Congratulations on purchasing a new baseball glove! Most likely you have already realized that your new glove is extremely stiff and difficult to play with. Don’t worry, because this is totally normal. Your new glove needs to be broken in in order to function properly and fit comfortably during a game. While everyone has their own traditions and recommendations when it comes to breaking in a new glove, here are some of the best techniques I’ve discovered.
Just Wear It – This is hands down the best strategy for breaking in your new baseball glove. However, it also takes the longest of the approaches listed here to work. Just play catch together with another player every day for a couple of weeks and your baseball mitt will start to feel a lot more comfortable and sooner or later you’ll be ready to play in a game. In the event that another player is not available, simply throw the ball to your other hand as hard as you can repeatedly. Use this strategy when you’re just in a rush to start playing with your new glove.
Heat – A different way to break in your baseball glove is with a type of heat. Although there are quite a few different techniques and methods for breaking in your new baseball glove with heat, some are dangerous and not recommended. Some of these include heating your baseball glove in the microwave and reheating it in the oven. In my opinion, these methods are not safe and should really be avoided. One way that we find works just as well is to leave your new baseball glove in the vehicle on a summer day for about sixty minutes. Cars can get very hot in the summer (up to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit) and tend to be much safer compared to ovens and microwaves.
Oils – Although I don’t recommend this method, some people like to put lubricants in their new baseball mitt to soften it up. Some ideas are baby oil, petroleum jelly, shaving cream, saddle soap, or special glove oils. I do not recommend this technique simply because it is disputed whether or not it deteriorates the life of your baseball glove and it can make your baseball glove heavier because the fluid soaks it. With the extremely high price of baseball gloves today, I for one am not going to take any chances.
Mattress: An old school technique to break in your baseball glove is to keep a baseball in it at all times and keep it under your mattress some nights when you go to bed. You can also try turning it around and doing the exact same thing.
Remember, having a new baseball glove is nice, but it won’t make you a better player! You have to do it yourself! Work hard at your baseball workouts and put that glove to use!