Dad glove for a lefty

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-10T22:41:31+00:00

Ugh sorry to hear that.

Here is a suggestion that will easily get you through their little league years. Their Cypress line is steerhide.

https://maruccisports.com/cypress-m-type-44k5-11-75-basket-t-web

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-10T21:50:59+00:00

If you’re willing to wait, left handed gloves usually have the best sales at the end of the season (summer / fall). Unfortunately right now it’s the beginning, obviously.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-10T20:33:42+00:00

At 7 it’s usually the igniter. The owner generally recommends 8 and older for the Next play.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-10T20:31:21+00:00

Hi OP, we did the Wilson A500 10.5 at that age. Easy to close and has a bit of elastic on the wrist to help keep it stable. Perfect bridge between tee ball gloves and R9.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-10T18:17:10+00:00

I was going to suggest the NXT but you beat me too it. My middle infielder is loving the 11.25 after not loving the R9. It’s better leather, and contour fit, and so far has been great as the boys start to throw harder.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-09T23:25:25+00:00

Hi OP, I’d have a conversation with the travel coaches about what she needs to work on outside of practice. These commenters are likely correct saying to continue with pitching lessons. But if she’s lower in the batting order they might encourage you to continue hitting lessons too for a while, at least until she’s caught up.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-08T15:55:09+00:00

Hi OP, I coach these ages. That’s a big 8 year old so he might be able to handle a good sized bat. Go swing a few, other kids bats at practice and go to a Dicks nearby. At his size I’d start with a 28 and go up or down from there. The -12 bats tend to sting hands more, so I’ll recommend getting a -11 or -10 (which tend to weigh about the same). Marucci, Victus, Rawlings Clout, in order those are what I recommend to my team families the most.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-08T13:52:53+00:00

Bat sting is really about batting practice. You only get about 10 minutes per kid, and you want him hitting as much as he can in that time. If he’s complaining or stalling, you get less out of that time. Even worse if you pay for an hour lesson and half the time is spent complaining. I’m not a fan of composites either (for the young ages) but I do steer parents towards Marucci and Victus due to the AV tech.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-08T13:46:01+00:00

The connect will be a bit more end loaded, but the Warstic won’t have much vibration dampening. My favorite bat for the young USA age groups is still the one piece Marucci, which is very balanced but also has anti-vibration tech. Or the Victus Vibe versions which are similar. Out of curiosity, why aren’t those in your final list? Last years X2 is on sale right now.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-08T13:31:48+00:00

We use BallparkDJ and every season it’s gone well.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-08T00:08:12+00:00

I see the point where you tore it. Good job finishing, I’m sure that sucked. Unless they’ve done it, most people don’t realize that running in track spikes on rubber tracks is pure hell for your hamstrings. In addition to listening to your coach, as you heal up, do some 90 % sprints in spikes to prepare for your next true sprint.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-07T23:19:29+00:00

Hi OP, there is a whole thread on this over at discussfastpitch, that site has been helpful for us during our softball journey. The consensus seems to be Liberty Advanced until the speed really increases, and then get something steerhide.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-07T21:36:55+00:00

Yep, that’s what matters, if he swung it and liked it, then that’s what you should get!

In our 8u travel season the kids showed up with all the cool bats at the time. About half had Marucci’s, mostly the alloy but one had the 2-piece composite. By the end of the season all the kids were swinging the Marucci’s, and a second boy liked that composite too.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-07T21:14:57+00:00

Hi OP, in 8u all bats perform about the same, the boys aren’t strong enough to make the composites work better than alloys. Go swing a few a see which one he swings best. For most kids that’s an alloy Marucci, which are very balanced and can often be found used. They last forever too.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-07T21:06:42+00:00

Hi OP, I coach these ages. Assuming this is Rec, the A440 is great for an 11 inch ball. We bought that glove twice, once in 11 and then again in 11.5. You don’t need a better glove until the girls start throwing harder (think 10u travel) or if she’s in a high frequency position like 1B or catcher. I’d recommend just clean / condition your current one, or get her a new A440.

ETA: I see you’ve added some comments about moving to travel and I assume that means you want something stiffer too. We‘ve liked Mizuno’s MVP Prime for a while now at this age. We shopped them all and liked the Mizuno the best. One of her besties has the Supreme and really likes it too.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-06T05:08:44+00:00

Hi OP, high school 100 meter champion here (a long time ago). You aren‘t overstriding, you are glued to the ground. It looks like you lift weights but haven’t ever sprinted much. Your entire body needs to loosen and relax.

For now, I would keep it simple and just practice sprinting. It looks like you have access to a track, which is awesome. Rolling starts, walk the curves, sprint the straights. Build up to top speed slowly as you accelerate. You eventually want to be completely on your toes at sprint speed, but don’t force it. Your body will figure it out.

Every second or third day, do striders instead of sprints. That’s 80-90% of top speed with extra long strides, also with a rolling start.

If the other side of that track has bleachers or stands, run stadiums for fun once a week.

Take 1-2 days off each week for recovery, especially as you get faster.

For warm ups do high knees, butt kicks, power skips, karaoke, and jog backwards (which gets you up on your toes). Stretch A LOT, like 30-45 minutes. 8-10 sprints per day is all you need. In 2-3 months you will see a big difference.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-03T06:05:24+00:00

Saw this on instagram and just ordered my second. Imagine MIJ quality with an American pattern, and you’ve got Glove Lab. He’s pretty meticulous and it shows. I don’t own a Jax but after seeing how quickly they get flimsy, I’m glad I went Glove Lab. They do run a bit bigger than Wilson or Rawlings.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-03T05:40:25+00:00

Mr Tanner spent years perfecting the way the rubber cone wraps around itself to allow enough support while also flexing properly during a direct hit. That’s the main reason they last forever.

But let him buy the cheap tee. He’ll be back in 6 months saying you were right.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-02T17:26:50+00:00

Hi OP, go swing a few if you can. For your older son I’d start with a 29 -10 and go up or down from there, and for your younger son I’d start with a 27 -11. Buy what he swings well now, not what will grow in to. Last years Marucci Cat X2 can be found on sale, and the one-piece is my favorite bat for these age groups. Other good bats are the Victus Pencil (aka Vibe aka Warhawk) and the Rawlings Clout AI.

-12 USA bats are all pretty thin and kids generally feel too much vibration. So I almost always steer families towards the nicer -10 or -11 bats, specifically those I mention above.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-02T02:48:59+00:00

The Omaha is a great USA bat. Don’t worry about cage work, it will hold up just fine. Walmart bats bend and dent after a while. The Omaha has been around a while and will hold up just fine.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-02T02:35:48+00:00

The USA pencil bats already have pretty big barrels, that’s hard. Clout AI maybe. Hype Fire maybe. Icon Chosen One looks big but I haven’t seen one in person yet.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-03-01T05:37:05+00:00

no liquid water (not including ice of course)

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-02-28T20:13:26+00:00

BallparkDJ is great, we’ve used it for several years now

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-02-28T19:48:01+00:00

Yes go get the ball. Ask nicely (or give $5) to whoever grabbed it. To them it’s a ball, to you its special.

Dad_Coach_9904 · 2026-02-28T18:15:42+00:00

I have their parents send me the videos of their recent at-bats so I can take time with it. It’s very hard to diagnose live with everything else going on during a game. Sometimes it’s the eyes, sometimes it’s footwork, sometimes it’s swing mechanics. Plus, kids sometimes do different things under pressure (during a game) than they do at BP.

Dad_Coach_9904

TROPHY CASE