re: Travel teams eroding community baseball

The kids that have to be untaught bad habits is a problem with the coach and not the age of the player. Proper glove placement when catching a ball thrown at you, on ground balls, or on pop ups can easily be taught a young age. Teaching a tball team that there are positions on the field and that it is not a 'free for all' when the ball is hit is important. Teaching them how to run the bases(not stopping on first every time) can be taught at that age. Teaching them to stand in the proper place with the ball out in front of them(towards the pitcher) when batting is important. These are all things a 9 year old should have been exposed to. I also find that my players that play multiple sports at a young age pick up on things faster than the ones that don't. Those kids are working out their brain muscle and learning how to adapt to different situations all the time. The same kid that stands out in soccer b/c he understands how the game is played and is not just running and kicking, is the same kid that will catch on to strategies in baseball much faster.