Practice Makes Perfect

If you want to become the next Santana or Pat Martino, there is one thing to remember about playing the guitar.  It must be second nature like driving a car. You must keep on using (playing) until it becomes a natural process . The most effective way to practice is simply by strumming the chords until you have them down by heart.  The chords are the backbone of the guitar player’s profession and when you practice guitar, you must keep this in mind.
The most effective way to practice is the one where you simply let your fingers do the walking.  Many people, when they are starting out playing the guitar want to constantly stare down at their hands as they play, strumming the chords slowly while they visually pick out the best way to pluck the strings.  This is every beginner’s biggest problem, and the only way one can break themselves of that habit is to let the rhythm flow through them.  The best guitar practice techniques involve playing as often as you can, and mastering a song before moving onto the next one.
While this may seem like a common sense solution, many guitar players give up the activity because they want to be great right away, and when they are not feeling like they are spending too much time on the very basics of the craft.  Certainly learning to play the guitar is no easier than learning any other instrument.  There will be set backs, there will be times where the last thing you want to do is practice guitar playing because no matter how much you practice, the music never seems right.  Sticking with it is the most effective guitar practice and sooner or later, you will notice a change.
It bears keeping in mind that even the masters, even the people who earn their living playing the guitar have to remind themselves how to play every now and then.  Of course, the professional guitar player is getting his practice while he is performing.  It would be totally incorrect to assume that the pros did not practice guitar every day, for hours at a time to get to where they are in the music world.
If you are looking for specific guitar practice techniques there are several drills that can be done, and those types of drills are generally posted online, free for anyone who wishes to give them a whirl.  The difficulty of the drills will of course vary depending on the level of talent they are aimed at.