Not every type of sport played by hand requires the use of protective gear for your hands but those that do usually involve the use of a small ball. The most common examples of this are softball and baseball. Although some would call them gloves, catcher's mitts don't look like a catcher's glove at all. Despite people calling it a glove, a catcher's mitt doesn't have separate fingers like a catcher's glove. A mitt has all your fingers in one space that covers the whole hand together with the fingers. Just like regular mittens, catcher's mittens provide equal levels of protection for the entire hand.
What Makes a Good Catcher's Mitt
Padding
The amount of padding you get with a catcher's mitt tells you a lot about its level of protection. With that being said, having a lot of padding can do more bad than good. How so? Because too much padding can reduce the pocket in which your hand goes. If you want a well-padded catcher's mitt make sure you go with a size bigger than what you would otherwise get.
Webbing
With a catcher's mitt, you have two types of webbing, two-piece closed webbing and regular closed webbing. Both of these types of webbing are a great option for providing a deeper and stronger pocket, some extra padding to be added and to help conceal signals. Open webbing is also an option but it usually makes for a much larger mitt while it only improves visibility.
Material
There's only one material you'll come across when searching for a catcher's mitt and that is leather. But there are different types of leather used to make catcher's mitts. These are pig skin, complimentary, oil-treated and premium leather.
Pig skin or synthetic leather mitts are the most affordable ones. They are ideal for beginners as they are quite soft for such mitts but they usually wear out rather quickly. If you're a complete newbie to either softball or baseball, a pig skin mitt is for you.
Complimentary leather mitts are made with an accent material usually involving goat skin, snakeskin or mesh fabric. Do keep in mind that you shouldn't use a mitt that has one of these materials as its base leather.
Oil-treated mitts are made of leather that is a lot softer than the above two options. If you're a more experienced player you'll appreciate the safety and softness of this type of mitt. Oil-treated leather mitts also require almost no break-in.
Premium or pro series leather mitts are of the highest quality. They are best suited for the most experienced players as they are both the most durable and comfortable mitts you'll come across.
Back
The back of a catchers mitt matters as much as the front. Like the front side, the back side offers two options you can choose from either an open or a closed design. A mitt with an open back allows for more movement while a mitt with a closed back provides more support. Most people go for a closed-back mitt because of that but remember you will have a reduced range of motion.
Break-in Time
When you get your first mitt you should try to shape the webbing and palm of the mitt into a pocket that fits your hand well. This is best done with mitts made of softer leather. Mitts come with factory break-in too and the more pronounced this is the easier it will be for you to break in the mitt.
How to Measure a Catcher Mitt
1. You should always test fit or measure catcher's mitts by opening them as wide as you can. You should have the mitt fully extended in order to ensure you get a mitt that fits your hand.
2. When you have the mitt fully open, press down on it and then with the palm facing the ground place it firmly on a flat surface. This will help flatten the mitt as much as possible.
3. After you've done all of the above, get a flexible measuring tape and measure around the mitt. The perimeter of the mitt or rather its circumference is what you'll need to put your hand in and thus it should fit your hand exactly.
Catchers Mitt Sizing
Baseball
When it comes to baseball catchers, a mitt between 75 and 76 cm long will fit your hand if you're under the age of 7. If you're aged between 8 and 10 years old you can usually go with a mitt that is between 76 and 78 cm long. For persons aged between 11 and 13, a mitt between 76 and 82 cm long is going to be a good choice. Anyone aged above 14 can wear a mitt that is anywhere between 83 and 88 cm long.
Softball
For softball catchers, the same mitt size is going to suffice for players aged 7 and under. Anyone aged from 8 to 10 should wear a mitt that is at least 76 to 81 cm long. Persons between the ages of 11 and 13 are usually well off with a mitt between 81 and 83 cm long while players above the age of 14 can wear a mitt that starts from 83 cm and goes all the way up to 88 cm.
