Hitting a baseball is the most difficult skill to master in all of sports. First of all, what other sport allows you to fail 70% of the time and be in the hall of fame. I think that in itself speaks volumes about the talent and skill needed to be a productive hitter. In order to make contact with a baseball speeding in excess of 90mph, a batter requires courage, amazing hand-eye coordination, and not to mention extraordinary reflexes.

The most successful batters in the sport of baseball usually have a life-time average in and around the .300's. Although there is enough opportunity to get base-hits between the infielders, there is no margin for error when making solid contact with an object that is no bigger than the tool you are using to hit it with. Making contact with the ball a couple of millimeters to high or low will result in a fly-out or a weak ground-out. Miss by more than that and you will strike out.

It would be less difficult if the pitch was the same pitch every time but it's not. Not only does a batter have to track the ball up and down but also has to decide when to make contact with the ball. If you hit the ball too early or are out in front, you will not hit the ball as hard or square as it is possible and will most likely hit a foul-ball. If you are late on the pitch or make contact after the point of square, you will also be sacrificing the potential power of your swing and the flight of the ball that was hit. Bottom line is you must precisely track the speed of the pitch in order to hit the ball at the optimum point within the hitting or strike-zone. Now, considering the fact that the ball doesn't move in a straight line and can have all sorts of spins that will change the line of travel hence curve balls, split-fingers, sliders, change-ups, and knuckle balls; it's a wonder that anybody can actually perform this feat.

Deciding whether a pitch is hittable and pin-pointing it while zooming through the air to then hit it, leaves a hitter no time at all. A pitch moving 90mph from 60 ft. away allows only .4 of a second to be precise. That's quite a process for your brain and body to complete in virtually no time at all. In fact, that is the limit of human reaction time capabilities.

Obviously, being a good baseball batter requires a lot of natural talent, but it also involves experience backed by a lot of hard practice, relentless drilling, and knowledge that will improve your skill over time. Having the proper swing mechanics and fundamentals will greatly increase your chances of becoming a better hitter. That is accomplished by doing the right drills to develop the mechanics necessary to hit the ball consistently.

I maintain a few sites dedicated to teaching drills and fundamentals for enhancing your batting skills. I also have a site with detailed baseball bat reviews that can help when choosing a bat that will be comfortable for you. You must be confident and comfortable when you go to swing and I think having the right kind of bat is important. It's at that precise moment in baseball that everything has to perfectly come together.

Joe Rodgers is a batting instructor that emphasizes stationary drills to develop the properfundamentals to be a successful batter.