How should a glove fold?

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Jun 19, 2016
858
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I started looking at some of the broken in gloves that I have and I started to wonder if they were broken in correctly and if they were really folding at the "correct" location. I realize that this might be a function of the gloves construction and the user's hand shape and size, but perhaps there is something to that initial conditioning that matters to getting a glove to fold correctly.

The first example is my own personal glove. It is an Easton Alpha 12.5". I bought specifically because it was the one glove that I could easily close in the sporting goods store. There is definitely a crease in the hinge, as well as one at the base of the thumb, but when I close it is not even close to lining up pinky and the thumb. I really don't have any problems catching balls, but that maybe because the of the larger 12.5 size of the glove.





They next one is my DD 11.5 inch glove. I got this one from a fishing buddy free of charge. It was well broken in and has served well but it is getting a little ragged. It sort of has the same pinky thumb offset but it is doesn't seem to be as pronounced.


Do these gloves seem typical or should they be closing more evenly?
 
Jun 19, 2016
858
63
Check out sandalady.com good resource

This is some good info. I know the best way is to simply play catch....But especially for my 6 year old son this is not possible because he cannot even close most gloves. The one exception might be the Mizuno Prospect.
 
Last edited:
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
I like my glove to lie flat, with the thumb/pinky touching (or as close to it as possible). I never, ever put a ball in the glove when breaking it in because I find it's harder to squeeze when there's a big round pocket. Sometimes the ball will just stick in there, but a glove is not a basket. I consider it an extension of my hand, so I want to have complete and total control.

I've actually found that less expensive gloves work better for what I want. I went glove shopping this past spring with the intention of spending whatever I needed to. Ended up spending I think $80 on a glove. The worst gloves (basically rock hard and frozen in a round position made for a ball just "sticking", I guess) were the ones that cost a couple hundred bucks. That's great, I guess, if you can't really catch and just stick your hand in front of the ball and hope the ball sticks. It's terrible if you actually want to catch the ball.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
The worst gloves (basically rock hard and frozen in a round position made for a ball just "sticking", I guess) were the ones that cost a couple hundred bucks. That's great, I guess, if you can't really catch and just stick your hand in front of the ball and hope the ball sticks. It's terrible if you actually want to catch the ball.

"Rock hard" gloves get softer with break-in and use. A properly broken-in, high-quality glove is a wonderful thing.

My kip-leather Akadema stared out very stiff and hard to use. It took a couple of weeks to get it fairly usable, and a few months to get decently broken-in. 2+ years later, getting multiple days of use every week while I coach my DD's TB team, it's fantastic. I broke it in as a dual-hinge. It's soft and flexible across the palm, but still good structure across the heel. Fingers and thumb are very firm.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
"Rock hard" gloves get softer with break-in and use. A properly broken-in, high-quality glove is a wonderful thing.

My kip-leather Akadema stared out very stiff and hard to use. It took a couple of weeks to get it fairly usable, and a few months to get decently broken-in. 2+ years later, getting multiple days of use every week while I coach my DD's TB team, it's fantastic. I broke it in as a dual-hinge. It's soft and flexible across the palm, but still good structure across the heel. Fingers and thumb are very firm.

Oh, for sure they get softer. I guess my point was I couldn't really see any good reason why some of those gloves were a couple hundred bucks. The $80 glove I bought (first new glove in 20 years; I lost mine over the spring and it ruined my entire week) not only does a great job, but I think I like it more than I would some of the more expensive ones.
 
Jun 19, 2016
858
63
"Rock hard" gloves get softer with break-in and use. A properly broken-in, high-quality glove is a wonderful thing.

My kip-leather Akadema stared out very stiff and hard to use. It took a couple of weeks to get it fairly usable, and a few months to get decently broken-in. 2+ years later, getting multiple days of use every week while I coach my DD's TB team, it's fantastic. I broke it in as a dual-hinge. It's soft and flexible across the palm, but still good structure across the heel. Fingers and thumb are very firm.

