When choosing the correct catcher’s mitt, take into account the glove size and the glove weight. While working for the National Pitching Association, we weighed gloves for over two years. Every person who came through the doors of the NPA Performance Center in San Diego emptied out his bag, and we weighed gloves of all shapes and sizes. The size, model, quality of leather, wear and tear, and substances put onto the gloves made every glove unique.
During this study, I weighed over 1,500 gloves, 140 of which were catcher’s mitts. The average weight for a catcher’s mitt, youth, and adult combined, was close to 26 ounces. This doesn’t seem like much, but that is just over 1.6 pounds with some gloves close to 2 pounds. Many people still apply large amounts of oil onto the gloves. This makes them heavier. I did see that when exact model gloves were new vs. used, the used glove was always heavier possibly due to dirt, sweat, etc. 1.5 – 2 pounds held out in front of youth, or even an adult becomes heavy after a period. It becomes harder to maneuver and control.
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When it comes to throwing, the arms must balance themselves off to have balance and good timing from start to finish. If a catcher is unable to control the glove out in front of him, it will quickly cause problems with his throws. Having 5 ounces (the baseball) in one hand and 1.5-2 pounds in the other hand makes it hard to balance. Think of yourself on a tight rope. If you had such a weight difference in each hand, you would have to do something different with your arms to balance off. This is why catchers gloves fly down and away from the body instead of staying in front of the body. The gloves are just too heavy for the catcher to control.
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A catcher must decide what he likes in a glove, and he must see if he can handle it. Many companies are now making full-sized gloves in weights that rival smaller models. Two of the mitts in the photo above are lighter. The Rawlings Pro Lift and the Easton Lite model are three to four ounces lighter than other gloves their size. Many catchers like smaller gloves and many like larger models. It is going to be a personal preference, but it is essential that the catcher be mobile and accurate when, first, receiving the ball, and, second, blocking and throwing.
Finding a catcher’s mitt that is the right size and weight will aid in the development of a catcher. The equipment that a catcher uses is there to help, not hurt.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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