There aren’t many better feelings than pulling a brand-new glove out of the box.

There also aren’t many worse feelings than trying to catch with one that feels like it’s been made out of cardboard.

A good leather glove is supposed to start with some structure. The break-in process is what turns that glove into your glove. Shaping the pocket, loosening the right areas and allowing the leather to form around the way you actually catch the ball.

The temptation is to get it game-ready as quickly as possible. But when it comes to breaking in a glove, faster isn’t always better.

Here’s how we recommend doing it.

1. Start by working the glove with your hands

Before you reach for any mallets or questionable internet glove hacks, just start working the leather.

Put the glove on. Open and close it repeatedly. Flex the thumb and pinky. Gently work the heel and the areas where you want the glove to hinge.

You’re not trying to completely flatten or fold the glove — you’re simply beginning to loosen the areas that need to move.

Pay particular attention to the heel of the glove. This is one of the stiffest areas on a new glove and plays a big part in how easily the glove opens and closes.

2. Decide how you’re actually going to wear it

This is one of the things people often forget when breaking in a new glove.

Before you spend hours shaping the pocket, decide whether you’re going to wear the glove traditionally — one finger in each finger stall — or run two in the pinky.

That decision matters.

Putting two fingers in the pinky stall changes the way your hand sits inside the glove, the way the glove closes and where the pocket naturally forms. If you break the glove in traditionally and then switch to two in the pinky later, you may end up fighting against the shape you’ve already created.

So pick your setup early and break the glove in the same way you plan to use it on the field.

3. Decide how you want your glove to close

There isn’t one perfect glove shape for every player.

Some players prefer a wider, more open glove. Others like their glove to close more tightly around the ball.

Infielders may favour a shallower pocket and quicker closure for faster transfers, while outfielders will generally want a deeper pocket that helps secure the ball.

Once you’ve decided how you’re wearing the glove, put your hand in it and repeatedly close it naturally.

Rather than forcing a crease wherever the glove happens to bend first, encourage it to form around your own catching motion.

You’re not just making the glove softer.

You’re shaping it.

4. Start forming the pocket

Grab a baseball or softball — preferably the same type of ball you normally play with — and place it where you want the centre of your pocket to form.

Then work the glove around the ball.

You can throw the ball firmly into the pocket yourself, use a glove mallet, or repeatedly close the glove around it.

The idea is to concentrate the impact in the area where you actually want the ball to sit.

Just remember:

You’re making a pocket, not trying to beat the life out of the glove.

5. Play catch. Then play some more catch.

This is the boring answer.

It’s also the best one.

The most effective way to break in a glove is to actually use it.

Playing catch naturally works the hinges, forms the pocket and shapes the glove around your hand. Every catch helps the leather gradually learn where it needs to flex and where it needs to keep its structure.

Start with shorter, easier throws while the glove is still stiff and gradually increase the intensity as it becomes easier to close.

Take ground balls.

Catch fly balls.

Throw a ball into it while you’re sitting on the couch.

The more naturally you use the glove, the more naturally it will break in.

6. Store it properly while you’re breaking it in

When you’re done using your glove, put a ball into the pocket and store it somewhere cool and dry.

You can gently secure the glove around the ball if you want to help maintain the pocket shape, but don’t crank it shut as tightly as physically possible.

And please don’t leave your new glove crushed underneath the rest of your gear in the bottom of your bag for a week.

A glove will gradually take the shape you repeatedly leave it in.

Make sure that’s the shape you actually want.

What NOT to do when breaking in a glove

This is where things get interesting.

Search “how to break in a baseball glove” and eventually someone will recommend something involving an oven, microwave, boiling water, a clothes dryer, shaving cream, driving over it with a car or some other form of glove abuse.

Our advice?

Don’t cook your glove.

Avoid extreme heat, boiling water or other aggressive shortcuts designed to make a glove instantly soft.

You’re dealing with real leather, laces and internal padding. Harsh treatment may get the glove softer quickly, but it can also affect the leather, weaken the structure and shorten the life of the glove.

A glove becoming incredibly floppy overnight isn’t necessarily a successful break-in.

The goal is to make it game-ready while keeping its structure.

How long does it take to break in a glove?

There’s no exact number.

The leather, glove construction, how stiff you like your glove and how often you’re using it will all make a difference.

A softer leather may feel comfortable relatively quickly, while a firmer premium leather can require considerably more work.

Our American Steerhide gloves generally have a softer initial feel and should require less work to get comfortable.

Our Japanese Kip leather has a tighter, firmer feel out of the box and will generally take more patience to fully break in — but that’s part of what gives it the structured feel many players love.

Don’t judge a premium glove because it isn’t completely game-ready after one session.

Give it some time.

The EXOH break-in method

If you want the short version:

Wear it how you play. Work it. Shape it. Catch with it. Repeat.

1. Decide whether you’re going traditional or two in the pinky.

2. Work the heel and hinges gently with your hands.

3. Decide how you want the glove to close.

4. Form the pocket using a ball or glove mallet.

5. Play as much catch as possible.

6. Store the glove with a ball in the pocket.

7. Keep going until the glove closes naturally without losing its shape.

Breaking in a new glove shouldn’t be about making it as soft as possible.

It’s about taking a glove that was made for a player…

and making it yours.