The only softball gloves I have ever used were what you might call the standard softball glove. I won’t take the time to describe the glove here because I’m guessing that pretty much everyone in the U.S. can say that they have at least played with a baseball glove or softball glove in a P.E. class. I would even go so far as to say that the baseball gloves we use today are pretty much the same as the gloves used twenty, thirty, or forty years ago. You might be tempted to say that this is the case simply because the standard glove design is all that is needed. However, if you pay attention to how baseball and softball players actually play, you will see that players will typically make their own modifications to their glove.

Akadema softball gloves are designed with players’ modifications in mind. Why should an outfielder have to cram all of their fingers into three narrow finger stalls? Why would they? For the same reason that they typically form their glove to make a hinge just below the thumb–because making these modifications makes for a better pocket. Players know that if their glove has a good pocket, it will make catching a ball easier. Nothing is worse than having a ball bounce out of your glove before you can catch it. By making an extra hinge and placing fingers in three of the finger stalls, players improve their ability to catch a ball. You can find Akadema softball gloves that are designed with outfielders in mind.

These gloves have three wide finger stalls and an extra hinge below the thumb built right in. This design mimics the modifications made by outfielders and acts to enhance an outfielder’s ability to catch the ball. Infielders face different demands than do outfielders. For example, infielders are far more likely to deal with grounders or hoppers than they are to deal with fly balls. In order to aid them in scooping up grounders or hoppers, infielders will typically bend the thumb and pinky of their glove out as far as they will go. This helps to create a wide, funnel shape that is perfect for scooping up grounders. Again, Akadema softball gloves that are designed for infielders mimic the modifications that infielders make. Akadema inverts the thumb and pinky to create the funnel shape that infielders know is most useful.

As most ball players will tell you, infielders do not deal exclusively with grounders, nor do outfielders exclusively deal with pop ups. Because even an outfielder might have to field a grounder and an infielder might have to deal with a pop up, Akadema softball gloves also come in a design that makes fielding any ball easier. This in-betweener design features a nearly fingerless glove. Utilizing this innovative design, Akadema creates an excess of fabric in the palm of the glove. This excess fabric does two things: first, it creates a pocket of air that helps to cushion the palm as a pop up falls into the glove. Once this pocket is deflated, the excess fabric aids in retaining the ball in the glove. To aid in fielding grounders, this in-betweener glove also features a widened funnel shape for the overall glove.

Akadema softball gloves are some of the best out there because they are designed in a way that reflects the needs of baseball players. By being in tune with these needs, Akadema has created a line of gloves that softball players or baseball players are sure to appreciate. They even have an innovative catcher’s mitt. Using Akadema softball gloves or Akadema baseball gloves is a step toward improved play on the field.