If you didn’t catch it by now, the Super 8 Hitting System breaks the hitting mechanics into 8 individual steps. I’ve learned that the most important step; however, is the drive position.
The drive position in the Super 8 Hitting System is a point in the hitting mechanics in which you can hit the baseball anywhere in the strike zone. Whether it’s inside, outside, down the middle, high or low. This drive position causes your hands to go in a direction that keeps them inside the baseball, causing your swing to be short, and the barrel to go directly to the ball without adding extra length to your swing.
This is the Drive Position
The key points of the Super 8 Hitting System drive position are as follows:
- The drive position is the KEY action in hitting
- Hips and shoulders turn and square up to the pitch
- The back arm is in a powerful “V” position
- The top hand is ready to fire at the pitch
- The front arm is in an “L” position
- The bottom hand pulls the bat knob to the ball
- Back leg thrusts
- Back foot on toe
- Front leg weight is on inside of heel
Coach Joe Brockhoff’s, Super 8 Hitting System has taught me, how to teach my players, to stay inside the ball, which means that my players hands do not separate, sweep, or cast away, from their bodies during their swing. This is important because when your hands come away from your body during the swing, you add inches to the path that the barrel takes to the baseball, thus giving you less time to react to the pitch, because you have to start your swing earlier.
I’ve also learned that from this optimal hitting position you eliminate the loop in the swing. This is when you see players that swing like they’re trying to hit the ball “up” to the moon. The barrel drops behind them, and then loops up, once again adding inches to their swing. The sweep, and the loop, are both eliminated because the barrel of the bat goes in a straight line from point A to point B, with no extra inches added to the swing.
As you can see, the drive position is the best position to get into before swinging, and hitting 
, the baseball. The Super 8 Hitting System drills have made me look like a genius hitting instructor. I’m not of course, but the simple to follow instructions and drills taught by coach Joe Brockhoff, are easy to follow and easy to teach. So if you can get your players into a good drive position like coach Brockhoff instructs, you’ll see improvement straightaway.
my question is coach: When you load you dont want the hannds to stretch back . I hear lots of hitting instructors say stride and stretch. When you stride you hands load back by bringing the back elbow straight back. Is this correct? I see pro guys stride and bring the hands back away from the body. Is this correct or am I seeing this wrong? According to your drive position the hands stay as close or connected to body as possible. Looking forward to your thoughts. Tx Ryan
Hi Ryan, and thank you for your question. You are correct in saying that in the drive position the hands stay close to the body. What you want to avoid is the spoking of the of the front arm. The only load in coach Brockhoff’s, Super 8 Hitting System is the belly button pointing from the center of the plate when you’re in your pre-pitch position, to your belly button pointing to the back tip of the plate. The hands never shift back.
If you spoke your front arm, then the bat barrel goes back too, and this adds inches to the distance that the barrel has to travel to the contact zone out in front of the plate. Remember, we want to be short to the ball. Point A to point B, and the drive position helps you to do this.
If you are having challenges keeping your front arm from spoking, here’s a drill for you that will help. Get in your batting stance, take your top hand off of the bat and grab your wrist with it. Your thumb should be on top. Now load, belly button from center of the plate to the back of the plate, keeping the “L” angle in your front arm the way it should be, and when you swing push your wrist into the contact position, palm down, letting go of your wrist with your top hand.
Thanks again Ryan. Please let me know if you have anymore questions.
All the best,
Coach Ed