On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:25:03 -0800 (PST)
wrote:

OK, "stepping" forward was probably not the best expression to
describe the entire body forward move.

So to narrow my question as much as possible : How much do you push
with your foot toes ?

I felt myself that pushing too much with them compromises momentum and
wanted to check how the best athletes are optimizing their pushing and
muscles usage, including calf, while keeping momentum.

I can't say if anything new is happening at the highest levels, but
from appearances and what I see in journals and videos and skier
and teacher clinics, pushing with the whole inside of the foot remains
the way. Of course, the *ball of the foot will be the last to go, but
doing anything special with it will throw off your rhythm, and may cause
muscle strain. Can't imagine anything with the toes. A jump skate is
basically a different rhythm, not some special toeing off.

Gene