in need of any real work. Are you just starting to notice some wear and tear? If so, then it’s time to get out your trusty leather-working tools. If you’re already noticing some damage, then skip the leather-working stuff and go straight for the broken-in leather.
- Once you’ve determined that the damage isn’t too bad, it’s time to make sure that your glove has been properly broken in. This means keeping your glove on for a few hours in order for the leather to stretch out and conform around all of the contours of your hand. You can do this by putting it on after a shower or by wearing it while watching TV or something like that. It should take about three days for the glove to break in enough for good use, but try not to let it sit there too long!
- Now that there is enough room in the glove for good use, it’s time to actually use it! You can start off with easy catches like grounders and pop flies until you get used to how they feel (you might even want to practice catching them barehanded just so you’re ready). Keep at this until you find yourself doing a lot better than before, which will probably take about three days or so at most . . . Depending on how much damage has been done this will be a good indicator as to how long it will take to break in your gloves.
- Once your glove has been broken in, you can start throwing with it! How well you do will depend on how much damage was done, but don’t let that scare you off! If you have a glove with some wear on the leather, then it’s probably not going to take long for it to break in again. Just make sure that you throw with your hands under the ball and don’t go crazy trying to catch everything. Just focus on throwing strikes and getting outs, and everything else will follow!
- When you’re ready for a new pair of gloves, make sure that you get them from someone who is experienced at breaking them in. You want to make sure that they’ll be able to give them enough time so that the leather can stretch out properly and conform around all of your hand’s contours . . . This means going somewhere where they’ll give a nice break-in period (they probably won’t know what they’re talking about if they’re just handing over baseball gloves like candy). Also, try not to buy them from someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing because chances are their method won’t be very effective.
- If you’re going to be doing this for a while, then you should probably be getting a glove that’s not too heavy or bulky. You don’t want to wear out your arm and shoulder trying to throw that thing around! If you have a glove that’s too heavy and bulky, then it will take longer for the leather to stretch out around your hand, which means that it won’t break in as well.
- When you’re buying new gloves, make sure that they fit just right (they should fit snugly, but not too tight). They should also be the right size so that they are comfortable and not too big. Also, make sure that they have some padding in them because it will help cushion the impact of your throws. It might seem like there are many steps involved with breaking in new gloves, but once you get into it you’ll realize how simple it really is!
What is the difference between polyurethane and a neoprene glove?
- The main difference between polyurethane and neoprene gloves is the amount of padding in them. Neoprene gloves have more padding because they are a lot softer than polyurethane.
- Another difference between these two types of gloves is that neoprene gloves are more flexible than polyurethane ones. This means that they can be stretched out to fit your hand better, which makes them less likely to break incorrectly. For this reason, I would recommend getting a pair of neoprene gloves if you’re going to be throwing a lot.
- The final difference between these two types of gloves is their size of them. Neoprene gloves tend to be much smaller than polyurethane ones, which means that they will fit more snugly and not allow your fingers to move around as much as you might want them to! Also, make sure that you get a pair of neoprene gloves if you’re going to be playing in cold weather because they will keep your hands warmer!
Why you should never, ever wash your baseball glove
- Baseball gloves are made of a number of different materials. Some of these materials include leather, vinyl, and other types of synthetic fibers. Leather is the most commonly used material because it’s durable and flexible. However, it is also the most susceptible to damage because it can get dirty really easily. When you wash your glove, you might be able to clean some dirt off of it, but you will also be washing away its flexibility and durability. This means that your glove will not last as long as it could have!
- If you want your glove to last as long as possible then I would recommend that you do not ever wash your baseball glove! I know this sounds harsh, but if you want your glove to last then washing it is definitely not a good idea! I know this might sound harsh, but when we wash our clothes we aren’t washing away all of the nutrients and chemicals that they need in order to stay healthy! The same goes with washing our gloves!
- Another reason why we shouldn’t wash our baseball gloves is that they can get soiled really easily with sweat or dirt if they’re not washed properly after every use! If they get dirty then they need to be washed immediately before the dirt starts getting into the stitches or any other parts of the glove where dirt might get trapped between them (or even worse – stuck inside them!). Also, if you’re playing a lot then there’s no way that your fingers aren’t going to get sweaty and dirty! So, the longer you play, the dirtier your glove is going to get!
- Finally, if you’re a pitcher and you’re throwing a lot then you’re probably going to be sweating a lot! So if your glove gets too dirty then it’s definitely not going to last very long when it’s being used for baseball!
Conclusion
The best way to break in a new baseball glove is to use it. Results will be much better if you try out new gloves on a regular basis so you can get a feel for how they perform in real games.
