I'm a brand-new tailwheel pilot (22 hours as of today), after flying since 1976 in trikes with toe brakes for 400+ hours... Plus the 1,450 hrs in helicopters with NO brakes, but they didn't have wheels, either...
Anyway, when I found my 1965 Citabria 7ECA, I was a LOT nervous because it had "the dreaded heel brakes" that I've heard so many old wive's tales about. I was afraid the combination of a "vicious tailwheel" and "terrible heel brakes" would make every landing a dance with the devil... Total BS on all counts. The Citabria is an absolute delight to land. Yes, you have to stay awake, and you have to stay proactive on the rudder pedals to keep it pointing where you want it to go, but after a couple of landings, I found it to be a joy to land this airplane.
As for the dreaded heel brakes, my CFI taught me initially to just pretend they didn't exist. In the calmer winds we first flew in, I literally used them only for the initial start, run-up, and to come to a complete stop at my hangar. As we worked our way into higher winds, I intuitively began using them when necessary, and found it pretty easy to do so. Now it just feels totally natural to use the heel brakes when necessary. One good point about the heel brakes: it's not easy to "accidentally" get on the brakes by mistake... (I saw a Grumman Traveler in the shop whose pilot who got uptight about landing in a strong crosswind, and landed with his toe brakes locked... Flat-spotted the tires something awful (right down to the threads!), but that was the only real damage. Unlikely that would happen with heel brakes!)
So now I find myself thinking about the toe brakes on the Bearhawk Patrol I'm building. But I'm sure I'll quickly adapt to them, and it will come to be just as natural as the heel brakes are in the Citabria. (By the way, had occasion to get back into a Commander 114 after about 15 hours in the Citabria, and "brake location" was not an issue at all. Never once went for the non-existent heel brakes by mistake.)
Just my 3 cents worth. (Inflation - had to raise my rates!)