I've been hand quilting for about 5 years and have learned a lot during that time. You have some great suggestions in earlier posts. The main things I have noticed are:
1. Use a thin needle.... #9, 10, 11. Some glide through the fabric better than others. I've had some break.... be careful.
2. I use a leather thimble with a 'coin' at the tip. The needle doesn't slip as much.
3. Don't make the sandwich to tight. Looser allows you to move the needle up and down more easily.
4. Use a thinner batting. The thicker the sandwich, the longer the stitches will be.
Good luck... I don't do the one stitch at a time thing but don't get a bunch of stitches stacked up on my needle either..... I get 9-12 stitches easily.