Interesting thoughts. I too have noticed what you call the "FTRSAGGRFMRLM" jedis. They always give me a chuckle. There seem to be 2 very prominent ones. I really don't think the problem is with Weyand's work. I've corresponded with Peter on numerous occassions and we met each other and talked quite a bit at a recent USATF High Performance meeting. The jedi in question (who I'm assuming wrote that quote) was actually mentioned briefly the last time I spoke with him. I can confidently say that he is not a 'stuck-in-the lab' scientist who can't do applied research. Peter knows what he's doing and he wants his research to benefit the track community. In fact, Pete personally submits his own articles for use on this site. The problem with the "FTRSAGGRFMRLM" jedis is not the material they are basing their views on. In my opinion the problem is the interpretation of Weyand's work by people who do not have the fundamental understanding of the underlying concepts. In a nutshell, these jedis oversimplify the study and state that force is the only thing that matters….it doesn't matter how you contact the ground or what you did to prepare for ground contact. Anyone who as actually coached sprinters knows this isn't the case. The jedis also seem to lack any real understanding of muscle mechanics and how the musculotendinous unit functions to produce force. The fact remains that what happens during the swing phase is inseparable from what happens at ground contact (including the magnitude and direction of the forces at ground contact).
