The Best Infield Training Gloves

5.

Training gloves have evolved from a simple hard foam pad, like the Jeter SKLZ Softhands ($14.86 at Walmart), to small, leather, game-shaped gloves with webbing. Each type of training aid serves a different purpose. Softhands force you to use both hands, trapping the ball agains the pad. This teaches the mechanics of using two hands to not only catch balls, but to field ground balls hit directly at you as well. This method is great for prying Little Leaguers from their habits of using one hand to catch fly balls or field balls hit on the ground.

4.

The training glove most people use is the basic, round, flat pad with a slot for your hand and fingers on the backside. The Mizuno Classic Pro GXT-1 ($34.95 at Baseball Savings) and the Akadema Pancake Glove ($49.95 at Baseball Savings) give you more padding while using the same flat form as Softhands. The extra padding allows you to field balls hit or thrown harder at you while still forcing you to use two hands for a clean catch. There's no pocket and very little flexibility with these, but the leather is more durable and offers a more realistic feel for your glove hand.

3.

Cal Ripken brought a new design to the training glove field with the Great Hands Glove. It's padded for your thumb, palm and fingers, but also has a unique T-Pocket design that allows you to close your hand around the ball. They glove bends as you field the ball unlike the flat training gloves. While this is a step up, it's not as glove-like as possible. It doesn't feel real. The Great Hands Glove is 8.5 inches and only $35.00. It's an effective training aid and much cheaper than the flat glove.

2.

The Valle Eagle Trainer Lit'l Jen 975 is a training glove that feels like a real glove. It's small enough to force concentration and two hand catching the majority of the time, but shaped like a true glove, letting you backhand and field balls to your side with one hand. The Eagle Trainer is 9.75 inches, and has a velcro strap. It can be used for little leaguers, but the finger slots extend so that teenagers or adults can use it as well. The idea is there, but it looks like a youth glove. The velcro strap, while convenient, doesn't resemble a glove you're proud to wear... if you're older than 8. It's $57.99 and not the best quality, you could buy it because it's more useful than the flat gloves, or you could keep reading and get a better one for a better price!

1A.1B.

The Rawlings 5-Tool Pro Training Glove and the Mizuno Classic Pro GXT-2 Training Glove are the best training gloves I've found.

At 9.5 inches, the Rawlings ProTrain ($49.99 at Baseball Express) is great for middle infielders needing to practice quick transfers from the glove to the throwing hand. The most important thing is that it feels like a real glove. It's made for an adult hand, but out of the box it doesn't seem that way. It feels much smaller than 9.5 inches (hard to believe, right?), it's extremely stiff, and the first few times playing catch you'll get frustrated with the tiny webbing and pocket. The leather is good quality, and once it breaks in and you get used to the feel you'll forget how small it actually is. Overall...  a great glove for the price. It makes you concentrate more on where the ball hits your glove as you try to avoid taking the ball in the palm. It's not too much more expensive than a little league glove you'll find at Wal-Mart, but clearly better quality, and it can be used by almost all ages.

The Mizuno Classic Pro GXT-2 Training Glove is similar to the Rawlings glove, but only 9 inches. It's shaped more like a glove you could use on an everyday basis, but the size of it makes it a training glove. As you can see, it has a bigger pocket than the Rawlings trainer, making it more functional for fielding ground balls hit straight on and catching. The problem is backhanding because of it's small make. It's more expensive than the Rawlings, $59.99 at Amazon, but definitely a good buy. I wish I would have had this glove in little league, instead of the standard 11.75" or 12" monster that swallowed my hand.

 

 

Where to Buy:

Derek Jeter SKLZ Softhands
Walmart

Mizuno Classic Pro GXT-1 Training Glove
Baseball Savings
Dunham's

Akadema Pancake Training Glove
Baseball Savings

Cal Ripken's Great Hands Glove
Great Hands Glove

Valle Eagle Trainer Lit'l Jen 975 Glove
Valle Baseball

Rawlings 5-Tool Pro Training Glove
Baseball Express
RawlingsGear
Baseball Savings

Mizuno Classic Pro GXT-2 Training Glove
Amazon