Catching

Question
My son is 6yrs old and this is 2nd year playing T-ball. his lefty and his on 1st base i notice that he catches the ball but then it falls out of his glove.I already try different things like getting a bigger glove but he say's that he cant closed the glove all the way. Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Erica,

This is a good question.  It could be a few things:

1.  Glove is not fully broken in.  
If the glove is not fully broken in, it can be harder to catch the ball.  If he is using a brand new glove, this may be issue right there.  I would suggest you make sure the glove is broken in by:
(a) use a leather softener or glove oil to soften the leather- this will make it easier for him to open and close the glove.
(b) have him place one or two baseballs or a softball in the pocket of the glove and then wrap the glove with a few rubberbands.  This is done to help better form a pocket and will make it easier for him to catch the baseball.  

2.  Catching with improper form.
Make sure he is catching the ball in the pocket of the glove away from the palm and closer towards the fingers.  This makes it easier to close the glove and less likely for the baseball to bounce out by hitting glove hand at the palm area.  Finally, make sure he is using two hands as this is proper form anyway and will help reduce the risk the ball is actually dropped.

3.  Have him practice more simply catching the baseball.
There is no substitute for more practice.  In this case, catching additional throws, grounders or line drives will help break in his glove further and develop the right muscle memory in his catching.  By practicing the same skill over and over again, his body will start to respond in the right way automatically because of the repeated practicing.

Finally, be sure to tell him not to worry too much about this and that he will figure it out with more practice.  Tell him even the professionals occasionally drop the ball too.  The difference is they have years of practice on their side.

Best,
Jack Elliott
http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com