I live in miami and the only store thats sells mitts is DIcks. There are no other sporting goods stores in miami that sell gloves. Dicks carries very little in the way of good youth gloves let alone catchers mitts. Ive been there with my son 100 times and he has not seen anything he likes. He is 11 and been playing since he was 4. Ive always bought his gloves online by him telling me what he likes in a glove. He currently uses a 11 inch pro 44 fielding glove and a all star 31.5 catchers mitt. He uses these gloves because he likes them and he is comfortable with them. He would never be able to find either of these gloves in a store in miami to try on. It has been alot of trial and error but glove shopping in person is not gonna happen in this town. Just food for thought for any parents struggling to find gloves for their kids. Another option is to look at what other players his age are using in his league and see what they like. Good luck.
The issue we have is our city has a surprising lack of baseball gear on the shelves. The two sporting goods chains in town have the same stuff and VERY little catching gear, so we have to buy online. Sizing is where we need help so we can order 3 or 4 diff mitts and return those he doesnt like.
Best piece of advice from the video "Let your son pick out what they like". Just because my glove growing up was the Johnny Bench model doesn't mean my son will like that. We went tried on 4-5 gloves and he ended up liking a Rawlings which was middle of the pack in terms of price. Since he changed gloves though he has been able to hang on to the ball much better.
I have been desperately trying to figure out what the best size mitt to get for my son is without having to buy $1,000’s in gloves. He’s 15 and a D1 commit but we don’t have access to lots of broken in gloves to try.
@@gbaker1a775 Gotta agree with this, let the boy choose what he wants since its pretty individualized. A 900 dollar mitt isn't going to make him better if he hates it.
@@gbaker1a775at 15 I have a feeling that he already has a glove he likes. Brand and boxed/flare etc. if he’s a D1 commit he knows what colors and customizing he wants as well
Always heard that all-star is for larger (grown man) hands, but the best for adults. Rawlings, Mizuno, Wilson generally make the best gloves all around imo-I’d start with those.
Xan, I am parent of a 15 year old catcher who will playing at his high school this spring. His current mitt is an Akadema, and has served him well but has a deeper pocket. With him playing in high school ball it’s time to invest in higher quality mitt. I think his transfer would improve with a medium depth pocket. Which gloves manufacturers make this type of catchers mitt? Thanks for any input you can provide.
Xan, can you do a video on different shapes of pockets for catcher mitts and how to shape a pocket for a newly purchased mitt. with the holiday season upon us I have a feeling a lot of youngsters are going to be getting new mitts under the tree from Santa and how to properly break them in with the right pocket would be an excellent tutorial. Thanks you are the best and we appreciate all that you do for the catching community
Good advice, but would have been better if you explained more by showing some actual mitts, difference between deep and shallow pockets. My 8 year old little leaguer wants to start practicing as a catcher at home.
okay so what if there is little to no variety at any store local or within 2 hours??? I use to catch but things have changed so much that I don’t know what to look at now… and everyone else just buys online… what is your suggestion for a youths very first catchers mitt that won’t break the bank??
Is there a difference (other than size) between a 30/31.5 youth mitt and a 32" mitt... same brand. Struggling to find a mitt for my grandson. Local stores have little to choose from in "youth" category but more in "small".
It would be helpful to give a minimum $ value for a realistically basic value mitt for varying age levels. So, when parents set a budget, they're being realistic for a young player to be getting a quality functional product for their situation.
Trying out a catchers MIT at the higher level does not work. It's not yet broken in. I spent over $250 on a mit, then had the glove whisper break it in. Then, he hated it. He didn't want to tell me that, but it's very important to get the right glove. Ended up getting another Mizuno intermediate glove, but that won't last long catching varsity pitchers. Cheaper, but how do I help him find a pro glove when you don't know how it feels until it's broken in?
@@catching101 Dude we tried... for a year. Got the mallet and everything. How about a video on how to break in a glove. So far we have had success using the new gloves in bull pen or some off if a machine. But that Wilson 2000 just would not break in. He always has his game glove and last year glove and at times new glove being broken in. But as God as witness, he could not get that Wilson glove to work. FYI most pitching at 65-70 with a few at 75. Machine at 85 mph. FYI #2. Loved your extended interviews in 2020.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there aren’t many LH catching mitts and there are even less good ones. In that case you just need to buy one online.
Online is your only option. Look at the online reviews and see if what they describe is what your kid is looking for. You dont have to buy the most expensive but the quality usually goes with the price in these gloves. Good luck
I agree. Let him choose the glove he wants. The problem is finding a glove he likes. There are few in stores. Online is the best way. It's alot of trial and error but you'll find it. His point is your son has to play with a glove he likes. Not a glove you think he should be using.
