Tennis Footwork, Split Step Lesson 2 of 3: Timing
January 15, 2012 by: Ian WestermannIn my first video in this series about the split step (click here to view) I spoke in detail about how the split step really is a make-or-break element of your tennis footwork. High level players use it and low level players don’t, period. I also used David Ferrer as a model to teach the 3 main technique keys to a quality split step.
In today’s video you’re going to learn about what is really the art behind the split step: timing. Just doing it in general is your first step down the road to success, but once you get past that point performing your split step at precisely the right time is the difference between getting to the next shot or watching it go by.
As with most things, the way the pros perform the split step is incredibly precise. So much so that the point in time that they actually touch their feet to the ground will probably surprise you (it definitely surprised me the first time I found out).
A word of warning: if you’re currently just getting started with the split step then I don’t recommend that you try and copy the timing of the pros. I explain why and what I suggest instead in today’s video!
Did the pro’s timing surprise YOU? Let me know in the comments below!
Video 1 of 3: Split Step Technique — Click Here!
Video 3 of 3: Pivot and Fake — Click Here!
Great series on the timing, Andy reminds me of a jackrabbit but since he’s rated higher it must be ok!
, Anyway, Ferrar’s service motion is awesome, Maybe you’ve used it in the instructional video’s but I’ve never seen a better view of serve’s key elements.
Thanks again
I wanted to base my lesson plan on split step tomorrow when i teach the womens intermediate squad. It will be a breeze now after watching the step by step video. Great Stuff on such an important subject Ian.
Hi Ian,
I enjoyed watching and listening to this video. It gave me a number of things to think about. I have usually taught players (age 12-17) to start the split step as their opponent’s racket is coming forward. Then as they come down and see the direction of the ball they can move in that direction. I did this because I found that most kids were late in split stepping and flat footed or still running forward and on one foot at contact. As a result, they could not react to the passing shot. I have even gone so far as to have really slow reacting kids take TWO split steps (Mini splits) to insure that they split step early enough….because usually they are too late. That has truly helped many players.
Certainly, if they split step too early that can be a problem as well. I believe when you split step too early your legs will be in a static position and you will not be able to move as quickly in any direction. Thanks for all of your great work !
Hi Ian, I really enjoy your videos. I have a question regarding the size of shoes one should select… Is there any practical rule to choose the right size, to know whether they will feel fine on court or not?? It seems I always select shoes that feel fine in the shop, but SMALL, always SMALL, when playing…..!!!
Ian, this is awesome stuff.
I am a 4.0-5.0 player with very solid groundstrokes, I ALWAYS split step.
However, I never paid enough attention to WHEN to jump.
Yesterday I played a strong player with a fast and flat serve. I tried to time my landing as shown in your videos and what a difference it makes when you get it right!!!
If I got it right I felt like I had significant time to execute my return, a feeling that I NEVER had when playing this guy. I always felt rushed before.
I cannot wait to implement this in my game and to try it on different opponents.
Thank you so much, this is truly an epiphany!
It will take a long time though to get this automated I am afraid…but that is tennis
Thanks again
Too good – thanks Ian
Finally I get it – the why and the how. Until now I have only been half hearted with the split step – now I am motivated to practice it until it becomes a part of my game.
Again, and again and again, I apreciate so much !!!! your videos with precise comments.
!!!!! THANKS!!!! Ian.
Hey Ian,
How about timing my split step in relation to my court position, behind the base line I have more time compare to when I am at the net, does it really matter since you don’t mention it and Ferrer at the net is timing similar to Nadal behind the base line.
Love your course.
Roman.
A phrase I’ve heard good coaches use often regarding split-stepping: It’s not WHERE, but it’s WHEN. Hope this helps.
Hey Ian,
Hope all is well!
I have heard coaches say that when landing on the split step, you should be pretty low (i.e. by using gluts and legs). What your perspective? Ferrer seems to be only slightly bent (which is what I thought you said in the first video).
Very good, Ian! I prefer to start the movement to my split step as I see my opponent start their swing. It really helps with the timing.
Also, one of the things I noticed in the videos is how Ferrer, Murray and Nadal kept their heads down to the point of contact even after it had been made.
Always fascinated by how fundamentally sound the pros are. They are rooted in fundamentals, then their natural talents: Speed, Quickness, Timing, Instincts, Touch and Mental Toughness add to what makes them special.
Great video, keep up the great work!
I’ve been using the Split Step for returning serve for a few years now… I know I should be using the split step for the other shots as well, but never thought too much about it. I don’t even know if I am doing it or not. How do you know if you’re actually doing it already? I know the answer… Video!
