How To Break In A Goalie Glove - Best and Fastest ⏱

[@goalietraining]

Whenever you are ready there are 3 ways I can help you… 
 1. Get the FREE program that gives you a 2-5” wider butterfly flare in 14 days or less - bit.ly/butterflyYT-D 
 2. Subscribe to Goalie Training Pro TV on KZbin - bit.ly/GTP-TV If you have a specific area of your game that needs work - you will find a solution here. 
 3. See if you qualify to work with me in my online group coaching program here - bit.ly/GWGF_6 Step-by-step workout plans that transform your mobility, strength, speed and stamina on the ICE - this is how goalies go from untapped potential to confident and consistent.

[@markasao9617]

I've basically used the methods you showed. I used to use Vaughn gloves for a number of years but find them stiff now. Not sure if that's just me. I have since used Simmons, CCM Extreme and Warrior G4. The Simmons was great, just wore out quicker. Someone recommended running hot tap water through the inside of the glove for 1 minute. Then after wiping off excess water, leave over night with some weight on it. I tried this with a Vaughn Epic glove. Didn't seem to harm it any but also didn't help it much either. In any case, i didn't feel too comfortable in running hot water through a new glove so just worked through the things as you described here for my CCM and Warrior gloves. With this and using it in games, seems to work best for me.

[@daniellelovett3457]

Thank you, my son has always been fortunate enough to get hand me downs from NHLers, pre-broken in. He has a CCM Extreme Flex 4.9-600. I can barely get this thing to close, I’ve been using it as a thigh master....remember those...for the last few days before he gets it for his birthday. The blocker was soooo much easier to break in. Thanks for posting this!

[@goalietraining]

Ha ha - totally remember the Thighmaster - - maybe we could bring it back as a specialized 'goalie training tool' 😜. You are a good Mom to be working on his glove before his birthday. Glad the blocker didn't put up too much of a fight - ha ha!

[@garbun0629]

Great video for a new goalie dad....bought my son a brand new catcher, blocker and pads today. Thank you!

[@goalietraining]

So you have a VERY happy little goalie at home! Wooohooo!

[@justinfoy7514]

Yep, gave a like just for the blocker tip! Great job Maria!

[@goalietraining]

ha ha - thanks so much Justin!

[@charlesneitzel6558]

Maria! First and foremost, I love your videos! When I saw your email for this video mentioning Wack, it made me realize just how small and tight-knit the goalie community is! I worked with Wack @ Pure heavily during my custom pads order this year. What a great dude! I sent him a text to say hi and he had great things to say about you as well. :) He asked that I extend a "hi" from him. So - hi from Wack (and me)!

[@goalietraining]

In my books Wack is 'wicked awesome' - - ha ha - "HI" right back to both of you. Have you been able to skate in your new custom set up - hope you love them!

[@charlesneitzel6558]

@@goalietraining I haven't been on the ice with my new gear but I'm super pumped for when the day FINALLY arrives. They're great to look at, though! I'm in the san francisco bay area and lots of things are still on lockdown or heavily restricted. Rinks are starting to allow some programs, but I'm holding off on getting out to those until they make it more manageable for goalies and offer better times. Currently sessions are all in the middle of the day when I'm working. The locker rooms are also closed and they've asked everyone (including goalies) to show up fully dressed with skates on. Word on the street is that it's a huge pain for goalies and you just end up basically getting nothing but 1v0/2v0 breakaway practice and we know how tiring that can be. Add in the mask requirement and.... I think I'll wait! (We can ignore the fact that I don't think my wife would let me go in the current public health situation! lol) Thanks for all your hard work and for everything you give back to the community! Even us mid-thirties (and older) beer league goalies with day jobs get a ton of value from your videos and other programs.

[@goalietraining]

@@charlesneitzel6558 Glad to help Charles - hang in there. If we all do the right thing it will get better.

[@dlalexander565]

oh yes! that OP tip on breaking in the blocker! xD good stuff

[@goalietraining]

ha ha - yeah, pretty cutting edge stuff, let me know if you need me to go over that technique again :)

[@a47mlb]

I totally did what you suggested for the waffle. It's soooo butter!!!! Not the stiff butter you get when you pull it out of the fridge, but the warm soft mushy kind of butta' that you get when it sits out on the counter in the sun. Sooooooo butta'!!!!!

[@goalietraining]

now THAT's butta' - - glad to help!

[@mikehotchkiss5201]

I recently just purchased my first new glove and blocker and I watched this video to get a few extra tips for breaking in the glove. You defiantly got me on the blocker lol.

