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I'll share what I've learned from my track days and the skip barber instructors at the 3-day racing school I attended.
The goal of heel-toe downshifting is to match RPMs of the engine to the driveshaft's current speed. This way, the downshift is smooth. The advantages are two-fold: you are ready to power out of corner in the gear you need AND you downshifted to that gear without upsetting the balance of the car. As someone mentioned before this is VERY important if you are driving at the limit.
The sequence of events is typically:
1) Apply brake pedal with the left-half of your right foot. The ball area just before your toes works best. If the pedals in your car are set correctly, when braking hard the pedal should be about even with the gas pedal.
2) Push down clutch with your left foot.
3) Roll-over your right foot so that the right-half of your right foot "blips" the throttle. Depending on your situation and gear, the blip is soft or hard, but enough to bring the RPMs where they need to be. This is learned with practice. As you "blip" the throttle you must maintain the same pressure on the brake pedal as you had before. You don't want to stop braking or brake less when you blip.
4) Shift lever to lower gear
5) Let clutch out.
A few tips:
- Wear shoes with thin soles. That helps you feel the pedals better. Racing shoes are best, but running shoes work well.
- It takes about 1000 heel-toe downshifts to master it. Don't get frustrated. Give it time
- Practice everywhere: track, grocery trip, kid soccer practice, etc.
- Watch out for hitting the gas pedal unintentionally at the same time you are braking. Try using your knee to roll your foot left and right as you work the pedals. That should help you avoid unintended pedal contact.
- In some cars, its easier to blip the throttle with your heel. Some people also feel more comfortable doing it a different way. Feel free to experiment different foot positions see what works best for you.
- You MUST MUST MUST downshift when you've slow down enough for the lower gear. If you do not wait, you will mechanically overrev the engine and ruin it. i.e, if you are on 4th gear at 7000 RPMs, you must wait until you brake enough for maybe... 4000 RPMs.. that way when you let the cluch out on 3rd gear, you will be at 7000 RPMs on 3rd.
- You must change gear and let clutch out quickly after you blip. If you do not, the RPMs will come back down and your shift will not be smooth anymore.
My $0.02.
Disclaimer: The above instructions I provide as a guidance only. I am not responsible if you follow this post and something bad happens. You've been warned :P
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