Posted by: george stanley (saint_george13@yahoo.com) on Sat Nov 24 08:26:28 2007

> How important is ab strength when hitting for power?

the oriental martial arts (which have been around for a thousand years) state unequivocally that your belly button is the central core of your body, thus the central core of your strength, & all power emanates from the middle of your torso. they teach you to channel the energy which emanates from your center even when you strike
with either your hands or your feet...consequently all those guys are rock hard in the middle with great strength & yet have great limberness throughout their musculature... these guys are in a better physical condition than any stype of sports athlete..in the same league with gymnasts & wrestlers at the top of the heap. to emulate these elite athletes & concentrate on strengthening your abdominal area will serve you better than arm & leg dead weight or constant resistant types of muscle exertion. HOWEVER, do not forget that no matter how great your strength, it is not going to help you mentally when it comes time to trigger your swing so you get to the ball ON TIME.. it's all about timing. .. & muscles are not going to help your timing. they may get the bat there a little faster, but it is still up to you to pull the trigger at the right time... THAT is the trick.
best of luck to you