A new baseball mitt is not ready to be used until you put it through a series of steps meant to break it in and soften the leather. New baseball mitts are tough and difficult to handle, so they need to be softened and made malleable before they can provide you with their best performance. The main objective of breaking in a mitt is to soften the palm of the glove.
Step 1
Buy an oil or cream product for the mitt. You can use a variety of products for this, including Vaseline, mink oil, saddle soap or Tanners glove oil. Specialty stores sell products like Tanners glove oil, which are made especially for treating leather items.
Step 2
Use a small sponge or cloth to spread the oil all over the mitt. Use a small amount and massage the oil so it soaks into the leather. Make sure you get the seams and corners. The leather should feel slick, but the oil should not be running down the sides.
Step 3
Let the glove dry in a ventilated room. It might take several hours for the oil to be absorbed. For best results, leave the mitt alone overnight. When it's completely dry, run a finger over the leather. Your finger shouldn't look or feel greasy.
Step 4
Use your glove as much as possible so you begin to form the pocket or middle part of the palm, where the ball is caught. You can do this by simply playing around at home or by visiting a batting cage (which is somewhat better because of the speed the ball is thrown). You can also put a ball in the middle of the palm and then tie up the glove really tight using shoelaces or string.
Things You'll Need
- Oil or Vaseline
- Sponge or cloth
- Baseball
- String or shoelaces
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