How to Break In Your Baseball Glove

Congratulations! You just bought a brand new glove. What next? What’s the best way to get your glove game ready? In this guide, we cover the best and most effective methods to break in your baseball glove.

Breaking in your baseball or softball glove can be difficult, especially if it’s brand new, and everyone seems to have their own “best way”. And while there isn’t just one way to do it, these methods have varying degrees of success, with some being more effective than others. Personally, I love the feel of a stiffer glove and replace it once it starts to get soft & flimsy.

Here, is the good, the bad & the ugly when it comes to breaking in your baseball glove.

THE BEST WAY TO BREAK IN YOUR BASEBALL GLOVE

Play Catch With It

Depending on the brand/model, breaking in your baseball/softball glove may be difficult & may take time. Many of the best baseball gloves or softball gloves will be difficult to break in. This is because they use the best quality of leather. Even so, this also means that they last longer.

But, this is by far the best way to break in a baseball or softball glove. It allows your glove to be broken into your hand’s exact shape and forms it in the way you catch. It also allows the glove to form exactly how you want it.

Don’t do anything to your glove that you wouldn’t do to your best friend

---

HOW TO BREAK IN YOUR BASEBALL GLOVE QUICKLY

Unnatural break-in methods aren’t for me, but you can try them out if you don’t mind taking the risk. The methods described below are best used:

1. On a cheap glove (under $100)
2. If you need your glove broken and ready for play immediately
3. If after only a season or two, you don’t mind having to buy a new baseball glove.

However, if you’re buying a top of the range baseball or softball glove, there are no shortcuts – playing catch with it is the safest way. A glove that’s well taken care of can last a lifetime.

Remember, these methods may shorten your glove’s life.

Use a Mallet

This method is for ideal for taking out some aggression on your glove by beating the crap out of it.  Using a mallet to hit the glove in key spots helps to soften the leather and form the pocket. Just don’t over-do it.

1. Get yourself a glove mallet
2. Wear our glove as you normally would
3. Use your throwing hand to pound the glove pocket or the back of the glove as need be.

While using a mallet to break in your glove may speed up the break-in process, your glove is better off if the abuse is avoided. Play lots of catch to fully work in your glove. This is better for your glove in the long run.

Steaming

If you need to quickly break in a cheap glove, steaming could work. This method serves to soften the leather. Unfortunately, steaming isn’t a natural break in method and doesn’t form the glove in the shape of your hand.

• Soak a towel/cloth in hot water. Wring out the excess water and thoroughly wipe down the glove.
• Play catch with it while the glove is still damp to form the pocket. Do this for about a week or so.
• After a week, while dry, oil the glove up.

Shaving Cream

Using lanolin-based shaving creams. These aren’t as bad for your glove as oils are. Unlike oils, lanolin-based shaving cream won’t soak into the leather and make it heavier.

For this method, apply the shaving cream to your glove with your bare hands, making sure to do it in moderation. Start off with the stiffer areas from the palm, working it evenly into other areas of the glove, like the inside.

This method is not as effective and is best used with an additional break-in method. After application, pound the glove using a mallet to break it in even further.

---

HOW NOT TO BREAK IN YOUR BASEBALL GLOVE

What NOT to do. Below are some methods we would never think of trying on our precious gloves. We advise you to steer clear as well. While these have sometimes worked for others, they are far too risky to try on your precious brand new glove.

Microwave It

Never put your glove in an oven or a microwave. Like Ever. While this is one of the more popular ways to break in your glove, it can do irreparable damage.

Putting your glove in a microwave or an oven will dry out the leather and cause the laces to dry out, causing them to break. Not to mention the risk of burning your house down if left unattended, or if the glove has metal bits.

Drive Your Car Over It

Imagine spending a couple hundred dollars on one of the best baseball gloves money can buy, then running a 2000-pound car over it. Insanity!

Additionally, do not leave your glove inside your car. Much like nuking it in a microwave oven, leaving your baseball/softball glove in a hot car may dry out the leather and make the laces brittle & may cause them to snap.

Tie It up

Putting a ball in your glove, Tying it up with some string and putting it under your mattress is another method that we don’t recommend.

As much as this may help create a pocket, it is an unnatural way to break-in your glove and the glove might not close as you want it to.

Use Oils

While oils and conditioners help soften leather baseball and softball gloves, they sit in the glove, making it heavier. Moreover, they break down the leather over time, causing the laces to tear.

If you do choose an oil to break in your glove, use only manufacturer-suggested products. Steer clear of products such as petroleum jelly, olive oil or any other products that may damage the leather or dry it out.

Additionally, don’t douse it in oil. Although this isn’t a break-in method on its own, opinion varies as to whether oils and other lubricants should be used.

Apply a light coat, and add more if you need to. Used sparingly, the oil helps to keep the leather on your glove “alive” and keeps it soft.

To apply oil to your glove, remove any dirt on your baseball glove using a clean, dry cloth. Use a sponge, cloth or your bare hands to rub a small amount of conditioner into your glove. Work it evenly into the laces, the web, the palm, or any other areas that are dry or starting to crack.

Do not apply the conditioner to the glove directly, as there will be too much of it on your starting point. Ensure you get the laces as well so that they don’t dry out and crack.

Important Points to Remember:

Keep in mind that leather is no different from your skin, and should be treated as such.

• The best way to break in your glove is to play catch with it.
• Putting too much glove conditioner/oil may ruin or shorten the life of your new glove
• Do not use any oils or conditioners that may cause the leather to dry up and become brittle.
• Water will dry out the leather on your glove, causing it to crack and making the laces brittle.
• Gloves that take longer to break in have high-quality leather and last longer as a result.

The best gloves don’t come cheap, so if you want your glove to last a long time, you need to take good care of it. Looking for a glove? Check out our guide on the best baseball gloves, or the best softball gloves.