Good stuff as usual Ian.
After playing tennis for 500 years, I am now starting to use a split step. Your short 3 videos is exactly what I was looking for. #1 and #2 have been excellent. I used it today and my reactions were better today than yesterday.
I eagerly look forward to the 3rd video. Thank you very much.
jth
I really appreciated your comment that we are not “Pros” and sometimes we should not always do exactly the way they do it.
Thanks
rene
great stuff. thanks. on return of a serve, is there any adjustments to the split step technique/ timing?
Nice couple of videos, Ian, thank you!
I’ve been concentrating on the split step for several months now, and always do it (correctly I believe) before receiving serve.
BUT in the heat of a rally, especially an extended rally which involves a lot of running around, I’m almost sure I forget to do it before every ball. Also, when coming in to hit a short ball or a half volley, I often forget to do it, or just have ‘to much on my plate’ to be able to deal with a split step too.
So I don’t know if there any drills or tricks that might remind me to split step – right now I’m just trying to think about it every time I play tennis and hope I’ll gradually get better at it and eventually do it before every shot, except maybe a running forehand or backhand…
Hi Ian,
As you’ve mentioned before, the split step gets our feet ready to move in the direction we need to go to hit the ball? If that is the case, the timing of the split step seems to be more determined by how soon we know which way the ball is going which is also why the split step slightly varies from one shot to another. I’m going to hit the court and try to use that analogy to see if my footwork timing has improved.
Ian, Thank you!! Thats brilliant!
sorry Ian, your reasoning of the timing does not make the best sense to me. The timing is best understood if going backward from the shot by the hitter to the split step he made before hitting. he times his split step to be like a loaded spring ready to fire towards whichever side he needs to go at the right moment to make proper contact. his transition from split to making the shot is short without hesitation—and that is the key. if he hesitates, it is almost like becoming flat footed, which you already rightly abhored.
he does not time the split to see first where the ball is going. the split step seems to be made where they have already positioned themselves pending the dynamics of the play. they do not see a forehand and split towards the forehand side or see a backhand and split towards the backhand side. they split where they are already positioned then spring towards the side that they need to go.
let me know what you think. need less to say, I have much enjoyed your tutelage
Joe
Joe,
You’re partially right. “They” (talking about the pros here) begin their split step without leaning towards either side (most of the time, I’m going to show an example that shows otherwise in Video 3). The start of the split step is neutral so that they can move equally in either direction. Before touching down on the court they identify which way the ball is going and actually set their feet up to move in that direction as they touch down. In Video 3 I’ll be showing you some actually competitive point play of the pros showing this process, it’s different technique than what Ferrer and Nadal show us during these cooperate practice rallies.
Can you recommend a way to practice the split step when hitting against the wall?
Allan,
That’s a tough one. In my opinion the best way to do it would be to maintain a groundstroke rally against the wall in which the ball bounces twice (and only twice) each time before you hit it. Make your split step as the ball bounces the first time and then move and position yourself while it’s bouncing the second time. Hopefully that makes sense and works out well for you. Here’s a video that I put out not too long ago about wall hitting:
http://www.essentialtennis.com/video/2011/10/backboard-or-wall-hitting-lesson/
After 40+ years of tennis, the split step may be making a real difference for me. It seems to change the rhythm of hitting a ground stroke, for example. Instead of continuous movement to the ball that includes the stroke itself, by adding the split step, there seems to be a brief PAUSE after getting in position to hit. So the rhythm becomes move-split step-pause-stroke instead of movestroke. The result is that I feel like I have a moment to “set up” for striking the ball, and so find myself hitting from a “platform” and this stabilizes my stroke. Consequence is much sounder contact and better groundies by far. Is this the sequence I should be seeking, to supplant the older continuous-movement pattern I am used to?
Craig,
If you’re getting to your shots earlier and with more balance (you mentioned having more of a “platform”) then using the split step is absolutely paying dividends for you. If I had to chose between having a bit of spare time and having to continue moving only to barely get to each shot then I’ll absolutely take the former every time. Great job
Having closely studied, and emphasized the split step during 27 years as a full-time USPTA pro, I thought the video was great UNTIL you “reversed course” and suggested doing it the WRONG way, toward end of the video (as a “concession” or “recommendation” for the “normal” player).
