How to Break in a New Baseball Glove

Posted on March 17th, 2009 by Elaine

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Any eager baseball player becomes annoyed when working with a new unused glove, because it can ruin a good game. You don’t have to deal with this dilemma though, because there are ways to break in a new baseball glove, giving it a “seasoned veteran” feel. Here’s how.

What You’ll Need:

Sunlight
Baseball or softball
String
Rag
Oven
Glove conditioning oil or leather oil
Baseball glove foam
Shaving cream
Mattress

Put It Under The Sun Or In The Dark

When placed under extreme heat, or unused in a dark corner, a new baseball glove become easier to shape and break into.

Put a baseball or softball in the glove (depending on which sport you’re going to use it), and tie it with string securely.
Leave it out in direct sunlight for a whole day. The heat makes it hot and easy to shape.
After taking the glove out of the sun, untie the string, take out the ball, then shape it by pressing in the pocket, opening and closing. Throw the ball in the glove’s center as hard as you can, repeating it several times.
Close the glove around the ball as tightly as possible, wrapping with string again. Put it overnight or for a couple of days in a dry and dark corner of the house. Don’t let anyone touch it. Soon, your glove will feel as if it’s been used for years.

Oil The Glove

There are commercial baseball glove conditioning oils available in the market today, made to enrich, soften and preserve the leather. They also work to get the sweaty smell out. If you can’t find a glove conditioning oil, you can simply use a good leather oil to season the glove.

Get a clean rag, and apply some oil to it, covering it entirely. Don’t put too much so it drips, though. Just wipe it on.
When you covered the glove completely, put the ball in the middle. Wrap it again, to create the shape you wanted. Leave it like that for a week, then use it.
Oil the glove again after sometime. It might take a few weeks before you get the shape you want, but with a bit of patience, you’ll get there.

Foam Works

Aside from oil, there are also foams made for baseball gloves sold in sporting good stores too. These work great when breaking in to your new glove.

Put foam all over the glove, then lather.
Put the glove in the oven, at a temperature of 300 degrees. Let it stay there for four minutes. Take it out.
While the glove is still warm, work it repeatedly for 10 minutes.
Do this four or five times. After the last, put a ball in the center and let the glove cool around it.

If you can’t find a glove conditioning foam, you can use typical shaving cream. Apply some cream on a clean cloth, then rub onto the glove, in a circular motion. Put a baseball glove inside, tie with string then place in a dark place at room temperature overnight to dry. The next day, wipe off remaining cream, and use it.

Sleep On It

Putting it under your bed also helps shape your glove. Just tie the ball in it, place it under the mattress, then sleep on it. The next day, your glove will be formed into the shape you wanted. This can be uncomfortable, though, so make sure you position the baseball glove well.

Keep Practicing

Your new glove will shape itself much better and faster if you always use it. It’ll take time getting used to it, but as long as you keep using it diligently, it’ll shape out and work better for you.

People love getting new things, but not when it comes to baseball gloves. Don’t worry, as long as you try these tactics, you’ll break into your glove faster and sooner, and it’ll feel as if you’ve used it for years.