[@goalietraining]

Ha ha - hope I got a chuckle out of you!

[@petegalindez9961]

Maria! What kind of muffins are you making at 450 for 35 minutes??? Might be hockey pucks when they’re done!! LOL. EPIC BONUS TIP!! Thank you!

[@goalietraining]

Ha ha... guess I better just follow the instructions then...

[@Foodboy316]

Great explanation and demo of breaking a glove in.in the process of breaking in a mew glove for my son. Thanks!

[@goalietraining]

Glad to help - good luck with it!

[@kevinleblanc6923]

Big thanks!!!! These tips have gotten my Brian’s glove perfectly.

[@goalietraining]

AWESOME glad to help - have fun with all those big windmill saves in your future!

[@winterishopeless]

I have an old, used mylec glove. It hasn't really been broken in at all and even just doing some of the tips in this video for 15 minutes definitely made a difference. Still difficult to shut but at least now I know how to fix it!

[@goalietraining]

Awesome - glad to help. Keep at it and get that thing BUTTERY!!!

[@henrydisbrowe6704]

I enjoy learning more about this new equipment thanks

[@goalietraining]

Good to know thanks Henry - that gives me an idea to shoot a video review of my new chest protector and pants... and maybe do a video on skate profiling too!

[@henrydisbrowe6704]

@@goalietraining back in the day I had my skates profile but there is a lack of protection with the skates today

[@mk34maf29js63]

I love the pause and “maybe” like I’m a goalie I’m crazy enough to believe my glove could get bad juju from a softball

[@goalietraining]

... but it could be true... is it worth the risk???

[@samthehotdogdoggo7942]

The place I bought my last glove from he unlaced the whole glove not just the pocket and made the laces tighter when they should be and looser where they should be and I could close and open it before I was able to use it in a practice

[@goalietraining]

That's a good tip too.

[@connoroflynn4750]

Okay, you win. Take your like!

[@goalietraining]

Yesssssssssss!!! Thank you :)

[@Thor-rj1gg]

I’ve tried using a magic heating bag (those cloth bags with rice in them), heat up the bag for a few minutes and put the bag in the seam of the glove. Let it sit in there for a few minutes, reheat the bag and then close the glove around the magic bag. Mine is perfect for it because it’s more of a cylindrical shaped bag so it helps the glove quite a bit!

[@goalietraining]

That is a great idea... I know exactly the thing you are talking about. I like it!

[@Damian-ym1dj]

Thanks for the video! Any chance you could explain all the strap adjustments on this glove? I just bought a very similar Warrior G6 glove and I'm not 100% sure how to adjust it to fit my hand properly. It fits well, but it has a ton of straps, and I'd like to know how I should adjust them. It's my first goalie glove.

[@goalietraining]

I felt the same when I got this glove. What I did was I just opened them all up (trying to remember what went where) and then fiddled around with them to see how it changed the feel of the glove on my hand. But good idea for a video as well.

[@alexmurphy5289]

Really helpful Maria, I’m completely new so having a bad glove hand mixed with a brand new glove is a bad combination lol. I feel quite sore after playing, I hope once I build more muscle I won’t be as sore

[@goalietraining]

It will get better, just keep working on it.

[@charlesdodge604]

Looking forward to trying these out. Just ordered a custom sized glove set from Brown Hockey for my son. Hopefully with the holiday shipping chaos they'll get here before Christmas.

[@goalietraining]

Fingers crossed it gets there in time - lots of time to break that in over the holidays - good luck with it.

[@glenncunningham3772]

I will soften the leather with Neetsfoot oil and coat the inside palm with it. The oil also repels water and helps prevents the stink from developing.

[@goalietraining]

My glove for sure is not leather - but great advice for folks who might have one. Love to keep the stink down though.

[@nicolasj5940]

Lol re blocker tip! Me breaking in my Brian’s G-Netik IV glove, It took a little while but the best glove I’ve had! When I do hand-eye co-ordination practice with a ball, I always use my glove!! I never catch with my Bare hand! This I found broke my glove in fast because of just constantly practicing with it. Yes it was hard and I do the push in the net with my hip but I found this helpful!! ONE thing is, when you rinse/wash this glove - it stiffens and took a little work to soften up again so I don’t know when I will do that again. This was a stock glove so it was more closed. I will be getting my custom glove, same one, shortly and I know that one is more open so it will be interesting to see how to soften that one.

[@goalietraining]

Yes, you should always wear your glove when you do hand-eye work anyway, so you are practicing catching in the pocket and not the palm of the glove. I will be interested to see the difference between the stock and the custom - let me know when you get it.

