Decisions... decisions... Selecting the right GLOVE. Knight: Ages 3 - 8
One of the most important decisions made by any parent when enrolling their child in baseball is selecting the correct glove.
I do not want to understate the importance of this decision as it is a critical one. Just think, for half of the time that your child is playing baseball, they will be wearing a glove (designated hitters and POs (pitcher only) skew these numbers).
I will break down this topic into three sections:
Knight: For young kids; tee-ball through rookie ball (Ages 3-8)
Prince: For older kids; minor through major ball (Ages 9-12)
King: For teenagers and older (Ages 13+)
This post is for the Knight age group.
Knight: For kids in this age group, glove comfort trumps all other characteristics (size, brand, webbing). At this age, it is most important that your child is comfortable wearing their glove. If they are uncomfortable, this will slow their development and could result in them not enjoying the game. Oftentimes, I have seen parents and coaches making a lot of mistakes in this age group; focusing on glove features that do not matter. Bottom line, get a glove that your child likes to wear (favorite colors could seem trivial but are also very important at this age).
But what if the glove isn't "broken in"?
Typically, tee-ball and youth gloves are designed from a softer leather/fabric that requires less "breaking in". If your child cannot squeeze the glove, chances are they will not want to wear it. See the above paragraph on glove comfort.
Aside from comfort, is there anything else I should be aware of?
As mentioned previously, comfort is the most important at this age. However, I would be remiss not to point out two other important elements that slot in after comfort:
Handedness
Size
Handedness
Handedness is referring to which hand your child will use to throw the baseball. If your child is right-handed, they will wear their glove on their left hand and vice versa.
Generally speaking, parents should let the child choose their handedness on their own based on what feels most comfortable to them.
Tip from the Coach: Take your little one outside on multiple days to determine handedness. Day 1: roll 6-10 grounders asking your child to alternate between their left and right hands throwing the ball back to you. Day 2: roll 4 grounders asking your child to alternate between hands and then 4 grounders asking them to use their preferred hand. Day 3: roll 6 grounders asking your child to throw with their preferred hand. After these sessions, you should have a good grasp on what handedness your child prefers.
Some parents who consider themselves more "baseball savvy" may try to influence the handedness of their child knowing the positional pros and cons in the future. As mentioned before, I would strongly encourage you not to do this as you could hamper your child's baseball development - however, it is ultimately your choice.
For those who are not aware, as your child ages, their handedness can affect what positions they play. Below, I have outlined available positions based on handedness at the professional level.
As you can see in the above table, right-handedness opens up a lot more of the field to your little one, however, occasionally first base and pitcher favors left-handed players.
Size
The size of a glove at this age is also important as it is a component of comfort. The "perfect" size glove for this age group is 10 inches. If you feel that a 10-inch glove is too big, I would go down to 9.5 inches but no smaller.
At 10 inches, the glove is not too big and not too small for the child. Trust me, at 3 years old, a 10-inch glove may seem enormous, but anything significantly smaller and you run the risk of your child not being able to have enough "glove" to properly catch the baseball.
The Coach "Debunks" Myths:
Finally, to wrap this post up, I wanted to debunk some of the myths surrounding gloves in general but specifically gloves at this age.
A better brand DOES NOT result in better catching ability. Yes, there are some tee-ball gloves that have an "easy catch" strap to aid in catching, however at this age, a Franklin glove is no less than a Mizuno is no less than a Wilson, etc. Catching at all ages comes down to technique - a highly-priced glove is unnecessary at this age as it will not result in better performance (on its own).
Handedness even at a young age DOES MATTER. Do not get the wrong "handedness" glove and expect your child to adapt. Good habits and important skills are built during this age and it is important that your child has a glove that they like and they can grow with.
It is NOT OKAY to forget to pack your kid's glove for practice/games. It is very important for your child to get used to their glove and not a friend's glove as the more they practice with their own glove, the better they will be at understanding when and how hard to squeeze to make a catch, how big the glove is, etc. This will result in them developing their skills faster.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at:
mk.kingofthediamond@gmail.com
