Baseball players have a very close relationship with their baseball gloves. Some might even describe it as intimate. The minute you purchase a baseball glove, you start forming it, shaping it and softening it to your liking. You want the glove to respond quickly to the commands of your fingers, and to do that you have to prepare it for game conditions. The process of softening a glove can take some time for the baseball player who wants to be sharp in his defensive play.
Step 1
Lather your baseball glove with shaving cream. Put in a full squirt of shaving cream and work it into the pocket and finger areas of the glove. After you have worked all the shaving cream in, repeat the procedure.
Step 2
Put a baseball in the pocket of the glove and then tightly close the fingers over the ball, followed by the thumb piece. Tie the glove closed tightly using a rope or string. Leave it in this position for at least eight hours.
Step 3
Untie the glove and go out and play catch with your glove for 15 to 20 minutes. You want the baseball to come pounding into the glove to loosen the leather.
Step 4
Squirt glove oil into the glove pocket and work it in thoroughly. Rub the oil in the finger area of the glove as well. Apply the oil generously. Break the glove in by manipulating the thumb, fingers and pocket for a few minutes. Place a baseball in the pocket and tie the glove closed again for another eight-hour period.
Step 5
Untie the glove and start playing catch with it. Your glove should be fairly loose at this point, and should respond in game conditions the way you want it to. Start playing baseball as soon as possible.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep your glove oil handy. If conditions get dry and hot, soften your glove again.
Things You'll Need
- Shaving cream
- Glove oil
- Rope or string
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