Choosing the "right" Softball Glove

A Softball glove is one of the most important pieces of equipment you will own in the game of softball. There are many factors that go into choosing the right glove, including length, web design, and style. It is essential that you choose the glove that best suits the type of player you are on defense. When young players are first starting out, they aren’t usually worried about if their glove matches their position, but as they get more competitive and experienced as a player they will want a glove that is more specific to your position. There are four different types of softball gloves that include catcher’s mitt, first baseman’s mitt, infield glove and outfield glove.

Catcher’s Mitt

This is one of the most recognizable gloves on the field because it is very specific in how it looks and should only be used by catchers. Softball catcher mitts are designed with a deeper pocket and thinner outer walls because a softball is bigger in size than a baseball. Homerunmonkey states that, “A catcher glove is designed to give the player the ability to catch fastballs all game long without hurting their hand or wearing down the glove quickly.”1 According to iSport, “Comfort is also extremely important. Catchers may have only a fraction of a second to transfer the ball from their mitts to their hands, so avoid mitts that feel heavy.”2

First Baseman’s Mitt

A first baseman’s glove is like a cross between a catcher’s mitt and an infielder’s glove. These gloves are usually less padded, longer, and also have shallower pockets for faster ball-to-hand transfers. They are also designed to be somewhat flexible for making scoops out of the dirt and an extra inch longer for stretching out to catch a ball.

Infield and Outfield Gloves

Infielder’s gloves are designed for continuous action day in and day out. Infielder’s gloves are usually a smaller glove with small pockets. This allows infielders to have a faster transition between catching and throwing the ball. . The only time an infielder will have a larger glove is if they are a utility player and also play outfield. Outfield gloves are going to be longer with a little deeper pocket to secure pop fly’s and ground balls. A longer glove provides them extra room if they need  to dive for a ball. Both of these gloves can have any type of webbing in the pocket so the web style is usually based on the players own preference.

          

 The websites    iSport and Homerunmonkey,provide you with extra information on buying the “right” softball glove that matches you. They explain the glove styles, web designs, cost, and also ways to break in your brand new glove. Always remember that there is a lot of thought that goes into finding a softball glove that best suits players because this will help in making them successful on the softball field.

References

1Glove Buying Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://www.homerunmonkey.com/baseball-softball-glove-buying-guide

2How to Choose a Softball Glove | iSport.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://softball.isport.com/softball-guides/how-to-choose-a-softball-glove