Breaking in my Catcher's Mitt

I know you don't want to wait long so you might not like my advice but here it goes:

Don't do anything other then play catch with it. Don't put it in the microwave or run it over in a car. The best way to brake it in is to simple throw so it forms the way you catch.

plp556, YOU could not have said it any better.
What will happen when you mess something up by say lighting your glove on fire? Then your screwed. Nothing bad can happen from playing catch. Do it every day for a 1/2 hour and you don't have to be catching to play catch.

Catch43,
A good catcher’s mitt is tough to break in. You can accelerate the break in time by abusing the leather with those things you mention but the proper way to break in a catcher’s mitt is as plp556 suggest, and that is to use it. If you want to catch cars tires then break your mitt with a car....If you want to catch baseballs then break it in with baseballs. My son will have different mitts in different stages of “break in” and will use the “best’ one to catch in games. Nothing like a 90 mph FB to create a pocket!
Fungo

Maybe I didn't ask the question right. I played catch with it for a long time. Over a month already and even played it some games. But it's still very tight. I am not able to open and close it rapidly. Is there anyway I can do that in like a 60 second period of time? Or overnight? Thanks for your suggestions.

Natural Break-in is the best for the leather. I have purchased a Rawlings Heart of The Hide Projp20 catcher's mitt and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes and ruined the pocket forever. Plus decreased the quality of the leather and laces. Don't use oil!!! It weighs down your glove and attracts dirt. If you put anything on it use shaving cream. Personaly I prefer a natural break-in. Go the hard, long way and it will pay off. good luck !

It can take up to 6 months to break in a Rawlings Heart of The Hide or Pro Preferred. Go to rawlings.com. They have some good instruction on breaking in new gloves. Just don't oil it!!!

I got a Rawlings Peo Preferred about 3 months ago. Had it for one week and i started using it as my game mitt. It is perfect and i don't see why anyone would want a flimsy mitt.

You may want to invest about $5 bucks into the batting cages. You'll look different (catching instead of hitting), but catchers tend to be different anyway right? Best position on the field.

Yeah luckly it's winter so you have a long time unless you play year round. Catch defintly breaks the glove in the best and most naturaly.

The best way to break in your glove is to play catch with it. Another way to help form the pocket is to take a broken wood bat, and with your hand in the glove beat the pocket with the head of the bat. It helps compact the leather in the pocket where you want the glove to be solid.

Keep in mind, leather is skin. It was a living organism, by cooking (microwave and oven) the leather will become dry and brittle drastically effecting the "life" of your glove. Shaving cream is OK to use, however, most brands will also dry out the leather, be careful. Use a lanolin based leather conditioner to lather the glove, and remove the excess. Then play catch, or beat the heck out of the pocket.

If you don't care if the glove gets ruined, drop it in a bucket of water with a ball in the pocket, let it dry out, then oil it, this will soften the leather, but it will cut the life of your glove by 75% or so.

The best way to break in a quality mitt is to put two balls(plastic if you have them),one in the pocket one in the palm,wrap it with string or bungee cords to keep them in place.Now for the hard part fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and submerse it over night,you may have to put something on top to keep it from floating.Next day take it out and put it some where to dry,this may take several days.After it has dried play catch,beat it with your fist till it feels right, this may take several days to weeks.I did not believe it either but have broken in six mitts this way and I promise it works.

Yeah, the bucket works. But as mentioned above it will cut down on the life of your glove. Also, all of your padding will soak in the moisture, making the glove much heavier than it should be. However, don't take my word for it, research some articles on line. There are a couple below.

http://www.gloverepair.com/break/
http://www.gloverelacing.com/break.htm

the only thing i can suggest is good - ol fashion country hard ball.

I like what Eagles19Catcher said. I broke my glove in with glove oil, glove oil, and more glove oil. Now I don't think it turned out all the bad. I would put glove oil on it the night before I was going to catch with it and play some (as Pitching101 said) good 'ol fashion country hard ball with it. then follow the same rutein with it untill it broke in. I have had it for 4 years and it is still in good shape. A lot darker in color, but still in good shape. I am breaking my new fielder's glove in with just playing catch with it and maybe a little glove oil. I sugest you use what Eagles19catcher said though, it sounds like a good method.

BTW, Wilson Pro Stock glove oil is really nice stuff, it has lanolin in it. Also, you can also find shaveing cream with lanolin it it also.

-Kevin

Nokona has some good tips to break in your glove.
www.nokona.com

I've bought the Glovestuff from the Sandalady, and it really helped soften up the catcher's mitt for my kid.

check out her site (lots of good stuff!)

http://www.sandalady.com/