The danger of catch phrases like "squish the bug", "throw the knob of the bat at the ball", "take a level swing" or "keep the rear elbow up" is that they can be misinterpreted by the player being coached.
If we tell a player to "squish the bug", are we sure that the player is interpreting this cue correctly? Will the player then keep her weight on that back foot and use the turn of the foot to initiate hip rotation? Or will the player instictively understand that the turning of the back foot is a result of good hip rotation and not what drives it (cause vs. effect)?
If our cues lead to the desired results, maybe we've gotten lucky. But if the cue is interpreted by the player in ways other than we intend, we are probably doing more harm than good.
ZipsMom, that is a great post. Nothing succeeds like success and your daughters success is evident and measurable. If her hitting instructor is basing his teachings on the RVP software, your daughter is indeed being taught to emulate the swings of the most elite hitters in the world, those in Major League baseball and NCAA softball.
All elite hitters at these levels use a rotational approach. MLB hitters DO NOT use an "arm dominated" swing. The rotation is driven by the large muscles of the body's core and the arms are, essentially, just along for the ride, serving mainly as a means of connecting the hands/bat to the powerful rotational forces generated by the body.
The tecnology is available today for most anyone interested in learning more about hitting. Video of the world's best hitters is easily found on the internet. Levels of analysis are available that weren't possible just a few short years ago.
My advice to anyone wanting to learn about hitting is to trust nothing anyone tells you. The tools are available to verify, or debunk, the many "catch phrases" and the faulty "conventional wisdom" that has muddled hitting instruction in fastpitch softball.
Use the tools available, study on your own, see what works for the world's elite hitters. The video doesn't lie!