Using regular glove as catcher

[pthawaii]

My son (8) just started his first season of kid pitch. He likes to catch, but doesn't like the catcher's glove. Is it okay at this age to just use his regular glove? It doesn't appear that any of our pitchers throw any harder than our SS when he plays first base. I'm thinking for sure at the next level up, he better get used to the catcher's glove, but for now it seems safe enough to let him use his regular glove, but figured I'd ask here in case I'm missing something.

[Megunticook]

I don't see a huge safety issue at that age. I assume your son is wearing a cup, shin guards, helmet, mask with throat protector, chest protector--and that he protects his throwing hand in a comfortable fashion.

But maybe he just needs to try a catcher's mitt that fits his hand. Also, if the mitt isn't broken in, the ball will tend to pop out. It could also be that he just needs to get used to it. I would at make sure the mitt fits and ask him to play catch with it a few times a week. After a while he might get more comfortable with it.

What mitt do you have for him now?

[AdamInNY]

It's not a safety issue with the pitching, but a catchers mitt will provide more padding if he gets hit with a bat.

[rodnok1]

Use whatever he is comfortable with for now, I would still get him a catchers mitt to work with. A good fit and a quality mitt can make all the difference.

[tg643]

Teach him how to play the game properly. Also, he won't enjoy getting swatted by a bat (swing) with a regular glove.

[powermatt99]

Use the catchers mit. A throw from SS to 1B is a lot easier to react to standing up from a greater distance. Pitches not right down the middle have the tendency to catch the thumb in odd ways even with a catchers mit. Protect his hand and wrist and use the catchers mit.

[pthawaii]

He's currently using a 10.5 inch Vinci glove. Soft and light weight. He uses it for SS, First Base, Outfield, Pitcher and more recently catcher. I guess he was frustrated with not being able to catch with the cathcer's mitt so he just used his normal glove last practice. Seemed to enjoy it more and actually caught the ball more. I'll see about him trying a more broken in mitt. I'm debating buying one, but if he ends up not catching, that's just $ down the drain.

[AdamInNY]

It's tough catching a ball with a catchers mitt if you haven't used one. Borrow one form your local LL or someone and practice with it having a catch. My younger son is 8 and he have catches with him using his catchers mitt. It's tough, but as TG mentioned teach him the right way. Better he learn now.

[mudvnine]

C'mon, he's nine, either is fine.....see how I got that to rhyme? Sorry.....my bad. :silent: :ooo:

Seriously, he'll be fine with either, the "thumb thing" can be an issue, but usually not until they're 11 and 12, so you got a couple more years.

Don't know where you or they are in HI, but here are a couple inexpensive options for getting him a catcher's glove/mitt without having to worry about too much "$ down the drain" should he change his mind.

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/spo/3248515019.html - yes, "Fast Pitch Catchers Mitt".....they're thinner and more easily closed than a regular catcher's mitt. Sorta a cross between a "thin" catcher's mitt, and a "thick" first baseman's mitt. Might be a good glove to transition to and from....and you can't beat $25 or make offer.

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/spo/3201699617.html - Just a "fair" glove quality wise, but for $40 "new", that's kinda all you can expect when it comes to catcher's mitts (they simply take more material than a regular glove so the price is automatically higher throughout the "quality" price ranges). Price is about $30 less than retail, so you have that to go on.

Remember, regardless of what you buy, you can always resell if yourself to recoup some $ if he chooses to not catch, or even donate it to a non-profit league or youth organization, and write it off your taxes at possible a higher amount than you paid for it. (Disclaimer: No professional tax or financial advice given or implied, please consult with your personal tax adviser, to see if this method might possibly work for you. )

[AdamInNY]

C'mon, he's nine, either is fine.....see how I got that to rhyme? Sorry.....my bad. :silent: :ooo:

He's 8!

If he happens to be a lefty, I'll send you one of my mitts which is too small for me if you pay shipping .

[tg643]

He's currently using a 10.5 inch Vinci glove. Soft and light weight. He uses it for SS, First Base, Outfield, Pitcher and more recently catcher. I guess he was frustrated with not being able to catch with the cathcer's mitt so he just used his normal glove last practice. Seemed to enjoy it more and actually caught the ball more. I'll see about him trying a more broken in mitt. I'm debating buying one, but if he ends up not catching, that's just $ down the drain.

I bought youth catcher's mitts off kid's parents who were movng up to the next level mitt.

[HeinekenMan]

To piggyback on something Mud said, I recommend the fastpitch catcher's mitt if you can find one. I inherited one that was in our league's lost-and-found for a year. I use it as my regular glove for practice. It really is like a thick first baseman's glove. And it closes really easily. I've never suggested for any of my catchers to try using it, but I might experiment at our game tomorrow. Most of the folks who see it believe it's a first baseman's mitt. I bet it would work well for that purpose. In fact, I might see if I can get away with using it at first, too. LOL

[clayadams]

In a somewhat related post to the "fastpitch" glove... have you tried a first baseman's glove? I find it to be a nice compromise between a regular glove and a catcher's mitt. My kid is the 2nd string catcher for both 9u travel and rec and we use a first baseman's mitt. Plus, at this level, you're jumping after lots of poorly thrown balls and the first baseman's mitt does a MUCH better job at snagging those.

[trademark]

My son played with a regular glove until he was 10, going on to 11 years old.
I was in the same boat as you. I didn't want to make a $$ commitment until I was sure he truly liked the position. He absolutely loves the position because he’s in on every play. The year before he switched, we broke his mitt in the entire season. The next year he made the switch without a hitch.

[DerekD]

Aside from issues with the glove, it could be that he needs to learn to catch with it. As silly as it may seem, a drill that my son started with when he was first learning to catch was one that didn't even involve the glove. The catcher gets down into one of his catching stances without the glove. He holds a ping pong ball in his catching hand, holding it with his pinky and ring finger. A coach kneels or sits on a bucket about 8-10 ft away and tosses a tennis ball. The catcher should catch the ball with the other two fingers and thumb. Don't worry about the misses so much. The idea is that the catcher is receiving the ball with the correct part of the hand.