In my mind there is no justification for learning something incorrectly to later relearn it correctly (or more likely, probably NEVER relearn it correctly) — especially when 100% of the pros do it exactly the same way, and exactly at the same moment. The split step is not a matter of “style,” it is done with absolutely the same millisecond timing among all good players.
The only very slight variation of the “moment” or timing of the split step is based on how much time you will have from the moment your opponent hits the ball, until the moment you have to react to it. A good example for instance, is how close the opponent is to you (for instance a volley-volley exchange at the net). In this case, as the opponent hits the ball you might just feel “springy” (feet light, but always very close to the ground), instead of up “in the air” as your opponent contacts the ball.
The split step IS extremely important, and I don’t know how to keep this explanation very short. So here it is, if you’re inclined to read a bit extra:
1. “UP ON CONTACT” This phrase describes being “up” (slightly off the ground with both feet) at the same time the ball contacts the opponent’s racket. This is true regardless of whether the player is going “up” during the process of taking forward, backward or sideways steps, or whether they are standing still (already in the correct court position) as the opponent contacts the ball.
Starting “up on contact” ensures coming down ALREADY having a sense of where the ball is going (just as Ian explained and showed in video 2). Consequently, the correct result when coming down from the split step, is that the player will AUTOMATICALLY, and naturally be slightly leaning and stepping in the direction the ball requires them to move. (In other words,. when timed correctly, the feet will typically NOT land with both toes pointed forward and the feet parallel to the net).
2. I have found that the timing of going “up on contact” is NOT AT ALL difficult to feel, and is easily accomplished by players at ALL levels, as long as it is explained well to them. Reinforcing the correct timing is up to the teaching Pro, but players can also recognize the correct timing / sensation themselves by the feeling they get when coming down and moving to the next ball. You should feel yourself “coming down moving,” NOTcoming down stopped in a split step (‘ready”) position.
4. SLOW UP BEFORE YOU GO UP: As an alternative to the contention that “normal” players tend to do the split step too late, what I think is actually happening more typically is that the player probably has not sufficiently slowed-up their momentum enough when starting to go up into their split step. Consequently they come down falling too strongly in the direction they were moving when they went up into the split step, and they then find it difficult to redirect their movement with good balance upon landing..
5. SUMMARY: ALL players can do the split-step timing exactly the same as the pros do it. Don’t discount your ability to do this. Learning to do it it at the right moment is no more difficult than learning to do it at the wrong moment. Take a little extra “time” to learn the correct timing of the split step, and it will make you a much better looking, quicker, more balanced and more effective player.
PS the post by fsilber has it right…
Bob,
Thanks for your thoughts, I appreciate it.
Please don’t mis-interpret what I said in the video. My suggestion to time the landing of the split step with contact of the opponent/partner was “for the recreational player who hasn’t started using the split step yet” (6 minutes and 40 seconds in). I’m anticipating that some people won’t pick it up right away (which is true in my experience) and so I’d prefer people to be a bit early rather than a bit late. I never used the phrase “normal player” so please don’t quote me as using it.
I spent roughly 80% of this video showing precisely the BEST way to use the split step and then 5%-10% of it giving a suggestion for people who may have trouble getting it right away. Of course my wish is that every single person who watches my videos can copy what the pros do 100%, but I feel like it’s important to be realistic at the same time and give some hints to those people who may need them. Obviously every player is different.
Quickly in response to your points:
1. I address the toes NOT pointing forwards in the third video, coming out soon (already recorded). I completely agree with everything that you wrote here.
2. Then we have different experiences. I’ve taught the split step to lots of people who picked up the “sensation” (I agree, it’s very much a feel) right away, but I have also taught quite a few people who really struggled with it, and I don’t think it had anything to do with my ability to aptly explain it.
4. I’ve definitely seen what you’re describing, but my suggestion was in response to seeing rec players be late in terms of timing.
5. I completely agree, I’d greatly prefer that people learn to do it “exactly the same as the pros” right away (just like everything else in tennis, haha). If anybody watching or reading doesn’t pick up the timing immediately I’d rather people error on the side of being a bit early at first. As with learning any other physical skill players will become more and more competent with the split step as they spend more time practicing it. My intent was clearly to instruct on the best possible way to do this first and foremost.
Cheers, thanks for watching, Bob.
Hi,
I absolutely agree with bringing the touchdown in line with the moment of recognition of where the ball goes. I don’t agree on being a little bit too early rather than a little bit too late. But this is probably personal/individual. As said before, touching down too early already brings me out of balance again. So a perfect (or tiny bit too late of a) timing works best for me. Your experience probably is based on the fact that most rec players might not have as fast as a reaction time/skill. Myself I played almost 15 years of handball (not sure if you know this in the US) as a goalkeeper. So during my youth I was heavily trained on improvin reaction skills and also in anticipation (reading the oponents body and moves) so this might explain why I need a timing more like the pros.
