I think the hardest task to do in all of sports is to hit home runs consistently and I'll tell you why. Baseball is the only sport that you can succeed only 30% of the time and be in the hall of fame. I think that in itself speaks volumes about the talent and skill necessary to be a productive batter. In order to hit a baseball traveling faster than 90mph, a batter requires courage, amazing hand-eye coordination, and not to mention extraordinary reflexes.



The best hitters in the sport of baseball usually have a life-time average in and around the .300's. Although there is enough open-field to get base-hits between the defenders, there is no room for error when making solid contact with an object that is no bigger than the bat 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 an inch or more and you strike out.

It would be less difficult if the pitch was pitched to exactly the same place at the same speed but that's not the case. 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 effectively 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 accurately track the speed of the pitch in order to hit the ball at the ideal 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.

Determining 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 traveling 90mph from 60 ft. away allows only .4 of a second to be exact. That's quite a process for your brain and body to complete in almost no time at all. In fact, that is the limit of human reaction time capabilities.

Of course, being a great hitter 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 batter. 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 is right for you. You must be confident and comfortable when you go to swing and I think having the right kind of bat plays a role in that. It's at that precise moment in baseball that everything has to perfectly come together.