How to Choose a Baseball Training Glove
Stop shopping by model number and start with the skill. Every training glove on this page does one of two things: it removes the pocket so the player must use two hands, or it shrinks the pocket so the player must catch the ball cleanly. Decide which lesson the player needs first, then pick a size and a feel.
Flat and Pancake Trainers: Two Hands, Soft Hands
A pancake or flat trainer is the starting point for most players and the everyday warm-up tool for many pros. With no pocket, a one-handed stab or a lazy throwing hand shows up instantly as a ball rolling away. The Valle Eagle Switch is a true pancake that fits either hand; the Eagle KK and Eagle KK-P add four finger stalls so the hand stays relaxed the way it does in a game glove; the Eagle KKS combines both ideas in one ambidextrous glove; and the Eagle Halo adds a contoured catch point that tells the player exactly where the ball hit. Use a flat trainer for the first ten minutes of every defensive session, then switch to the gamer.
Undersized-Pocket Trainers: Catch It Clean
Once two-hand fielding is automatic, an undersized trainer sharpens where the ball is caught. The Valle Eagle K47 has the smallest pocket in the line inside a soft four-finger glove, the Eagle 8S is a firmer 8 inch trainer, and the Eagle 975S is a 9.75 inch utility trainer with a real web that infielders, outfielders and pitchers can play catch with. The Eagle Pro 975 is the same pattern in Kip leather. Outfielders have the Eagle 1050S, first basemen the Eagle 11S mitt, and catchers a full range of undersized receiving mitts in the Catcher Training collection.
Weighted Trainers
Weighted versions of the infield, outfield and catcher's trainers add resistance to the glove hand for players who already have sound fundamentals and want to build glove speed and awareness. They are advanced tools; start with the unweighted glove and add weight later.
Sizing and Age
A training glove should feel small; that is the point. Flat trainers fit almost any age through an adjustable strap or open wrist back. Undersized-pocket trainers run from 7 to 11 inches for fielders and 25 to 32 inches for catchers, and most fit players from about age 10 through adult. Use the position, size and level filters on this page to narrow the list, and remember that one trainer per lesson is enough: a flat glove for hands, a pocket glove for accuracy.