Akadema Praying Mantis Catchers Mitts

Do you need a larger glove?

I don't know about the APM41 but a larger glove generally has more places in the pocket for the ball to "Hide" and will negativly impact transfers and throws.

CollegeParent,

His current mitt is youth sized and the pocket has broken twice this year. I am thinking that it is time to move up to a big-boy mitt and start to break it in before he gets to high school. Akadema claims this mitt is specially shaped to allow a quicker glove to hand transfer.

Here's a discussion on gloves you may have not seen: http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8591034941/m/3211065851
I'd try check some of these gloves out at a sporting goods store before buying, if possible.

J. Becker,

My son is a freshman in high school & has used the RPM41 for the last two years & loves it. It is a mitt that takes a long time & alot of care to break in but is well worth it. Akadema put out a newer model for '06, can't remember the model # but it's black with gray lacing. This mitt is 1/2 inch smaller & easier to break in. It doesn't seem to be as well padded as the APM41 but my boy caught a kid that throws 91-92 this year so that may have loosened some of the padding. I wish that I had a mitt with the quality of the Akadema mitts back during my time behind the dish. I highly reccomend the Akadema mitts.

quote:

Originally posted by JAGgededgeS0709:
J. Becker,

My son is a freshman in high school & has used the RPM40 for the last two years & loves it. It is a mitt that takes a long time & alot of care to break in but is well worth it. Akadema put out a newer model for '06, which is the RPM41, this mitt is 1/2 inch smaller & easier to break in. It doesn't seem to be as well padded as the APM40 but my boy caught a kid that throws 91-92 this year so that may have loosened some of the padding. I wish that I had a mitt with the quality of the Akadema mitts back during my time behind the dish. I highly reccomend the Akadema mitts.

J. Becker,

I corrected some info that I gave in an earlier post. I went to the Akadema web site & corrected the mitt numbers. For more info on the mitts you can visit Akadema's website at akademapro.com. I apologize for any confusing info in the earlier post.

GREAT MITT. My son has it and it is pretty easy to break in.

I am using a DBAT catchers mitt, awesome mitt. Very good lacing, tough leather, and it broke in somewhat fast, maybe because I played catch with it almost every day for 2 weeks after I got it, and when I wasn't I was popping a ball in it, and is still isn't all the way broke in yet, but enough for games. the website is dbatinc.com I suggest you look at it, I chose it over the A2000 mitt, but its just my opinion. I haven't had any experience with kip leather gloves, but from what I've heard on here, they break down quick, so I guess don't buy a kip mitt. I have never tried the Akadema mitts, I personally think they are ugly, but hey, if its ugly and works like a charm, use it. If you end up with it, or whichever mitt you choose, let us know and give us some feedback.

Akadema is a great mitt...I bought one the first year they demo'd in Tampa at the MSBL/MABL tournament and I am still using it---I have gone through two Mizuno's in the same timeframe....the Mizu's were for our slower throwers and the AK for my younger guys...now I use the AK exclusively...they love the pop its leather generates.

I've been catching over 25 years ... this is my first year with the Akadema Praying Mantis and it is HANDS DOWN the BEST catcher's mitt I've ever used.

One thing in particular is the extra "break" on the thumb pad, which almost completely eliminates the possibility of spraining your thumb on inside pitches (allows the pad to "give" instead of jamming the thumb)

i dont like this glove at all.. its very heavy and there is almost too much padding.. i dont mind the web design, but the 38 finger straps i find a bit too much

Akadema offers many unique features on there gloves that really help, they have been very durable as well.

If you need one, Let me know, ill get one out to you fast!~ and at a discount



AMP 41 Akadema Catcher's Mitt

Sal

Son has been using his Akadema glove for a few months after someone stole his last one. He really likes it a lot, finds it quite light and the design makes ball to hand transfer very fast. Not big and floppy, but nice and compact with good padding--no longer needs to use the gel glove inside. Took a while to break in, but so far a great glove.

One of my catchers had one last year. Seemed like a quality glove, but when I tried it out, the ball seemed to get lost in the glove around all the padding. Maybe it was how he broke it in, but I had a hard time finding and getting the ball out.

My 11 yr old has an Akadema...and loves it!! Last year he had "catcher's thumb" from using an Easton. The Akadema has an extra break in the thumb so it bends which means NO MORE JAMMED THUMBS! Also, the gloves does make a loud POP when the ball hits it...I mean very loud. The kids (and parents) get a kid out of that (especially the pitchers' parents). One issue though, with the hard leather and extra padding, the glove seems a bit heavier than most. I was told the leather was "too hard" and the glove wouldn't break in easy. While it did seem like a rock when we first got it, we had no problems breaking it in (it took us about the same as our other catcher's gloves). I'm sold on Akadema and will continue using them for catcher's gloves. I hope this helps.

Welcome Lester, I'm an Akadema guy too, in fact have two IF gloves in my bag now. My bro went to Cocoa Beach high, and he had a few friends that went to Merritt Island. Do you know Tommy Shovelin?

Hello Glove Man! No, Tommy Shovelin does not ring a bell. What year did he graduate? The Lester's are from the 70's & 80's but I'm familiar with MIHS baseball and Space Coast area baseball in general. By the way, Cocoa Beach H.S. is doing very well this year. A real surprise (maybe not to Cocoa Beach, but to the rest of us).

J. Beck,

I don't know about his personal preferences, but i use an older version of the praying mantis that i have had for about 4 years now. I must say it is the best mitt i have ever used. I wouldn't recommend a larger glove than your son already has but i would strongly recommend getting him an akadema glove. After 4 seasons of 40 plus games per year, it still has as strong of padding as it did when it was new. It is an excellent mitt if it is something that isn't to large for him to handle (by that i mean that it doesn't affect his transfers and such). The ultimate decision should be up to him though.

