Sports Blog » How to Break in a New Baseball Glove

Anyone who’s ever bought a brand new mitt from the store knows that its about as stiff as a corpse, and is nearly impossible to squeeze closed on the first day.

To some people, a mitt is a sacred possession to them, so breaking it in and getting a good feel for it is very important.

Although there are so many ways to break in a glove, here are some helpful tips:

Apply Oil:

When you first buy your glove, get some glove oil, usually some linseed oil and rub it into the seams of your glove and the pocket. Usually glove manufacturer’s make their own oil, so look for it near the glove section of the sporting good store. Some people even suggest using shaving cream as an alternative.

Apply it to the mitt, using a cloth or your own hand, and rub it in thoroughly all over the glove. Make sure there are no clumps if you’re using cream and also not to apply too much. You want to have a nice coat all over the mitt, but there’s no need to see your reflection in it. Focus on the pocket region because this is where the glove is going to get the most traffic.

Set the glove aside and then let it dry on its own.

Use a Ball:

When the oil dries, get a baseball and place it into the pocket (catching region) and close the glove around it tightly. Grab a couple of thick rubber bands and wrap it around the glove, making sure that it won’t flop open. This helps to form the pocket region of the mitt.

Do this overnight or when you’re not using the glove.

Get outside:

Last but not least, just play catch! There’s no better way to break in a new glove than to toss the ball around. Whether you play catch for a few minutes a day or an hour, every little bit helps.

Notes:

Some people suggest using certain creams and treatments that require you to place your glove in the oven to help break it in some more. Some people don’t like this method because they feel that it can damage the leather and they recommend that you don’t do this.

I did this to the last glove I bought, 11 years ago, and I still use it to this day. It still looks practically new and it helped to form the pocket almost perfectly. I loved the results.

The cream for this is sold in any sporting goods store and use your own judgement about whether or not you want to try out this method.

With that said, have fun!