Smooth

 So things reached a crisis point for me with Synfig today, with

dangling feet and the character moving backwards. My best efforts were

going into being super precise about creating keyframes, but this just wasn't

working. With a little help from ChatGPT, finally came to see how this

whole thing connects.

Keyframes are not the endall, they are merely important wayframes I want to

keep track of. Wayframes ARE important. Whenever I am in animation mode

and play with the shape, a wayframe is created which stores the new parameters

I have selected. Running the timeline, I can see - at any point - how the program

has created inbetween values toward these. If I want to 'see' the wayframe icons, 

I go to the object layer and the pertinent values will be in the properties panel...

Below, I have created a start and end position for the ball with keyfranes,

And then, I just decided to lift the ball in the air at a moment inbetween.

Playing the animation, it will create and arc to accomodate all my instructions...

I now know where my dangling feet come from; the legs were making an arc that

reached 'below' ground level...Done!!