Using a baseball glove size chart does not entirely answer the question about what size baseball glove for an 8 year old, for instance. A lot of factors come into play when fitting a baseball glove size for your kid.
Sticking to a specific baseball glove size is one solution that helps. As experts would say, “go by the numbers.” But, letting your kid try the glove proves to be the most effective solution so far.
Contents
- Baseball Glove Size for 8 Year Old
- How Do I Determine the Glove’s Size
- Which Should I Buy for My Kid: Glove or Mitt?
- Which Factors Affect the Sizing of the Baseball Glove
- How Do I Know if the Baseball Glove Fit My Child?
- What Are the Best Baseball Gloves for an 8 Year Old?
- How Do I Easily Break In a Baseball Glove for My 8 Year Old?
- Conclusion
Baseball Glove Size for 8 Year Old
An ideal 8 year old baseball glove size should have a length of 10 ½ to 11 inches. This size should work not only for beginners but also seasoned players. A glove that is too small for an 8-year-old can be tight and uncomfortable. On the other hand, a too large glove can disrupt the player’s attention by slipping off.
Closing or opening a tremendous glove can also be difficult as it requires the strength of bigger hand size to do it.
How Do I Determine the Glove’s Size
The first thing you will have to do is decide what kind of glove you are sizing: is it a baseball glove for 8 year old or a baseball catcher mitt?
- If you want to determine the size of the baseball glove, then you can quickly check the measurement engraved on either the thumb or pinky area of the glove.
- To verify the size, measure the glove yourself using a flexible measuring tape. Start from the tip of the index finger down to the middle part of the glove’s heel.
- The overall length you will get is the size of the baseball glove.
- Now, if you want to determine the size of a baseball catcher mitt, measure the circumference, not the length.
The difference in sizing between a baseball glove and a baseball catcher mitt pertains to the difference in their functionalities.
Which Should I Buy for My Kid: Glove or Mitt?
Before answering this question, we have to be aware of the difference between a baseball glove and a baseball catcher mitt.
The baseball glove, through its fingers, functions to provide freedom, flexibility, and ease on the hand. Thus, it should be conducive for kids below ten because it is during this level that they are to play several positions.
On the other hand, the catcher mitt is best for catching and controlling the ball, hence its fingerless design. Thus, it should be more functional for youth to adult players to focus on specific areas or positions: the catcher and the base positions.
The baseball glove should serve an eight-year-old better than a catcher mitt.
Which Factors Affect the Sizing of the Baseball Glove
Here are three main factors that affect the sizing of the baseball glove:
1. General Positions
Players younger than ten who play several positions around the diamond (instead of one main position) will need smaller gloves with sizes between nine to eleven inches.
2. Main Position
Players older than ten usually take the responsibility of doing the main position. The sizing business usually gets busier during this time because each position would strictly require specific size ranges.
Examples of a main/primary position (including their corresponding baseball glove size ranges) are as follows:
- Pitcher: 12.00”
- Shortstop: 11.00” – 11.50”- 11.75”
- Second Baseman: 11.00” – 11.50” – 11.75”
- Third Baseman: 11.50” – 12:00”
- Center Fielder: 12.00” – 12.50” – 13.00”
- Left Fielder: 12.00” – 12.50” – 13.00”
- Right fielder: 12.00” – 12.50” – 13.00”
- Catcher: 31.00” – 33.00” – 34.00”
- First Base: 12.00” – 12.50” – 12.75”-13.00”
3. Left Hand/Right Hand Throw
The size glove for 8 year old usually varies depending on the marking of the glove – whether it is regular or full right.
- Left-Hand Thrower (LHT): If your kid is a left-hand thrower, he should wear the glove on the right hand. When looking for such a glove, pick the one with a “full right” mark.
- Right-Hand Thrower (RHT): Kids throwing with their right are to wear the glove on their left hand. Thus, you will have to pick the glove with a “regular” mark on it.
How Do I Know if the Baseball Glove Fit My Child?
The simplest means to know whether the baseball glove for 8 year old is perfectly fit or not is to measure if the tip of the glove’s index finger yields an allowance of two inches from your kid’s actual index fingertip.
This allowance importantly provides space for your kid’s fingers to move freely to open and close the glove.
What Are the Best Baseball Gloves for an 8 Year Old?
Gathering results from several reviews, we have come up with some best 11-inch baseball glove age eight. One notable choice is the Mizuno GPP1150Y1, Baseball Glove at 11.50 inches. And it is made from durable synthetic leather. Besides, the Rawlings, B08DHVN39V, Baseball Glove is a good choice, measuring 9 inches. It is a right-hand throw-oriented premium glove for beginner 8-year old kids.
How Do I Easily Break In a Baseball Glove for My 8 Year Old?
Baseball gloves, especially the expensive ones, come stiff for kids. Sometimes, they take too much time to soften naturally. It comes as a concern for most players, especially when the game’s season is drawing near.
Kids are most susceptible to frustration when dealing with stiff baseball gloves. As parents, you would want to save them from that frustration.
Here are some quick tips you can do to break in a baseball glove easily:
- Let your kid use the baseball glove: Let your kid play catch with it several times a week. In a way, the act conditions the glove to soften while letting your kid fully embrace the feel and experience.
- Bend the glove to shape for five hours: Place a ball inside the glove pocket. After doing so, tightly wrap the glove with rubber bands so that it closes in on the ball inside its pocket. Please keep it in that shape for five hours.
- Soften the leather of the stiff parts: Pour small amounts of hot (boiling) water into the stiffer areas of the glove. Once done, apply oil on the same areas and bend the glove back and forth.
Conclusion
There are several ways parents determine what size baseball glove for an 8 year old. These ways and factors involve acknowledging the difference between a baseball bat and a catcher mitt, determining the player’s positions, and knowing whether the glove is either a left-hand or right-hand throw-oriented.
Referring to the baseball glove size chart is, of course, another basic means. But, it has to be more than that if you aim to size the glove properly to an 8-year-old.
A powerful swing and the ball is flying across the field, just one hit, and we might never forget the thrill it brings. I do not know about you, but I never do. Every baseball game is the chance to compete with others and cooperate with your teammate. It is among my biggest passions.
