How To Break In a Ball Glove Fast

With the glove back facing your chest, grasp each side of the heel (or the base of it where you stick your hand in). Squeeze tightly, and slide the glove back and forth with both hands moving in opposite directions back and forth.

Next, you’ll want to firmly grab the glove at both ends at the top — with one hand on the thumb stall and the other hand grasping the pinky finger stall. Stretch the webbing. Doing so will extend the webbing as well as expand the finger stalls.

The glove may shrink a little as the glove dries. Mind how much force you use during this step. Use more if you prefer a looser top lace, and use less if you want to retain its original structure.

Take the glove in both hands. Shape the webbing into an ‘Z’ form and apply firm pressure as you squeeze for at least seven seconds. This step helps your glove to not feel stiff when you open and close it.

Turn the glove palm side up. Make sure it's open. Grab your mallet, and use it to deepen the pocket to the depth you prefer.

Don’t know how deep your glove should be? Read our softball glove sizing guide to learn the right depth for your exact position.

• Fold the glove closed.
• Turn the thumb stall up to where it’s facing you.
• Once again, grab the mallet and beat the glove on the outside of the heel beginning with the thumb side and following up with the pinky side when you’re satisfied with the softness of the glove.
• Doing this helps improve how quickly you can open and close the glove in practice or in the game.

While you could simply play catch immediately upon buying your new glove, this guide helps you speed up the time it’ll take to fully make it your glove. Keep in mind that your glove will adjust a little back to its original form regardless if you play catch or not. It’s so important to play catch as often as possible.

This process yields different results depending upon the materials of your glove. Synthetic gloves may break in the quickest whereas premium leather gloves may take a few days to a couple of weeks.

If your glove doesn’t break in using this technique (or you’re looking for faster alternatives), consider some of these alternative methods.

There are an endless number of ways you could conceivably break in a softball glove; however, many of them either harm the integrity of the glove itself or void the manufacturer’s warranties. That’s why we’re only mentioning the safe alternatives that don’t damage the glove and that are generally warranty-safe.

Glove wrapping is likely the easiest way to break in a ball glove. Both the set-up and execution of this does not require any extra tools other than what you likely already have around the house: rubber bands, your glove, and a softball or baseball.

With this in mind, here is a general walkthrough of this process:

• Place a ball in the pocket of the glove.
• Close the glove with the ball inside. Ensure the thumb and pinky touch.
• Wrap/fasten the rubber bands around each section of the ball glove.
• Stash the wrapped glove somewhere for at least two days.
• When you’re ready to check the progress, unwrap the glove.

If the glove still feels a bit stiff, you can repeat this as many times as needed to fully break in your softball glove.

If you’re not keen on using water to help soften the material of your new glove, there are glove-safe conditioners, gels, and oil sprays you can use as an alternative way to break in a glove.

Exactly as you’d use water on your new glove, use a small amount of conditioner to begin. You can always add more if you need to. Use these steps to break in your glove:

1. Put the conditioner onto a clean, dry cloth.
2. Apply a thin layer of the conditioning treatment.

The webbing is typically thinner than the rest of the glove, so avoid coating any product on that part of your glove.

Try Our Favorites:

• Rawlings Glove Gel
• Hot Glove® Glove Management System
• Tanners Glove Oil Spray

There’s a big difference in the two major types of glove materials: synthetic and leather. Traditionally, leather gloves can often feel heavier on the hand as well as have a much more demanding break-in period since they’re stiffer than synthetic gloves.

In recent years, more and more players have opted in to using synthetic mesh or suede gloves for a number of reasons:

• They’re easier (and often faster) to break in — Manufacturers produce synthetic gloves with the perk and intention of being as game-ready as a glove could be off the shelf.
• They’re lighter weight — Often more agile when first opening and closing on the field.
• They’re water-resistant or waterproof — Synthetic material has more freedom in the elements than leather gloves do.
• They’re more breathable — Materials like mesh are more flexible and allow more air to flow through the finger stalls.

Learn more about the difference between synthetic and leather softball gloves.

Knowing how to identify your exact needs can help you determine if your glove is ready for game day! It's time to pick your baseball glove and break it in. Take what you've learned and come in-store. We can help you find exactly what you're looking for.