[@nicolasj5940]

@@goalietraining do you know I’m surprised how many goalie coaches and pros I see them not doing that and in the end exactly what you point out here that’s what happens hits the palm and not in the net of your catcher

[@goalietraining]

@@nicolasj5940 Yeah, it's funny isn't it? I think it just never occurred to them either.

[@bidds07]

Lmfao the blocker your awsome

[@goalietraining]

Glad to put a smile on your face! Thanks.

[@RetroButterfly]

I am also a hip masher with my glove. So much so that I had to add a disclaimer when I shared a video with my friends/family. Pretty much spent all my out of action time with my glove on my hip. Freakin' CCM glove is a nightmare!

[@goalietraining]

Totally the same!! ha ha

[@thebig2er]

My sons CCM has been worked on for two years now and it is still stiff and doesn’t close properly.

[@cochese95]

Same here with the CCM. Hot water will soften it up but I found it only is temporary. As soon as it dries it gets stiff again. So either play with a wet glove or a stiff glove.

[@mentallyripped5274]

I enjoy your humour. Thanks for the tips.

[@goalietraining]

Thanks for that, I appreciate it. If you ever have a topic or suggestion, just let me know.

[@mentallyripped5274]

@@goalietraining learning the splits.

[@goalietraining]

@@mentallyripped5274 Did you see this video I just posted a few weeks ago? kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJnGeYWjhatneck

[@DaMickster]

hahahahaha, breaking in the blocker. Love your vids. As for tips, I think it was Carey Price who said he had access to a skate oven and used to pop his gloves in there all the time. Seemed to work for my Bauer Vapor 1X, but I still wasn't totally happy with it. I guess I need to go to the wall, which is a bit harder now given COVID. Was waiting for Hockey Days in my area to try on a bunch of new stuff. ::Sad Trombone::

[@goalietraining]

"Sad Trombone" - wah wahhhhh.... ha ha. Yes, I heard him say that as well. I know they bake them in a little oven at the Vaughn factory too - might just be for the custom gloves through (probably). Definitely time to go to the wall! - safely of course.

[@jamo2526]

What is the easiest brand to break in?? I have a CCM and my friend has a Bauer and my friends glove is way more broken in and I feel like CCM is harder to break in. Any reply helps!

[@goalietraining]

I have always found CCM tough to break in and I had a Vaughn glove that was tough too! I think Warrior and Brians come pretty good off the shelf, but even within the same brand I feel there can be variation.

[@cush2926]

I've always struggled with the same issue with gloves - I like a "baseball glove" feel to my catcher and have come close in the past but never got it perfect until I switched to Kenesky. I really do believe that some brands are just better for some sized hands, break preference and personal feel preference. I had my Kenesky gloves made with smaller internals which also helped alot. That being said some of the things I have tried in the past that helped alot were the Keeps33 method as you mentioned although that alone was less and less effective as the glove dried out. I actually used a steamer, as opposed to water and found it really worked. I have a good steamer that has a very narrow nozzle that is supposed to be used to clean grout etc. and it worked wonders to get down into finger stalls and is higher heat than a clothing steamer but again I had to do it every so often as it would stiffen up as the glove dried. With my 2 gloves now I didn't have to do much other than work them in while watching TV and tied them up as you do with a softball for a night when slighted dampened. The biggest thing I have found that helps you touched on - how you let the glove dry and rest when not in use, this is key time you can use to 'train' your glove! My gear is set out to dry as soon as I'm home and then once it's almost dry I put either the clamp on the glove or use the stick to prop it open aka pancake it. I alternate back and forth daily on these 2 things with a glove between uses and find it really helps. It seems like I can't post a pic here but I use a small plastic clamp on the glove (as opposed to using a weight) and as I said a piece of a stick to prop it open. I tried a weight on top in the past but didn't like how it altered the rest of the glove and I find a clamp can target the specific closure issue without any impact on the rest of the glove (like the T for instance). Trying to provide link to pics of the gloves for reference here - not sure if it will work? drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gMnQ-TiTkSt6p9Xw5wbyDsBV_4qlNrS4?usp=sharing Cheers

[@goalietraining]

I think you are right that some gloves fit different hands better - sort of like shoe manufacturers. Great tip on using a plastic clamp, that's a great idea - thanks!

[@cush2926]

@@goalietraining No worries - added bonus of the clamp is you can even throw the glove in your bag with the clamp on it when your travelling for a tourney or just a long drive to the rink etc. Often I'll use the stick prop last, then clamp when packing my bag and leave it on until I'm at the rink. Like most goalies I"m always super early to the rink so I can then take the clamp off and use the stick prop again in the room until I'm ready to hit the ice.

