How do YOU break in your glove?

[Gloves22]

Everybody seems to have a different idea for breaking in their glove - how do you do it? What are your tricks?

Share your secrets here...

[Monarchs]

Try this stuff. It is the best conditioner I have ever used.

http://www.justwoodbats.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=794

[ksbs99]

A little vasaline in the palm , I place a ball in the pocket and tie it together with the thumb and pinky overlapping each other .

[kelleyathletic]

http://www.kelleyathletic.com

Let's start with what you should NOT do when breaking your glove in:

Do Not soak your glove in water
Do Not bake your glove in the oven
Do Not microwave your glove
Do Not put any petroleum substances on your glove

All Kelley gloves come pre deep-oiled to help with break-in. You will notice that your Kelley glove is probably a little more stiff than the ones you pick up in a retail store. This is because we use thicker/higher grade materials in our products. By injecting oil during the tanning process, we are helping with the break-in of your glove. You will not notice this benefit until you start to use your glove and the oil begins to break it in from the inside out! This method allows us to put the best possible materials into our gloves in order to create a product that will hold its form and last with rigorous play - yet will still be easy to break-in. You don't have to put any oil on your glove to break it in, however, putting Kelley Glovolution in the palm/hinge area will help to expedite the process:

Put a liberal amount of Kelley Glovolution on the palm area and rub it in. Unlike other oils, Kelley Glovolution will not make your glove heavy. Also rub small amounts of oil into the strings throughout the glove.

The next step is to work in the hinges. The hinges are what allow the glove to close. To work the hinges, we recommend you do the following:

Put your hand in the glove and begin to close it. You will see the hinges fold near the areas marked above. Once you have found your hinge break-points, remove your glove and begin gently folding it back and forth in these areas. Do this 50 to 75 times or until the hinges feel comfortable to you.

The best and most natural way to form your pocket is to play catch. By doing this, the pocket will become customized to your catching style. Another way you can form your pocket is by pounding the pocket area with your fist. When you do not have time to work with your glove, put a softball in it and wrap it closed.

You should always keep something in your glove when you are not using it. Not only will this help to insure a nice pocket, but it will keep your glove from getting lonely as well!

We have come up with a few things you can do to maintain the look, performance and life of your glove:
clean your glove as often as possible (use a damp cloth)
keep the strings on your glove tight
refrain from throwing your glove
recondition it with Kelley Glovolution once per month
as mentioned before, keep something in the pocket
if you feel your glove starting to dry out, lightly rub some Olive Oil in it
if possible, be selfish with your glove. other users will hamper the custom fit
talk to your glove often. praise it for good work

[barras15]

Olive oil? Olive oil can go rancid over time and would you really want to do this to your fine leather glove? Not trying to bash you but personally I think it is a really bad idea.