Softball Hitting - The Importance of the Core

Ted Williams was a advocate of hitting with your hips (core, trunk) to generate power and that's where I first heard this concept ("The Art of Hitting" book, circa 1970). Problem is he didn't really explain how to use your hips(core). I have studied a lot of videos of his swing (and Ruth and DiMaggio) and you can't really see it at actual speed (about .18 second is a big league swing)- you have to study it in slow motion. Problem is you can tend to use too much lower body and you have tendency to "spin out" which can slow your swing down and work against you.
Never heard of tightening torso, but makes some sense since you need to also hit off a stiff front leg. I wish someone who really knows hitting would actually explain the proper hip rotation movement. But there is no doubt that the best hitters have very strong lower bodies (e.g. Pujols) and working on core muscle and speed training is valuable. Ted Williams was actually pretty skinny when he came up (nickname the "Splendid Splinter"), but he had very strong forearms, and very long, strong legs. Pictures of Ruth and DiMaggio show they had puny biceps but very strong forearms, wrists and legs.

This is right on. It is the basis of the Flex Hitting System that powers the swing designed for female athletes hitting a 12" softball. If you think about it it is the same philosophy when a boxer throws a punch, a golfer swings a club, or a quarterback throws a football power through the core. Engagment and transfere of power. The big hitters in pro softball actually start their swings with core engagement. Core Gives You More.