The Perfect Moment in Baseball

I think the most difficult thing to do in any sport is to make solid contact with a baseball and I'll tell you why. It is the only sport that you can succeed only 30% of the time and be considered an All-Star. I think that in itself speaks volumes about the difficulty of having success at the plate. In order to hit a baseball traveling in excess of 90mph, a batter requires courage, amazing hand-eye coordination, and not to mention cat-like reflexes.

The greatest 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 infielders, there is no margin 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 much easier 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 it. 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 direction 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 flying through the air to then hit it, leaves a batter 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 virtually no time at all. In fact, that is the verge of human reaction time capabilities.

Obviously, being a good baseball batter requires a lot of God-given talent, but it also involves experience backed by a lot of hard practice, 'religious' drilling, and knowledge that will improve your skill over time. Having the correct 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 fundamentals necessary to hit the ball consistently.

I maintain a few sites dedicated to teaching drills and fundamentals for improving 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 relaxed 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 split second point of contact that everything has to perfectly come together.

Joe Rodgers has taught batting mechanics at all competitive levels of baseball.

- Joe Rodgers