Spend any time around a road course and you'll no doubt hear the chorus of engines winding down as the cars enter a hard corner, then a sudden, sharp blat of throttle as the revs jump quickly just before turn-in, followed by the steady crescendo of acceleration to the next braking point, where the song returns to the chorus. On paper, the act of braking, shifting, and managing the throttle simultaneously sounds simple, until you realize you have two feet to work three pedals.

These days, just knowing how to shift your own gears can make you a hero; snap off a perfect heel-and-toe downshift and onlookers will start fitting you for a cape. Mystery often surrounds the exact details of the procedure - fill a room with car guys, and the mere mention of heel-and-toe downshifting is guaranteed to get the know-it-alls jawing. We're here to separate the beef from the bullshit.

Despite the archaic terminology, you'll be using not just your heel and your toes, but all of your foot. Also, heel-and-toe downshifting should not be confused with double-clutching, which means shifting to neutral and letting off the clutch before pushing the clutch pedal back in to engage a lower gear. A heel-and-toe downshift implies you'll be braking in the process, and that's not necessarily the case with double-clutching.

But why heel-and-toe in the first place? It's not 1925 any more: Modern transmissions have dual-mass clutches and synchronizers to smooth the transition between gearchanges. The main purpose of the heel-and-toe downshift is to avoid shocking the driveline when changing down a gear. A harsh downshift on the street typically results in nothing more than some passenger discomfort and a bit of unnecessary wear on the clutch. But on the racetrack, when a car's tires are at their limits of adhesion, a rough downshift can be the equivalent of pulling the parking brake - sending the car seriously off its intended course, or, in an extreme case, to gardening school. The goal is a seamless transition between gears, which is achieved by bringing the engine speed up to the road speed of the impending gear.

The only way to become smooth is to practice, and the best way to practice is to regularly perform the routine without the braking part. Blip the throttle while covering the brake with the ball of your foot to train your hoof for the heel-toe downshift. Make an occasional fourth-to-third or third-to-second downshift without braking until you develop a feel for your car's gear spacing. Once you feel confident in your ability to predict the necessary revs for the next gear, you can start to apply the brakes.