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Strictly personal, but been there, done that.
When I first moved away from the balloon (1967), my stance was similar to what is now claimed as the GD stance which really isn't anything new.
To start, the stance many use in today's version provides less protection to your quads. AFA the hands, have you ever caught a foul ball on the hand when it is not on your knees or leg? When I was young, I got away from placing my hands above my knees simply because it gives them no place to go if hit. IOW, your hand is between the ball and a hard place. Okay, so it isn't that hard, but it is not as forgiving as I would like if being struck by a hard object.
I also found myself locking into a position. I see it now with some umpires using their knees for support. Yes, it can be comfortable, but I've seen comfort placed over positioning. Watch some of the youth ball on TV this summer and see how many umpires using the GD can/will drop to the top of the zone.
Like I said, strictly personal preference based upon years of different experiences
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The bat issue in softball is as much about liability, insurance and litigation as it is about competition, inflated egos and softball.
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