Ah, yes - the wide stance w/ no stride - I remember my DD's hitting coach using that on DD a few years back to isolate some problems she was having. It was like magic - she just seemed to focus more on the ball without the lower half moving. She exaggerated her scapula loading to compensate somewhat for the power lost in the "no stride". As time went by though, she gradually added back the stride. The bonus was that when she combined that nice upper body load with the stride, her power really increased. She has a few college homeruns to show for it now.
I agree 100% about the jargon used. Some hitting & pitching coaches seem to have their own language. They use all these catch-phrases that, more often than not, leave their students confused. Every kid is different. Some communicate visually (the "show me" group), where others want things explained (the "verbal" group). A good coach recognizes the difference in each student, and uses a technique that suits each individual student best. Actually, that was the spark that got me started in learning about hitting. Call me picky - or something worse - but I just got tired of paying big bucks to people who, in my eyes, should have been a lot better at passing on their knowledge. I'm finding out that some of them were even teaching the WRONG things anyway! Doing the math, I figured investing the money into a "self-help" program would be more beneficial in the long run. I invested in Right View Pro, Englishbey's hitting DVD's, and countless hours reading and watching video - most of it free on the internet.
There are a lot of excellent hitting coaches, most charging a fair price for their time. The problem is, teaching hitting is NOT a "one size fits all" proposition. Every teaching/communication style is a little different, and finding someone who communicates well with YOUR DD is worth every dollar paid. The trick is finding one before you've gone too far down the road.
The dividends for my own kids has been awesome. Money well spent, and in the process, I became educated about hitting concepts - not a guru, but just a student willing to learn all I can. Epstein, Englishbey and Mankin all teach very solid concepts. They will never agree that each other's teachings are 100% correct, but I take that as a GOOD thing. The more they disagree and discuss things, the more info there is to sort through and find what works for you personally.
I am ALL FOR lively hitting discussions. I will be the first to admit that what works for one may not work for another. For those obsessed (me) with hitting principles, discussions are a valuable tool, if for no other reason than helping youth softball/baseball players improve.