Valle Eagle 8SWT Weighted Infield Training Glove
The Valle Eagle 8SWT is the weighted version of the 8 inch Eagle infield trainer, built for baseball and softball players who already field cleanly with an undersized glove and want to train glove speed as well as glove accuracy. It carries the same 8 inch pattern, Japanese steerhide shell and adjustable strap wrist back as the standard 8S, and adds roughly eight ounces.
What Eight Ounces Actually Does
Eight ounces sounds small until it is on the end of your hand for a round of ground balls. The added weight does two things. It makes the glove hand work, so the muscles that move the glove into position get trained rather than just the hands that catch. And it exposes any hitch in how a fielder moves the glove, because a heavy glove punishes a late or lazy move in a way a light one does not.
The effect players notice first is not strength but timing. With extra weight, the glove has to start moving earlier, which is exactly the habit good infielders have and average ones do not. Take the weight off and the standard glove feels quick, which is the point of the whole exercise.
To put the number in context: Valle's unweighted trainers run around a pound, and the weighted models about a pound and a half. That difference is meaningful over a hundred repetitions and irrelevant over five, which is why weighted work belongs in short blocks.
An 8 Inch Pattern, Which Is the Hard Part
Eight inches is small. A regulation infield glove runs eleven to twelve inches, so this removes roughly a third of the catching surface and most of the forgiveness with it. A ball caught anywhere but the middle of the pocket comes out. There is no deep pocket to hide in and no webbing to trap a ball that was not really caught.
That is the Eagle idea, and the weighted version stacks a second demand on top of it: catch it in the middle, and move a heavier glove to get there. It is a serious tool and it assumes a player who is already competent, which is the honest way to describe it.
Japanese Steerhide and the Strap Back
The shell is Japanese steerhide with USA-tanned leather lacing, the same construction as the rest of the Eagle S-Series. Steerhide is the firmer of the two leathers Valle uses, and firm is right for a trainer: a glove that softens into a scoop stops teaching anything. The palm carries added padding and the thumb has extra cushion support, which matters more here than on the unweighted glove because weighted work tends to happen in volume.
The wrist back is an adjustable Velcro strap. On a weighted glove that is not a detail. Extra mass wants to move on the hand, and a strap that cinches the glove to the heel of the hand is what keeps the weight working the arm instead of flopping around the wrist.
Who the 8SWT Is For
Infielders from high school upward, and instructors who want a progression rather than a single tool. The natural path is the Eagle K47 or the standard 8S first, then the weighted version once the catch itself is reliable. Adding weight to a player who is still fighting the small pattern trains frustration.
Middle infielders get the most from it, because the double play feed rewards a glove that is already moving. Third basemen use it for short hop work. It suits softball infielders equally; the pattern and the weight behave the same way with a 12 inch ball, which is why Valle sells it to both.
How to Train With a Weighted Glove
Keep the blocks short. Ten to fifteen minutes of weighted work inside a longer session is the pattern that holds up, because the value is in moving the glove correctly and that stops the moment the arm tires. A tired fielder with a heavy glove grooves exactly the late move you are trying to remove.
Run the drills you already run: short hops out front, backhand and forehand reps, flip drills, and rounds off a fungo. The one addition worth making is a deliberate finish: take the last round with your gamer, immediately, so the contrast registers while the feel is still fresh.
Pair it with the rest of the Valle training range if you are building a station. Small balls in a weighted glove is the hardest honest version of catch there is.
Caring for a Steerhide Trainer
Play catch with it and nothing else. Steerhide holds the shape it is given, so a trainer that gets steamed or oiled softens into the very pocket it was built to deny you. Let it air dry after a wet practice rather than leaving it in a bag, store it with a ball in the pocket, and wipe the white leather down occasionally so it stays findable in a bag of tan gloves.
Valle covers the glove with a one year limited warranty against defects in materials or workmanship, running from the date you receive it. Worth knowing: the warranty is void if the glove is steamed, soaked, microwaved or baked to speed up break-in. Playing catch with it is the method that keeps it intact.
Valle Eagle 8SWT Weighted Infield Training Glove Specifications
- Type: weighted undersized infield training glove
- Series: Valle Eagle S-Series
- Size: 8 inch
- Weighted: yes, roughly 8 ounces heavier than the unweighted 8S
- Leather: Japanese steerhide shell with USA-tanned leather lacing
- Wrist back: adjustable Velcro strap
- Padding: added palm padding and cushioned thumb support
- Hand: right hand throw
- Sport: baseball and softball
What Is Included
One 8SWT training glove, right hand throw. Valle does not offer this model in left hand throw.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much heavier is it than the 8S?
About eight ounces. Valle's unweighted trainers run around a pound and the weighted ones around a pound and a half, though these are approximate rather than measured per glove.
Should I buy the weighted or the standard 8S?
Start with the 8S unless you already train with an undersized glove regularly. The weighted version assumes the catch is reliable and works on how quickly and how well you move the glove.
Is it available for left handed throwers?
No. Valle supplies the 8SWT in right hand throw only.
How long should a weighted session be?
Ten to fifteen minutes inside a longer practice. The benefit comes from moving the glove correctly, and that ends when the arm gets tired.
Can I use it in a game?
No. It is a training glove, undersized and weighted, and it is not legal or practical for game use.