Washington Nationals catcher Cole Leonida walks you through how to break in a catchers mitt.
Stop! Don’t run over your brand new baseball mitt with a car! Don’t pour oil on it or beat it with a bat… There are a lot of crazy ways people have tried to break in a new baseball glove.Even with great catching technique, you could still end up dropping the baseball if your glove is working against you.
The problem with running over your glove with a car is that you do NOT want to have a pancake glove. It’s very important to break the mitt in with the proper shape that will enhance and not harm your ability to catch the baseball and make plays.
Wilson Baseball glove Guru and Master Craftsman Aso illustrates the proper way to break in a baseball catcher’s mitt.
The image above is Aso, the Master glove craftsman for Wilson. His drawing demonstrates that you don’t want a crease in your glove. He also shows you how to break in a catchers mitt. The only problem is he uses a specialized tool, which most people don’t have just laying around.
But the good news is, that special tool isn’t necessary. Using the tips from Cole (in the video above), you can form your baseball mitt into the proper shape.
- Step 1 – Form the pocket with baseballs (see video)
- Step 2 – Play catch AMAP. Playing catch might be the slow way, but it’s the best way to be sure the glove forms correctly
- Warning – Don’t squeeze the glove or do any of the things that will make a flat crease in it.
Good luck!
Doug
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4 Comments
How long should you wrap it for with the two balls inside?
That’s a good idea to play catch with your new mitt. I would assume that would help you form it to the way you catch the ball. I’ll have to make sure to do that if I decide to get a new mitt.
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