Valle Eagle Switch Ambidextrous Pancake Training Glove
The Valle Eagle Switch is a flat pancake training glove for baseball and softball players that fits either hand. It was the first universal-fit pancake trainer, and it does what a pancake is supposed to do with no compromises: there is no pocket, so a ground ball fielded with one hand has nowhere to go. Every rep has to be met out front and covered with the throwing hand. Because one Switch serves right-hand and left-hand throwers, it is the trainer a coach can hand down a line of infielders, and the one a family with a lefty and a righty only needs to buy once.
No Pocket, No Excuses
A pancake trainer works by removing the help a glove normally gives. With a flat leather face and no pocket, the Switch cannot catch a ball on its own; the fielder has to get the glove to the ball, stop it, and secure it with the bare hand in one motion. Stiff hands, a late throwing hand or a one-handed stab all show up immediately as a ball rolling away. That instant, unmistakable feedback is why pancake gloves are used at every level of the game for soft-hands work, and why a few minutes with the Switch before practice makes a gamer feel enormous afterward.
One Glove for Every Thrower
Most flat trainers are built for one hand. The Switch is symmetrical, so a right-hand thrower wears it on the left hand and a left-hand thrower wears it on the right, and both get the same flat face. For a team that means one bag of trainers covers the whole infield regardless of who is throwing, and for a coach it means no sorting gloves by hand at the start of a drill. The Switch is quality leather in the Valle white with "Train Like A Pro" embroidery, and it is thin enough to live in a bag as a portable infield session for pre-game work in a cramped tournament warm-up area.
Who This Baseball Training Glove Is For
The Switch is for any infielder, catcher or pitcher who needs to build or rebuild two-hand fundamentals, from tee ball players through professionals, and it is the simplest starting point in the Valle line. It is also the answer for coaches, academies and teams that need a trainer for mixed groups of righties and lefties. Players who want the two-hand lesson with a more glove-like feel should look at the Eagle KK, a four-finger flat trainer, or the ambidextrous Eagle KKS, which combines the Switch's flat palm with the KK's finger stalls. The Eagle Halo is a modified pancake with a contoured catch point for players who want feedback on exactly where the ball hit the glove. Softball players use the Switch the same way baseball players do.
How to Use the Eagle Switch
Keep the drills short and the reps clean. Start with rolled ground balls from 15 to 20 feet: field out front, stop the ball with the flat face, cover with the throwing hand, transfer. Add forehand and backhand angles, shuffle-and-throw, and short hops fed by hand. Kneeling drills work especially well with the Switch because they isolate the hands from the feet. Double-play feeds and tap drills around the bag build the quick glove-to-hand exchange. Catchers use it for receiving and blocking hand-position work, and pitchers for comebacker reps. Ten minutes with the Switch, then put the game glove on; the difference is the point.
Pancake Trainers vs. Pocket Trainers
There are two families of training gloves and they teach different things. Pancake and flat trainers like the Switch remove the pocket entirely, so the only lesson is two hands and soft hands; there is nothing to catch with, only something to stop the ball against. Undersized pocket trainers like the Eagle K47, Eagle 8S and Eagle 975S keep a pocket but shrink it, so the lesson becomes catching the ball in exactly the right spot and transferring it quickly. Most players benefit from both, in that order: the Switch to make two-hand fielding automatic, then a pocket trainer to sharpen where the ball is caught. Coaches who can only carry one trainer for a whole team usually pick the Switch, because it fits everyone and never lets a lazy rep slide.
Not sure which Valle trainer fits your player? Our guide to choosing the right Valle training glove compares every model in the line by position and skill.
Valle Eagle Switch Ambidextrous Pancake Training Glove Specifications
- Type: flat pancake training glove for baseball and softball
- Series: Valle Eagle S-Series
- Pocket: none; flat face with no web
- Fit: ambidextrous; one glove fits right-hand and left-hand throwers
- Leather: quality leather construction
- Positions: catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base and pitcher
- Color: Valle white with "Train Like A Pro" embroidery
- Age range: 4 and up
What's Included
One Valle Eagle Switch pancake training glove. It fits either hand, so there is no hand selection to make. Training balls are sold separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a pancake glove need to be ambidextrous?
Because teams have lefties. A symmetrical flat trainer lets a coach run one drill line with one set of gloves, and lets a lefty and a righty in the same family share one Switch. It is the only pancake built that way.
Do flat gloves teach bad habits?
Not when they are used as trainers rather than gamers. A pancake exaggerates the two-hand fundamentals so they become automatic; you then take those fundamentals back to a glove with a pocket. Use it for drill work in short sessions, not for live play, and it builds habits rather than breaking them.
Switch or KK for a young player?
The Switch is the purest two-hand lesson and works from tee ball up. The KK adds finger stalls and a more natural glove feel. Many coaches start with the Switch, then move to the KK or K47 as the player progresses.
Can it be used for softball?
Yes. The Switch stops a 12 inch softball the same way it stops a baseball.
How does the Switch compare to the Eagle Halo?
Both are ambidextrous pancakes. The Switch is fully flat. The Halo adds a contoured catch point that gives feedback on pocket accuracy, so a ball caught off the mark kicks out while a clean catch sticks.