[@goalietraining]

@@cush2926 I like it!

[@RESET_CHARACTER-N0W.]

great and informative video. funny too.

[@goalietraining]

Glad you enjoyed it. Good luck with that buttery glove 🧤

[@desaulniers348]

Thanks Maria!!

[@goalietraining]

You are welcome Eric

[@mtlgoalie62]

I tried your blocker tip.......it didn't work!! Haha. Good stuff as always Maria!

[@goalietraining]

hmmmmm - - did you watch the video again? Did you "put your hand into the blocker" just the way I showed you? ha ha

[@mtlgoalie62]

@@goalietraining I had to watch it over a few times to get the technique down, but still not helping. Haha

[@warrendeg]

That was very helpful1

[@goalietraining]

Awesome! Glad to help.

[@ejwski3615]

I got my idea on working glove off ice Well my son plays hockey too not a goalie until he hits 16 years old old . Any way me and my son have baseball catch . He use his baseball glove and I use my goalie glove. Old friend was f fine when I was kid. He made it college level baseball so he can throw heat so I used my goalie glove again at that time so doing this realy broke it in for me . So my opinion get someone with baseball glove have a catch I use mckenney gear as kid and now use bauer vapor works well I played baseball also so it works

[@goalietraining]

I agree and it is a great way to work on your catching as well. Good points, thanks for sharing.

[@darreno545]

Great warrior equipment...is that custom? if not, where did you purchase them? Great videos btw!

[@goalietraining]

Thanks! Yes it is my first set of custom gear - I've had this set up for about a year and a half and just LOVE it!

[@darreno545]

@@goalietraining I've always been tempted but never spent the extra...I should lol! Where did you go for custom?

[@goalietraining]

@@darreno545 Ordered them through Source For Sports in London, ON

[@gregoryhuntington7954]

Do you tie a softball in the pocket when not using it? Put it under your mattress with the softball in the pocket, drive over it.

[@goalietraining]

I did when I was breaking it in - now I just put it in my bag wide open because it closes really nicely, so I want to emphasize the opening part of the equation.

[@zacharifontenault8735]

What vaunh glove was it I just got the v9

[@goalietraining]

You don't have to worry - - it was a glove I had probably 5 years ago and I bought it used even. Your's will be way better!

[@zacharifontenault8735]

@@goalietraining ok thanks

[@mikehogan8442]

Custom order gloves are night and day different from in line/stock gloves in a store. I would have never purchased a warrior if I just went with the feel in the store. I have a custom G5 pro trapper. It feel’s nothing like the G5 gloves in a store.

[@goalietraining]

Great point, they do feel better than off the shelf gloves don't they?

[@mixyvfx99]

It’s like 6 o’clock but when I can I will do those tips

[@goalietraining]

Good luck with them!

[@carsonmclagan7136]

Sick thanks

[@cw2lido]

How a goalie wants to close their glove should also be related to how you close your catching hand without a glove on. Is it more comfortable to place your fingers at the base of your thumb near the wrist (long fingers), do you prefer to place your fingers on your thumb, it’s all relative to the natural close of persons hand and what’s comfortable. Some gloves have a lot of padding that also gets in the way when closing the glove and it takes time to get the glove broken in if ever which can give a glove a bad reputation. The Vaughn gloves close really weird to me. I feel like my wrist had to make up for the angle of the closure forcing me to move my hand (regular) to the left to center the glove when facing a shot. Love the Warrior gloves! Need to try one out someday! Bauer and CCM for now.

[@goalietraining]

That is great input on the closing angle for sure.

[@evanromano1]

Warrior gloves are already broke In. Unanimously, all goaltenders that have warrior can agree that goalie gloves close extremely easy. It’s not for everyone though. It’s for a certain glove position.

[@goalietraining]

When you watch the video you will see that I actually HAVE a Warrior glove 🤣. And I tell you how it compares to my old CCM and Vaughn gloves.

[@dougmclean4230]

I often think about how Lundqvist prefers his glove stiff/open. www.nhl.com/news/unmasked-padded-goalie-gloves-making-biggest-saves-during-practice/c-311299314

[@duncanbrown7082]

Go to Facebook and search Goalie Equipment Modification and Styling. There’s a guy there, Jason JT Terio, and he uses a method involving hot water and weight. After a year and a half of struggling with my Brown catcher the problem was solved overnight. It opens and closes like a well lubricated door. It’s better than butter!

[@goalietraining]

Awesome - used the hot water in this video as well - it helps for sure.

