Hitting a baseball is certainly a very challenging skill to develop. Many in the sporting world consider it among the most difficult techniques to fully develop. The irony behind the difficulty of the skill is that the top people in the sport say you should go to bat without thinking.

It's because great hitters are made during practice. Hitting well involves the right body mechanics and focused practice. The good news is that a person can make up for a shortage of natural hitting talent with smart training.

More time is wasted on teaching ineffective batting technique than anything else in sport. It should be apparent to anyone that concentration is necessary when standing at the plate. So why the heck would a coach yell 10 commands at a hitter when he's hitting? I have no idea why they do this. All this does is cause confusion and poor contact.

Simplicity is the secret. Practice hard. The best results come from training your body on one aspect of the hitting process at a time. When you've done enough work to engrain that into your muscle memory then you can move on to the next part of your swing that needs help.

Standing at the plate can bring on nervousness, but it's important to stay calm and relaxed. Your body must be able to react very quickly. If your muscles are tense your body will not be reacting at peak speed and quickness. Part of staying relaxed includes not grabbing the bat tightly when batting. A tight grip will also lead to a tense body and decreased reaction, bat speed and power.

Work on using your legs and trunk when you swing. One of the largest problems is only hitting from the waist up. The most famous sluggers use the body most effectively by moving from the core outward - engaging the hips, legs and having great form throughout. Also, don't "squash the bug." This recommendation robs hitters of strength in the swing every day and should be banned.

Last, but certainly not least, work on your baseball-specific vision. Practice following small thrown objects - like baseballs. Learn to anticipate where the ball will go. The skill of following the speed and direction of a baseball is critical to successful hitting. If need be go get a full eye examination. The better you can see the ball, the better you will be able to smash it!