Is My Method To Start Mitt Break-In Ok

[1st_&_3rd]

Check out how I am trying to start the process of breaking in my daughters new catcher's mitt. I have the whiffle ball (12") in the pocket and multiple heavy duty rubber bands. I'm not doing any harm here I hope. ??

 

[BretMan]

No harm at all. In fact, this is a prefered method to start forming a pocket in a new glove. I have done the same with many gloves with good results.

Some variations you might try:

- Use a light coat of a quality leather conditioner on the hinge areas of the mitt before wrapping it.

- You can "customize" the size and shape of the pocket you want by using two softballs, a softball and a baseball, one ball in the web and one in the pocket, etc.

- If you don't have rubber bands handy, you can use a men's belt. I like to wrap the belt around the glove in kind of a figure-eight pattern, one loop around the palm section and the other around the web.

 

[starsnuffer]

BretMan is the expert on the subject, so if he disagrees with me I defer to him.

I like using ACE bandages to wrap balls inside gloves, they tend to be more uniform and you can alter the tension in different areas as you wrap. I like to beat the living snot out of the glove too. I use a glove mallet for this (basically a large bat shaped wooden mallet. I've seen some that are wooden balls with sticks attached, whatever works). Pound on it like you're Ike Turner, paying special attention to the laces in on the pocket and hinge areas. Then work it with your hands, bending and tweaking. One thing you have to really be careful about is that hands are designed to close much more then they are to open. Since it's a catchers mitt you want it to be a nice big target, so if the glove naturally closes, it won't be very effective for actually catching the ball, you gotta make sure it's supple enough for the catcher to have their hand wide open without fatiguing early. Just my $.02

-W

 

[1st_&_3rd]

Hey thanks for the help and advice. I know Bretman knows of what he says. He's done some great work for me on DDs old mitt.

BTW I did liberally apply Nokona glove oil to the mitt before wrapping it.

 

[Lozza]

It's how I;m going mine right now. Just wrap it up!

Leather treatment is always good, I use Dubbin (not sure if it's in America) but all the glove manufactours make glove oil.

 

[1st_&_3rd]

I just thought of a couple questions:

Bretman Could you explain the reasons behind using baseballs and/or a combination of those and a softball for the pocket?

starsnuffer How do you use those ball mallets? Do you just put the mitt on a table and hit it? Or do you put the mitt on something softer?

Thanks

 

[starsnuffer]

Professionals have a thick stuffed leather pad that they use to shape leather, similar to what a machinist might use to hand hammer metal plates. I just use a folded towel on top of a sturdy workbench and that seems to work fine. Basically what you're doing with the mallet is the same thing catching a hard pitch would do over time, you're just doing it in a shortened time period with a bit more force then a young catcher would normally be subject to. Shape the pocket, and beat on the laces to soften them up, the laces are where a lot of stiffness comes from.

Here's an episode of fastpitch.tv that demonstrates Mizuno's glove steamer, if you watch long enough you'll see the person demonstrating using a glove mallet to break in an infielder's glove.

-W

 

[BretMan]

I just thought of a couple questions:

Bretman Could you explain the reasons behind using baseballs and/or a combination of those and a softball for the pocket?

starsnuffer How do you use those ball mallets? Do you just put the mitt on a table and hit it? Or do you put the mitt on something softer?

Thanks

I've used multiple balls/different types of balls to suit the shape or size of the glove. There really isn't a "one size fits all" approach to shaping your pocket and what you use can vary depending on the glove or how the player wants the pocket shaped.

For instance, if you wrap the entire glove with just a softball in the palm area, the web of the glove might tend to collapse or crease if there's nothing in it. Often times a combination of two balls, one on top of the other, kind of like a "snowman" with one ball in the palm and one in the web, will be a good fit. But it is really a matter of personal preference and whatever combination best works for a given glove or player is just fine.

I also use a glove mallet, a homemade one that is an 11" softball attached to the end of a sawed-off wooden baseball bat handle. With the mallet you can do two things. You can simulate hundreds of catches in a short period of time. You also can beat the padding to soften it a bit. On a new, stiff glove the leather is stiff and the laces are stiff, but the thing that inhibits the glove closing the most is the stiff padding. The padding around the heel of the glove (the bottom, near where your hand goes in) is especially tough to get softened up and probably has the greatest effect on the glove opening and closing easily.

Generally, to shape the pocket where the ball is caught, I'll use the mallet with the glove on my hand. To loosen the padding, I'll lay the glove on a hard surface, like a carpeted floor or a table with a thick towel rolled up under it.

 

[Ivy's Dad]

I typically only use 1 softball, but position it with the top half in the webbing and the bottom half in the palm. I've only ever broken in fielder's gloves, so this might not be optimum for a catcher's mitt. After I broke in my DD's Mizuno 1258 this way, the glove is a trap. Once the ball goes in, it doesn't come out.