A Big Glove Can Be a Big Mistake

Occasionally a kid comes to her lesson with a glove so large she could practically sleep in it. That is a huge mistake. If you at shopping for a new one, here are six reasons a glove needs to be on the small side.

1-A large glove, especially if heavily pre-oiled, has a lot of weight. All of that weight on the end of her arm can literally throw off the balance of a young pitcher, causing excessive glove swim and a very uncoordinated finish.
2-A large glove gives kids a false sense of security. They feel the glove is long enough to reach further than it actually can. The kid does not get low enough on defense so the ball rolls under the glove, or line drive skips off the end.
3-A large glove can also be clumsy and slow. Softball depends on lightning fast reflexes, so a heavy weight on the end of arm is a huge disadvantage.
4-Continuing the same point, a glove that is too large can be dangerous. If a pitcher has a line drive screaming in her direction, one would think that a large glove offers more protection. Actually if she cannot move a heavy glove quickly it never arrives at the desired position in time, or even if it does, a floppy end offers little protection as the ball pushes right through it.
5-Most D1 colleges use gloves that are 12-inches, or even a fraction smaller, for infielders. This allows quick reflexes, yes, but it helps train players to catch the ball in that slot where the thumb and first finger meet, something they encourage for a couple of reasons. Our younger daughter also pitches on the D1 level. When they ordered gloves for the coming season, she chose one a bit smaller than 12 inches.
6-Getting a ball out of a smaller glove is much quicker to allow a lightning fast transfer to the throw. A large glove makes a fielder dig deeper, or literally search for the ball in a huge, floppy pocket. That tends to be slower.
Size is not the only consideration. Today’s gloves are often specially treated with oil that penetrates deeply into the leather. This can make them softer and they last longer. Less maintenance is needed. However, this can add significantly to the weight. Even smaller gloves can be too heavy, so we always take that into consideration. Choose wisely, and if you bought a 13-inch glove for a ten-year-old pitcher for Christmas, I hope you saved the tags.
***Note: If you are a former college pitcher who would like to learn about our Instructor Certification process, contact us. You will be surprised about all of the ways we can help you become successful. How much does it cost to train with us? Nothing. We believe pitching can be much better in America and are looking for people who have a passion for helping kids succeed.