What to Wear to Baseball Practice? Baseball practice is a tough enough task without having to worry about what to wear. Wearing the wrong clothes or accessories can make you feel uncomfortable and distract your teammates. With these tips, you’ll be able to rock any baseball practice!
What to Wear to Baseball Practice
- Appropriate Shirt
- Baseball Hat
- Baseball Helmet
- Baseball Cleats/Shoes
- Long Pants
- Wrist Guards
- Shin Guards
Appropriate Shirt
- Wear comfortable clothing. Baseball is a tough game and you’ll be moving around constantly for at least an hour, if not more! Make sure your clothes are breathable so it doesn’t get too hot in the sun when playing outside. However, don’t wear anything that can irritate your skin either. If possible, opt for shorts and a t-shirt.
- On rare circumstances, a squad will be assigned practice jerseys. However, for the vast majority of teams, it’s fairly usual for a player to practice in any type of proper t-shirt. It’s also uncommon for baseball players to practice in their game jerseys.
- Players should ideally wear a regular t-shirt that they don’t mind getting dirty while sliding. Because diving in practices can cause minor holes in shirts, players should wear shirts that they are willing to replace if something goes wrong.
- Most importantly, the clothing should be appropriate. That is, there will be no clothing with offensive language or imagery. I’ve even heard some coaches go so far as to prohibit clothing with music-related motifs, which is unusual.
- On cold days, players can wear hoodies or other long sleeve shirts.
Baseball Hat
Baseball players should wear baseball hats at all times during practices and games. Players with long hair should braid their hair if they cannot contain it within the hat’s circumference.
Baseball Helmet
All players should wear helmets during practices to protect their head in case they are hit by a stray ball or if the batter accidentally hits the helmet with their bat. The helmets also protect players from injury if someone on the opposing team tries to tag them in practice; batting helmets do not offer any protection against players assaulting them during practices, which can lead to concussions and head traumas.
Baseball Cleats/Shoes
Wear the right shoes. Do not wear tennis or running shoes as they can cause you to slip and fall on both your feet and knees! Wear proper cleats that provide stability for when you’re running around in a hot environment. Also, try wearing long socks so it doesn’t rub against the back of your heel.
For a player to go all out and perform at their best, they must have a pair of baseball cleats or shoes. These have an oblong-shaped rubber sole that gives them good traction when they perform quick stops and turns on the field.
They are designed better than other training shoes because these allow players to change directions faster without slipping. They have a rubber, non-marking sole that prevents damage to the playing surface.
Baseball cleats often have metal spikes to provide players with traction on the shoe, which will help prevent them from slipping when they are running between bases or trying to catch a ball. The shoes should fit well enough that the player’s toes do not hang over the tip of the shoe or touch the ground when they stand.
Baseball cleats do not have the same tread on them as a regular shoe, which means that if a player tries to make a cut in football practice without wearing proper shoes, they will likely slip and injure their leg or ankle on the ground.
Long Pants
Players should wear long pants to protect themselves from inadvertent hard slides into bases. The pants can also help keep the player warm for practices that are held in the early morning or late night hours when it is cold outside.
Practicing sliding into base in cold temperatures can lead to injury because the muscles and tendons are not thoroughly warmed up before they are put under stress.
Wrist Guards
Wrist guards are highly recommended when players use bats with thin barrels in baseball practices. Even if the bat is below 8 oz. weight limit in Little League, thin-barreled bats can be dangerous because they transfer more of the impact from a hit to the batter’s wrist area than standard bats do. Wrist guards help protect players from injury by cushioning the area of their arms that are hit most frequently during practices.
Shin Guards
Shin guards are highly recommended for all batters in baseball because they protect the shin, knee, and lower thigh areas from being injured when a player takes a swing at a high ball or gets hit with a pitch.
Although most leagues do not require the use of shin guards in baseball, they are highly recommended for all players because they can prevent or reduce the extent of many serious leg injuries.
Optional Players can Wear to Practices
- Sliding Shorts – These are a good choice for baseball players because they provide padding where it is most needed. They also protect the skin from being scraped or ripped open if a player slides into home plate with their leg exposed and catches the ground at an awkward angle.
- Jewelry – Players should avoid wearing any type of jewelry during baseball practices as it can easily get caught on equipment or another player and cause an injury. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings can all be dangerous when players are participating in a physical activity.
Some Coaches Have a Preference on How Their Players Dress for Baseball Practice
Long-Sleeved Shirt to Every Practice
Wearing long sleeves will prevent sunburn (which can happen even on cloudy days in the summer) and allow them to be more flexible when it comes to moving their arms and legs in certain types of pitches.