This is a very good if not very old thread. I'm glad I found it. But I'd sure like reading some current thoughts on Akadema's current line of Catchers Mitts. My son is an 11 year old who is playing his first season at Travel Ball. He's playing well enough to deserve his own gear and will be playing both In-house and Travel this year. I've been looking at the all-black Akadema APP-240 youth catcher's mitt http://baseballtips.com/akadema/youth.html which looks suspiciously similar to the Akadema APP-B240 (http://baseballtips.com/akadema/soft.html) from their new Adult Prosoft line. Both are 33.5 inchers so I don't know exactly what the difference are, but I'm afraid either of these might be too large for him. The alternative is the Akadema AGC-98 is a 32 incher (http://baseballtips.com/akadema/youth.html), but I'm thinking it may not be constructed as well and may have that little boy Walmart feel to it. While the boy is only 11, he's a healthy 11 (nearly the largest kid on the Travel Team), and has been catching since he entered 9-10 in-house. I've heard a lot about the Akadema mitts and he's fixated on having one. Any tips would be welcomed.

I know this is a Catcher's mitt thread, but as soon as I nail down the mitt selection, I'm on to the rest of his gear. I've been looking at Mizuno G2 and G3 sets, as well as the Easton Stealth and Natural sets. Stealth and G3 are rather expensive, but are the worth the added expense when compared to the Naturals and G2. Any good boards to read up on them?

33.5 is a pretty big glove. My son in college is currently playing with a 32.5 and has used a 31.5. Granted many college players use the 33.5, however it seems large for an 11 year old.
My son started using a wilson pudge glove (32.5) as a 11 year old. It took a while to break in at that age, but he used used for 3 years before it became to floppy. Its a reasonably priced glove.

quote:

Originally posted by CollegeParent:
33.5 is a pretty big glove. My son in college is currently playing with a 32.5 and has used a 31.5. Granted many college players use the 33.5, however it seems large for an 11 year old.
My son started using a wilson pudge glove (32.5) as a 11 year old. It took a while to break in at that age, but he used used for 3 years before it became to floppy. Its a reasonably priced glove.

Yeah,... I thought the 33.5 would be a little too large. I took a measuring tape and measured the league supplied catcher's mitt he's using with his in-house team and it was a 33. It's pretty much the standard Easton mitt the leagues supply and he often complains about it being too big for him.

I settled on the Akadema AG-C98 which is a 32 inch youth mitt. Not only is the mitt itself smaller, but he should be able to get a better fit for his hands as well. While I was at it, I also ordered the Akadema AHC-94 for his brother,... both for $59.98 at Baseball Depot.com. After all I've read, including your response, I'm thinking they'll be pleased. Akadema gets pretty good reviews. They both still have the same gloves I got them their last year of Midget ball,... geez, time flies.

As for the catchers gear, I've decided on the Easton Stealth line. I read in another thread that the Mizuno's are a pain to fit with knee savers and the young version of their G2 and G3 shin guards come with the plastic snaps instead of the metal hooks. Besides, the Eastons have five straps and the Mizuno's have four,... not sure if the really means anything. I also like that the Easton's had a more generous amount of the hard plastic shielding the leg than the Mizuno's. Anyway, I found them for what I think is a good price,... $54.95 each at CheapBats.com, and these are the 2010 model line. Some of the other online stores were selling them as high as $69 ea., and they were the older 2008 and 2009 models. I'll orders those tomorrow or Wednesday I guess.

Thanks CollegeParent for your response. Much appreciated!

Well, our Easton Stealth Youth gear arrived earlier today. I must say these legs and chest are so much out in front of the stock stuff the league provides these kids. I would let him wear it in his in-house game today,... I wanted him to wear it out back first, let his brother throw him a few, do a few blocking maneuvers in the grass, and just get a little used to it first. However, the mitts (AGC-98 and AHC-94) seems there's a back-order going on over at Akadema on those two gloves. In another forum, I read these two gloves are being replaced by new models, and the the superseding models will be inferior to the originals. Is there any truth to this? I don't mind waiting a day or two (promised Wednesday delivery)for new stock, I don't even mind if the new Akadema stock coming in is different in some ways. I do mind if these changes are aimed at cutting corners, rather than improvements or the inclusion of new better technologies. I mean how much corner cutting can a youth catchers mitt absorb before becoming a Walmart special?

Akadema mitts (Praying Mantis Model) can't be beat. Yes they take a while to break in but the durability, style, and pop noise can't be beat. It makes all our pitchers sound like they are throwing 90 MPH in warm ups.

Yeah, you're right RedSoxFan21. The Akadema mitts have proved to be nothing less than perfect for them,... both of them. I noticed the loud pop too, and you're right, you can actually see the pitchers grow hair on the chest after every pop. Amazing! My son says he like the extra hammock the catchers mitt provides. Says it give him more control, especially since the mitt is still a little stiff even after 2-3 weeks of breaking in and 5 games. The First Base Mitt also has improved my other sons game a lot. He's now catching plays at first I know he would have missed using his regular infielders glove I got him last year. When these guys outgrow these mitts I definitely will be getting the adult versions of both if they're still playing those positions. I have no doubt my guy behind the plate will be there for awhile,... he's lovin' it that much. His brother on the other hand, has been showing an interest in Short-Stop after playing it a few times. That's cool too!

Almost forgot,... since my last post we exchanged the Easton Steal chest for a Mizuno G2 chest. Fits much better and the wings offer an added level of protection. The padding is much harder than that used by Easton. Not sure if this is a good thing or not.