Can you explain dual hinge?
 
Jun 19, 2016
858
63
I am not a strong advocate of cheap gloves....I just wanted to to get age appropriate. I got my soon to be 6 year old son one of these from drakemire:

Baseball Glove Youth/Kids 10" Model BRV 1961 CP Junior Single Post Web by Vinci

I love everything about this glove but for some reason he cannot squeeze it yet. His old glove was an 11" Mizuno Prospect that my wife bought him while I was out of town on a business trip. He can squeeze that glove but it is so big it falls off. I guess that "Power knotch" is hard to beat for the really young kids.

For my DD who is 8 but is bigger than most 10 year olds I am thinking about getting her a Vinci Fortus. She has zero patience for breaking in gloves. She uses an older Rawlings 11.5" glove that I got for free. ThSt one has one of those Power knotches. I don't think Rawlings makes those anymore. At any rate I am thinking of going to up to a 12". In particular this one:

Fortus Series 12 Inch Fielders Glove Blue and Black - Baseball Gloves, Softball Gloves and Equipment from Vinci

When she saw it on the internet she fell in love because it matches her uniform. I am not sure I like the t-web but I hear it breaks in easy. I am also not convinced she needs a 12". Unfortunately, this particular color combo isn't made in 11.5". At $50 and $100 respectively, these are definitely not cheap gloves considering my kid's ages.
 

Chris Delorit

Member
Apr 24, 2016
343
28
Green Bay, WI
Hi Brian,

The gloves you've posted up top are just fine for a little back yard catch. Assuming the bottom one is your daughter's, it's probably time to retire it as a bucket pad.

The Fortus you're considering is a nice glove. Unless she's a pitcher, the T-web is just fine. If she's a pitcher, avoid the open web design.

Low-to-mid level leather gloves will normally require less break in. The lesser the quality, the more likely they never really break in adequately. In fact, the can get very sloppy in excess heat.

Higher level quality leather can normally be form-fitted over time & hold alot of that shape without becoming sloppy. It can take a ton of time to get right, but once you get there, you can achieve great fit & performance. Yes = keeping the glove wrapped around a ball with a couple rubber bands or similar...always. Fingertip-to-fingertip is a good reference while stored. You really want to develop a mitt that mirrors your hand in a slighly cupped shape, such as a handshake. You can soften it up with shaving cream, glove oil, etc. Treat the glove liberally, both sides. Once the inner starts to take shape, you'll treat the outer less often.

A well-broken in glove should mirror your own hand. Perfect case scenario is the glove "becomes" your hand & your fingertips do most of the work to secure the ball in the lower web/upper palm. Hopefully, you'll end up with great shape retention, nice supple inner palm & relatively stiffer outer edges.

Hope this helps you a bit.

Chris
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Oh, for sure they get softer. I guess my point was I couldn't really see any good reason why some of those gloves were a couple hundred bucks. The $80 glove I bought (first new glove in 20 years; I lost mine over the spring and it ruined my entire week) not only does a great job, but I think I like it more than I would some of the more expensive ones.

In my experience, gloves in the $80-100 range will last about a year (maybe) for a player who is playing a significant amount (TB, select, all-stars). Yes, they break in quickly, and are easy to use right out of the gate, but the structural integrity breaks down much quicker than a higher-quality glove. It isn't just about how easily it closes, but also about the stiffness in the fingers and thumb. A low-to-mid quality glove will break down in the fingers much sooner, and the player will start missing catches because the glove doesn't have the stiffness to direct the ball into the pocket.

A higher-quality glove is slower to break in initially, but the higher quality materials and construction will keep the glove usable for much longer. My DD's current fielder's glove - a Worth Liberty Advanced - is into it's second year, and not looking like it will need replacing any time soon. It was $150-ish. When you get into the top end of the glove market ($200+), people start talking about their "forever" glove. These are gloves that maintain their shape and structure for many years of regular use.
 

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