Tying a baseball sanitary sock, a strong heavy cord or rubber bands around the glove with two or three baseballs in the pocket is a standard overnight break in mode. Tie the glove up tightly with a rubber band or shoelaces, and it is also important to put a ball or two in the pocket to give the glove a place where a ball will settle very easily when those line drives and fly balls come at you. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Good for when the glove sleeps at night. To break in a softball glove, fold your glove around a ball, stick it under your mattress, and sleep on it for 1-2 nights. COVER ALL YOUR BASES WITH THE BASICS OF GLOVE CARE!!! To do this, you can place the glove in the microwave after wetting it thoroughly. Try … This way, you’re using it for what it was designed for, and won’t have to worry about damaging the glove’s materials using unorthodox methods. Wearing your glove a lot, squeezing your glove a lot and working the leather simply with your hands, can help to break it in. This action not only allows you to break in your glove fast, but it assists in the results the glove produces in the long run, as creating this curve makes catching the ball much easier. You should try to play catch as much as humanly possible, the more you play the faster the glove will break in. Once you purchase a new softball glove, you will have to break it in. Never leave your glove in the microwave for longer than 30-40 seconds at a time. Just like a baker would bread, you can use your hands to pound, stretch, pull and squeeze the new softball glove into submission. It may be best to leave the glove out of direct sunlight, as the intensity of the sun’s rays may warp the leather or cause it to shrivel up. Put two baseballs or a softball in the pocket and tie a string around it. Several “glove steamers” are on the market at local sporting goods stores, and if used correctly, can speed up the process for break … In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 115,872 times. It may even be best to place the glove on your hand while steaming as well. Most of these just contain basic oil and expensive bands used to wrap the glove. Step I: Get warm water (warm - not boiling) – pour it into the pocket/palm of the glove with the finger side up to ensure water doesn’t get inside the finger stalls. You should apply pressure to the ball through the use of your thumb and forefingers to create a “pocket.” This results in a nice natural curve which would have occurred organically if you had the time. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Approved. Wondering how to break in a softball glove fast? A hot car: Also works better in the South or West. Inasmuch as oils and conditioners help soften leather baseball and softball gloves, Oil also sits in the glove making the glove heavy. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The point is to form a defined pocket, not to flatten the glove out. If the heated methods discussed previously all seemed too extreme for you, but you still need you softball glove broken in, in a hurry, you should consider steaming it. Don't waste your money buying "break-in" kits for new gloves. The hot steam works its magic in a noninvasive way. It's understandable that you would want to speed up the process because the leather is very stiff and not very pliable. Heating can cause the glove to shrink or crack, and as a result it may deteriorate faster with use. As with most of the other techniques, it is best to place a ball in the pocket so that the glove gets the correct shape. There are actually special mallets made specifically for glove-beating, check out some examples available online: A fourth and final manual way to break in your glove fast is simply to sleep on it. This method in some form has been around many baseball generations. The natural oils on your hands can also be good for conditioning a stiff glove. Baby oil, lanolin or an oil specifically designed for use on baseball and softball gloves. As a softball player, a lot of things matter, but none matches the excitement of having a new glove. Do not worry because these oils do not cause much. Last Updated: June 4, 2020 This method works without having to soak the glove in water or rub it with oil. The Glove Locker (SGL) is a great option. A professional ball player will sometimes break-in a glove in a way that will contradict what glove manufacturers recommend. Of course, you're probably not ready to use a brand new glove during a game yet, but put the glove on, get outside and have a catch with someone. Oil Your New Glove: This is another common way for softball players to break in new gloves faster. Breaking In a Glove Using Pressure or Impact, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/af\/Break-in-a-Softball-Glove-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Break-in-a-Softball-Glove-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/af\/Break-in-a-Softball-Glove-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid595303-v4-728px-Break-in-a-Softball-Glove-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"