It is crucial to break in new professional cornhole bags to enhance their performance. Why? Newly purchased bags may be rigid, which compromises your grip and swing during the game. As such, they are recommended to be softened before serious play—for maximum performance.
Bags that are used frequently will glide more smoothly, be more flexible and let the player have more control over their throws. Here are some guidelines which will help you to prepare your fresh cornhole bags for upcoming cornhole tournaments.
Wash and Dry Your Bags
Place your pro cornhole bags in a pillowcase or laundry bag to avoid having them getting torn. It is recommended that they be washed with cold water and mild soap to minimize wear and tear as well as fading of the fabric and its dyes.
After washing them, let the bags dry in the open for a day or use low heat in the tumble dryer for a few minutes. The dryer can be used to soften them up but do not use high heat because it may harm the material of the bags.
Manually Knead the Bags
If you do not want or simply do not have time to wash the bags, you can soften them with your hands by kneading. After unpacking your pro cornhole bags, crunch, crease, and twist the bags in every way possible in order to encourage its relaxation. Visualize this process as kneading the material in order to increase the level of elasticity.
After kneading, shake the bags to ensure the filling is equally distributed in the bag. This helps with the bags texture and feel, enabling players to grasp them and throw effectively and without any hassle.
Of course, this process may take somewhat longer than washing and air-drying, but it enables a gradual introduction of the level of softness preferred, without harming the bags.
Practice Sessions
Another method of breaking in cornhole bags is by gradually playing with them during casual matches. This will effectively break in the bags. As each pro cornhole bag is thrown, the fabric becomes softer, and it moves with more ease, which translates to improved control of the bag. This method may take a few games, but this way, you break your bags in through usage.
Use Fabric Softener or Conditioner
For the eager players, they may use a fabric softener or hair conditioner for quicker results. Here’s how:
- Mix a small quantity of fabric softener or any conditioner with warm water.Â
- Let the cornhole bags sit in the mixture for approximately 30 minutes.
- They also need to be rinsed clean and dried in the same way as the washing method described above.
This method proves effective and fast. However, bear in mind that this technique should only be used once, because, if it is overdone, it might compromise the bags fabric quality.
Conclusion
New pro cornhole bags can sometimes take a little while to break in but the performance that comes with it is incredible. The more flexible and responsive the bags are, then the better they will be on the board, giving you the ultimate throw control.
