Ball Pop - palm padding?

Tatonka · Dec 18, 2016

This issue came up in another thread (Equipment) and hadn't gotten any traction so I thought I'd ask about it over here...

Really interested to know if anyone has a specific method or suggestion to overcome the issue of the ball popping out as a result of the Vinci's palm padding (NOT catcher mechanics as it doesn't happen as much with her old Mizuno)? I hadn't really even considered that it could be because of the thickness of the padding in the palm area of the Vinci mitt but a few others here have mentioned they had a similar experience. It's a JCV-VM Kip leather, almost a year old with a pretty good amount of break in, practice and game time on it. This is the only issue DD has with the glove, it's s great mitt. It's gotten way better but still happens more often than you'd like to see (or at least seems that way to me). Maybe it still needs more time. Any suggestions as to what we might try to help with this?

Edited to add: DD loves this mitt!

YOCOACH · Dec 18, 2016

My DD had the same issue. She said because of the extra thick padding, she couldn't feel the ball as well. We switched to the All-Stars CMW3000 and it hasn't been a problem since then. I use the Vinci now to catch my pitchers at the 18U level and thank God that I have it everytime...lol.

625ender · Dec 18, 2016

Balls popping out are usually a timing issue and not closing the mitt when the ball sinks to it's deepest spot in the pocket. Also, not properly catching the ball can cause the problem. I'll do my best to describe what I'm talking about..... Most players use a mitt like an outfielder glove. They open it to it's max and the squeeze it when the ball hits. A mitt when it's properly shaped should not require opening wide. Just a relaxed clawing motion (back scratching) is what you want. Catch with your fingers not your hand.

The JCV is terrible about having balls pop out of them. It's certainly a structural issue. I understand having a properly padded mitt, but overboard. I beat the crap out of my daughters with a mallet even long after it's been properly broken in. I mean pounded it! It's gotten slightly better. I'm going to send it to my glove guy and have him remove 25% of the padding to see if it helps. More if needed

Eric F · Dec 19, 2016

I have certainly seen a difference from mitt to mitt with my DD. Some mitts just work better for her. She tried a Vinci JCV-22 at 9yo, and had the same kind of issue with not being able to feel the ball, and it popping out. It was replaced by a Mizuno, which was replaced by and Akadema, which was repalced by another Mizuno (all of which worked very well for her). Now at 12yo, I'm preparing a JCV34 for her in hopes that it will work well for her this time around, but there's a possibility that I may need to find it a new home if it doesn't.

Jdaddy · Dec 19, 2016

DD has had JCV-VM for three years now. Took about a month to break it in after Casedawg worked it before shipping. DD started using it in second year 12U and has never had any trouble with balls popping out. She's not a big kid, so I don't think it's her ability to squeeze the mitt harder than other kids. The one thing I have always done is kept the palm and pocket well conditioned with the Vinci conditioner. I try to keep a shine on the leather without over conditioning, usually about once a month depending on the amount of use. May be worth a try.

625ender · Dec 19, 2016

This is going to sound a bit crazy, but it works great. Have her put 3 fingers in the pinky stall and her index finger in the ring finger stalls. It will really open up the pocket and isolate her hand increasing her grip strength. I was in my twenties when a coach showed me that technique. It also helps incredibly when catching someone who throws a heavy ball. It will eliminate numbness in your ring finger

Tatonka · Dec 19, 2016

Thanks for the feedback guys, the beatings will continue along with keeping the palm area lightly conditioned. DD is a pretty strong kid and while it was tough to even move the glove when we first got it she now has no problem with that. I had hoped this would last her thru HS but this issue could derail that plan if it continues.

Eric F · Dec 19, 2016

625ender said:
This is going to sound a bit crazy, but it works great. Have her put 3 fingers in the pinky stall and her index finger in the ring finger stalls. It will really open up the pocket and isolate her hand increasing her grip strength. I was in my twenties when a coach showed me that technique. It also helps incredibly when catching someone who throws a heavy ball. It will eliminate numbness in your ring finger

My DD uses the finger-shift approach in all her gloves, and I'm slowly working on her teammates. Once they get past the "this feels weird" phase, they all love it.

CNJ-Catcher06 · Dec 19, 2016

I finally resorted to some surgery on DD's Vinci. At the very base of the palm, there is semi-circle stitching that is crazy over-padded. By loosening the stitching around the base of the glove, I was able to get a pair of needle nose pliers inside and pulled a bag full of padding out of there. There is still plenty of protection -- it's just as thick as the palm of the glove. But that big lump of extra padding prevented her from closing the glove all the way and the ball popped out all the time. It's gotten much better, although she still has some trouble with changups that don't burrow their way into the pocket.

She loved her old super-soft Mizuno, but when she sprained her thumb it went in the trash.

Eric F · Dec 19, 2016

CNJ - Are you talking about the leather lacing or the thread stitching?

Ball Pop - palm padding?

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