The glove is a fielder's ultimate defensive weapon, and while the infielder and outfielder gloves are of different sizes, and the first base glove and the receiving glove are in a league of their own, there are certain basic methods of breaking a new glove.
The glove is a fielder's ultimate defensive weapon, and while the infielder and outfielder gloves are of different sizes, and the first base glove and the receiving glove are in a league of their own, there are certain basic methods of breaking a new glove.
There are many factors that affect the methods and speed of breaking a glove, such as the quality of the leather, the softness and type of leather, the design of the fabric, and what the fielder believes he needs to maximize its effectiveness.
Although everyone seems to have a secret formula, or knows someone who has a secret formula for breaking a glove, we will explain the two most common methods in this article.
The first method is to follow the manufacturers instructions and follow their instructions, but for some reason we don't think, that includes me most of the time, they know what they are talking about.
Then we will proceed to the following method. The softness of the leather is directly associated with the cost of the glove, since a $ 500 glove will be much softer than a $ 100 glove. The reason why I mention this is the first thing a player wants to achieve when breaking a glove, is to create a pocket, which will only succeed, but the softness of the leather speeds up the procedure.
Here is a partial list of products that help soften leather, there are probably more, but they will suffice and be available.
* Foamy shaving cream
* Vaseline
* Saddle soap
* Mink oil
* Tanners Glove Oil
One thing to keep in mind More is not always better, as some players will spill the oil all over the glove, which only accelerates the deterioration and makes a slimy mess. Instead, use a soft cloth and wipe away small amounts of leather softener you are using on the leather until it disappears, then wipe off any excess that is not absorbed.
The next step is to form the pocket and there are several methods to achieve this. Playing catch, wearing the glove, is by far the best method to use, but sometimes it can be difficult to find a launch partner, so I include the following alternatives.
* Use the batting cage. As the name suggests, the original purpose of a batting cage is to help learn to hit, but it is not the only reason. There is nothing better than catching 50-100 70mph fastballs to help form a pocket and do it quickly.
* There is an outdated method, which is also effective in producing a pocket, and that is working the leather softening agent on the leather, putting a baseball (or softball if that is your sport) in the pocket, folding the glove and squeezing it tie it with a shoelace or rubber band. This may sound a bit like baseball voodoo, but they make devices specifically for this purpose visit: https://www.amazon.com/WUZJ-Outdoor-Baseball-Carrying-Aluminum/dp/B07BFXR5N4
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