Another point-of-view is that this type of preference helps players perform better. This preference provides a major advantage for outfielders because they can react better to fly balls by having less resistance from their clothes. In addition, baseball players who wear long sleeves have the ability to perform better through the season because their muscles will get cold easier which inhibits them from making a quick movement.
Practice Jerseys that Match
- Many coaches like their players to wear similar practice jerseys that match the team uniform. This gives other teams and onlookers the impression that the player is actually part of the team.
- It also makes it easy for coaches to identify their players on the field. The coach calls out a player’s name while they are wearing game uniforms, but the coach will only recognize a player wearing practice jerseys when they are on the field during practice.
- This means that, if a player does not have his name on the back of his jersey, he is going to be very hard for coaches to identify without calling everyone’s name while looking at them. Even if a player is wearing an actual game uniform, if his name is not on the back of it he may very well be left out.
- The players who are least likely to have their names on the backs of their practice jerseys are the junior varsity members that aren’t expected to play in any games. The coach believes that this causes confusion during practices and games, so they require that all players have their names on their jerseys before they can start wearing them.
Shirts Always Tucked In
In another scenario, a coach ordered the entire team to tuck in their shirts during practice. This rule was established because players must tuck in their shirts while playing, therefore they should do so while practicing as well.
Game Uniforms Worn for All Practices
Some coaches prefer that their players wear baseball pants during practice because it makes them feel more like a real player at a real game and gives them a little more of a competitive atmosphere
Other coaches require their players to wear game uniforms for all practices. This includes what the player wears under his uniform, such as jockstrap and cup, socks and shoes. Players must also bring both of their helmets with them, even if they are not scheduled to practice hitting or fielding.
When baseball players wear their game uniforms to practice, it gives them a sense of pride and spirit. They feel like they are representing the team. Some coaches feel that when players come to practice in their game uniforms, it shows their eagerness and readiness to practice. The coach also feels good because he or she can observe how well the team is working together.
On the other hand, players that wear gym shorts and T-shirts for practices sometimes feel like they are not showing any spirit or motivation to practice. They may also feel that the coaches don’t care about how they dress when practicing because they are in their game uniforms.
Tie-dyed Shirts are Not Allowed
Some coaches will even go as far as to not allow their players to wear tie-dyed shirts because they don’t want the other team thinking that their players are weird.
No Sunglasses
Another coach does not allow sunglasses because during practices and games it is important to be able to see your teammates and coaches, and if they wear sunglasses, its hard to communicate with each other. Also, if a player gets hit in the eye by a baseball, they might not be able to see and it could actually be bad for their eyes.
Baggy Pants
Finally, another coach does not like when players wear baggy pants during games or practices because the linemen will trip over them and get injured very easily. Also, they can get caught and tangled in the hitter or catcher’s gear so it is important to always wear pants that fit.
What are some things that I should bring with me when going to baseball practice?
- Sunscreen with a high SPF – Sunscreen is important for players to wear during baseball practices because they are often outdoors and will be exposed to the sun for several hours at a time. Players should choose sunscreen that is made specifically for athletes and contains ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which offer strong UV protection without rubbing off on their uniforms.
- Bug spray
- Water bottle
- Extra clothes if allowed by the coach
- An umbrella or poncho in case of rain
Final thoughts
There are many different ways that coaches like their players to dress for practice. Some of these rules may seem strange or outdated, but the main idea is to make sure everyone looks professional and put-together while they practice so they can give all of it during games!
- When choosing what to wear for baseball practice, make sure that all of your equipment (batting gloves, helmet, bat, catcher’s gear, and cleats) are in your bag so you’re ready for anything. Even if they are not scheduled to practice hitting or fielding.
- When baseball players wear their game uniforms to practice, it gives them a sense of pride and spirit. They feel like they are representing the team.
- An example of something that coaches do not like during practice and games are sunglasses because you cannot communicate with your teammates very well. If a player gets hit in the eye, it could be very bad for them.
- Baggy pants are not allowed during baseball practice or games because they easily get caught on things and can cause injuries to linemen who trip over themselves. Pants should always fit correctly so you don’t have this problem.
- Before going onto the field, check the weather and dress accordingly. Make sure you wear layers so that if it is hot out or raining, you can easily adjust your clothing. It’s important to always bring a hat and sunscreen with you as well!
- On game day it is important to wear clothes that will breathe easily in the heat but also be prepared if there is rain coming your way! Also make sure to bring an umbrella or poncho just in case. You don’t want your performance on the field to be affected by the weather conditions.
