Goalie Glove breaking in

[varano]

Hi guys,
So I switched to playing goalie in ball hockey and I'm having trouble controlling balls on the glove side. I get a lot of balls popping in and out of my glove and overall I find that my glove is really hard to open and close.

The gear I bought has only been used for about five games and then another three or four on my part.

How much of this is my form and how much of it is new equipment?

Is there a way to make my glove easier to open and close? I see videos of people putting hot water or something but I don't want to damage my equipment.

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[AIREAYE]

Take it back to the store and have them put it in the skate oven. Then work it around.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Get used to the ball popping out all the time. Any shot that hits the palm of your glove and not the pocket will probably bounce out. Remember that your glove is designed for catching a frozen puck and not a orange ball.

 

[PiggySmalls]

The hot water in your glove won’t damage it. It is just to soften the padding to make it easier to shape and close. If you don’t want to do hot water, if you got a steamer you can apply the steamer to it to soften it up, close it then set something of weight onto it cools down.

 

[Huff3r]

Remember that your glove is designed for catching a frozen puck and not a orange ball.

 

[varano]

Get used to the ball popping out all the time. Any shot that hits the palm of your glove and not the pocket will probably bounce out. Remember that your glove is designed for catching a frozen puck and not a orange ball.

Ok so rather than fooling around with heating the glove I should probably work on my glove hand a bit more and getting balls in the pocket.

 

[AIREAYE]

Ok so rather than fooling around with heating the glove I should probably work on my glove hand a bit more and getting balls in the pocket.

You can do both...

 

[900]

Vaughn Street Hockey Goalie Catchers Glove, Senior | Canadian Tire
this took almost no time to break in, is cheap, and is meant for catching balls not pucks. I use it my self, and it holds up well after a year.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Ok so rather than fooling around with heating the glove I should probably work on my glove hand a bit more and getting balls in the pocket.

Breaking in the glove is still important. However, i wouldn't beat myself up too much over the ball popping out of the glove. The reason being is that the orange ball doesn't travel in a straight line and will often change direction as you try to catch it. The difference between the ball hitting the pocket of your glove and the palm is only a few inches. Imo its just a good idea to be aware of it so it's easier to deal with rather than get frustrated.

Also if you are depending on your glove too much during a game you might be too deep in your net. Maybe if you play the shooter a little more aggressively you'll be able to make those saves with your body rather than relying on your glove.

 

[goalie29]

I used to use my ice gloves in ball hockey, and got frustrated with pop outs. I solved it by going to Play it Again and buying a 90s era Heaton trapper. It's passed the broken-in stage, to a point I wouldn't use it with pucks. But it's awesome for orange balls. Now I hang onto shots without even consciously closing my glove. Controlling rebounds is a good skill to have, and the proper equipment will make it easier. Bonus is that my blocker matches the unused Heaton pads I found a few years ago.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Take a ball slightly bigger than the hockey ball. Soak the glove in water. When the glove is saturated thoroughly put the ball in the pocket, and close the glove on it, and bind the trapper shut around the ball. Let the glove dry.

Do not heat it or blow dry it, you want the leather to dry without too much damage to it.

Once the leather is dry, but a good glove balm (leather shoe balm works well) on it to re-hydrate the leather.

Work the leather over a bit; you should have a naturally formed pocket with some play in the glove...

Hope this helps.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Take a ball slightly bigger than the hockey ball. Soak the glove in water. When the glove is saturated thoroughly put the ball in the pocket, and close the glove on it, and bind the trapper shut around the ball. Let the glove dry.

Do not heat it or blow dry it, you want the leather to dry without too much damage to it.

Once the leather is dry, but a good glove balm (leather shoe balm works well) on it to re-hydrate the leather.

Work the leather over a bit; you should have a naturally formed pocket with some play in the glove...

Hope this helps.

This is what I do to my gloves aswell, works great

 

[varano]

Things have gotten better. Still a few pop outs but it was a skill issue.

 

[JimC]

Things have gotten better. Still a few pop outs but it was a skill issue.

What has helped tremendously for me was restringing the pocket with skate lace and made it a floating pocket which made the pocket deeper and softer. I also moved the pocket up so that the pocket has more coverage.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Just wear the glove around the house when you're at home and repeatedly open and close it