Regarding sprinting, yes, it is undeniable. And the best distance runners are mid-foot/forefoot strikers too. But skipping is naturally heel-toe. It’s when we teach sprint drills we teach skipping off the forefoot and it becomes learned for that specific drill. If you asked Powell to power skip for height would he still stay on the forefoot?
And that’s what is interesting about Pfaff’s comments, should sprint drills mirror the natural tendencies of skipping or should they mirror sprint mechanics?