[@davidlesey131]

Good stuff but you touched on the stinky glove and I would appreciate hearing ideas on how to beat that. Thanks

[@goalietraining]

Have you tried ClapBalm - - doesn't really fix the stank in the glove - but helps your hands smell better :) I make sure my glove dries out complete before I put it away - but I am also only on the ice 3 or so times per week.

[@davidlesey131]

@@goalietraining I have found synthetic golf gloves inside help and I put in puck style deoderizers after they dry. Still looking for more ideas out there. Thanks for the idea.

[@cush2926]

@@davidlesey131 the smell is being caused by bacteria, which loves to grow and fester in nice moist places like a stinky glove when it's sopping wet after use. First you need to kill the bacteria - you can take the glove and get someone to run it through one of the machines that does this out there (esporta is one but there are others) or do it yourself with some rubbing alcohol / water mix and scrubbing the heck out of the mitt and then making sure it totally dries out. There are lots of 'how to" links and videos on the web to get the right mix etc. I"m not sure what they are. Once you kill the bacteria you need to ensure your glove gets nice and dry after each use - if you can spray it with something to kill bacteria before it dries even better. I personally spray my mitts and chestie, inside my skates and next to body padding with lysol - then into the rocket dryer or for gloves and skates onto my boot dryer. One other thing that can help if you have a very dried out interior is some shaving gel with lanolin and a toothbrush and a good scrub then totally rinse and totally dry. Good luck!

[@thebig2er]

I’ve been using a new product called z71 microbe shield from a company called Zoono. I washed all unders and knee pads using about 85ml in the fabric softener slot. I then sprayed everything that couldn’t be washed with it. I get about a month of no smell before it starts to return. It’s kills the bacteria and I can drive my kids without wanting to throw up. Hahahah

[@goalietraining]

@@thebig2er Great tip thanks!

[@Mo0ch100]

I had a Vaughn Ventus LT88 which was IMPOSSIBLE to break in. Worst glove ever. It was one of the off-shore made gloves though. My last two Vaughn gloves (Pro-V Elite and VE8) were Canadian made and pretty good out of the box, much better after just playing a few games.

[@goalietraining]

Yeah, I think getting the pro version or a custom version does get you a better quality. When I was at the Vaughn factory I know they had a little oven they would bake the gloves in as well.

[@citizenmope605]

She’s like the Bob Ross of goalie instruction videos.

[@goalietraining]

"Here's a happy little glove that I am just going to mash into submission :)" - - sort of like that?

[@hockeygoalie8895]

I noticed when I have not put on in a while it is Stiff again

[@goalietraining]

Yes, I notice that too - I usually keep it out and mash it while I watch TV

[@salman13]

The best way for me is taking it to the sauna. If you put water, the steam helps.

[@goalietraining]

Yep, I talked about using moist heat in the video - definitely works. You could also use a kettle, but the sauna sounds like more fun.

[@callmebartz6154]

See I do all of those methods but it just goes back to being stiff again

[@goalietraining]

That is super frustrating - not sure what to tell you - do you let it dry completely before you put it away? Not sure that will make a difference, but might be worth a try

[@DsChelI]

I have that issue too but mainly because I play once a week and forget to tie my glove shut in between sessions and it stiffens up again there in no mans land.

[@Shenanigans__]

Maria please fix that nasty curve on the T on that thing! Might need a full relace to make it round again.

[@goalietraining]

Do you mean where it buckles into the pocket in spots?

[@Shenanigans__]

@@goalietraining yep!

[@goalietraining]

@@Shenanigans__ Yeah - I hate that too - but just thought that was the way it is - came from the factory like that. So I should probably get it relaced?

[@mattyz30zambam32]

@@goalietraining i would take a nice sized hand towel and stuff it in the webbing after games when its still wet....really pops out and deepens the whole area and gives it a good shape

[@goalietraining]

@@mattyz30zambam32 That's a good one - I haven't heard that before

[@crewzta]

This is a lost art. Used to play alot of baseball and used to love breaking in gloves.

[@goalietraining]

I remember working my ball glove for ever when I was a kid - still the best glove I ever had.

[@tristanfenton788]

mine was used becuase my family dosen't want to pay for the expensive gear

[@goalietraining]

And that is a huge bonus of getting a used glove because sometimes they are already nice and broken in.

[@hunterlewis3]

In all honesty i have no idea what sport this is is it hockey or like handball

[@goalietraining]

Ice hockey....

[@JS44UM]

Its easy, get your self a Lefevre glove. P

[@goalietraining]

Have to save my allowance... would love to try one.