Are You Picking The Right Catchers Gloves?
Why catchers gloves are important and what you need to look for
Catchers gloves are vital to the young and old catcher. Not only do catchers gloves protect the hand from harm, they also create ideal condition for getting off the throw to second or third base in the event of an attempted steal. Catchers gloves need to be resilient to stress as well as adaptable to other situations. Here are some tips.
What the mitt will go through
Catchers gloves will be handling high velocity pitches in either a baseball or softball setting. And in order to protect the palm from this constant abuse, sufficient padding needs to be in place.
If there is a pop fly at the plate, a catchers glove will need to be able to move to catch the ball.
And in the event of a base stealing episode, a catchers glove will need to open quickly to release the ball for the catcher to throw to the baseman. All in all, this is a busy glove.
Why the different mitt?
And you may have already realized that there’s quite a market for catchers gloves.
These individualized gloves are made with all of those previously listed duties in mind, and can be quite expensive. But with the added price come a longer playing life and less worries about damage to you and your hand.
You can find catchers gloves for cheap, but you might not get the safety features that you need.
What a catchers glove should have
Catchers gloves should include a deep pocket for the ball to rest in.
When the pitches and throws are coming at faster velocities, you want to have as much space between the ball and the palm of your hand so that it has time to slow down.
You will also want to test catchers gloves to make sure that they easily open and close.
You will find this in those gloves made of leather.
But above all, you need to try on catchers gloves to see what suits your particular hand while also protecting it.