Phil
Phil,
Yes, you’re exactly correct. I greatly, greatly prefer that players touch down exactly when they recognize where the ball is going (just as demonstrated by the pros in this video). Touching down earlier than that absolutely tends to throw balance off while the player is waiting for recognition. However, you correctly guessed that I suggest it rather than being late because most rec players don’t have speed/quickness as a major weapon. Getting “behind” with getting to the ball tends to be a disaster and most people can’t make up the lost time.
Basically, I recommend that people try to copy the pros on this 100% but wanted to point out that for most tennis players being a bit early is the “lesser of two evils” compared to being late.
Great video – do the pros change the split step timing with court position? If they are at the baseline they might have more time to react vs net play.. Thanks and looking forward to the next video
Sundeep,
Great question. Just because a pro has less time to react to the ball doesn’t mean that he’s able to identify where it’s going any earlier. The goal is always to be as prepared and balanced as possible as soon as that identification occurs as to where the ball is headed, regardless of their position on the court. Unfortunately there isn’t any way to “buy time” on the court, only make the best use of the time that you’re given as possible
I’m trying to put Ian’s stuff in motion.
SO FAR I’M BEATING UP A BUNCH OF GUY WITH WHAT I HAVE LEARNED SO FAR.
It working better than those $65. lessons I used to take.
If your opponent hits the ball a full pound, you’d better be moving in the ball’s direction
just in order to return the ball to the spot that you wish to hit the ball.
If you’r in the air, when you hit the ground (on ball of your feet) you can push off in the direction
of the returned ball.
(If the opponent hits the ball a ton, if you’r already on the ball of your feet, with your knees bent ready to push off in the direction of the ball,
you can just move towards the ball.)
Play the ball, not the opponent to save yourself grief.
joseph
Happy to hear that you’re enjoying the videos, Joseph
This was a prefect video. One idea clearly presented and illustrated. The minutes flew by, leaving me in suspense waiting for Part 3. Good work!
Jim
,
Ian,
Your instructional videos are fantastic.
I have worked on my serve using the information you provided in the serve course, and have seen great results over the last month. My second serve is now better than my previous first serve, and with much less effort. Has made a significant difference to how well I can hold serve and how many free points I get off the serve.
Looking forward to refining my split step now.
Thanks for all the excellent instruction videos!
I’m always on my toes at ball contact on the other side of the net.
I dont commit to a direction until the ball come off the other racquet.
joseph
Ian, intuitively it seems that you would need to adjust the timing of your split step according to where you were on the court, AND the speed of your opponent’s ball. I know that when I play against someone who hits with less power, I have to delay my split… or I wind up too early and lose any loading I gained in my legs. Likewise, if someone is banging away at me, I tend to split a bit earlier. Just a thought…
Kevin,
I understand what you’re saying. Let me suggest to you that it isn’t so much that you’re doing the split step earlier or later, but rather that the rhythm feels faster or slower due to the speed of the rallies. You should strive to touch down with the split step the same time for every shot: exactly when you can identify where your opponents shot is traveling. That should be the the same amount of time elapsed from contact whether they’re hitting the ball hard or soft, but the “feel” is very different since you have different amounts of time to get to the ball from that identification point in time onward.
Hopefully I didn’t over-complicate that and it makes sense!
Hi Ian,
Isn’t the timing of the split step different depending upon the distance between the players? If both are at the net, shouldn’t the split step be a bit earlier to deal with the almost immediate arrival of the ball (as compared with when one or both players are further back in the court)?
Jay
Great video Ian with clear and simple instruction on the spilt step. Obviously, this is the first movement before a player then moves to the ball but are you able to elaborate on why the top 4 have such good movement around the court and what their ‘secret’ is?
After I hitting a return I am using a one two count and then splitting as a standard for recovering for my opponents next return. Should I try to wait for my opponents contact before my split?
Jim Fournell
Jim,
YES, time the split step with your opponent. Do not apply any kind of standard “count” to this. When you need to be most balanced and prepared changes drastically from shot to shot based on things like your opponents position on the court, how hard you hit your previous shot, where you hit your previous shot from, etc, etc.
I would try to _begin_ my split-step jump as my opponent is making contact, not finish it. I would try to jump earlier only if I know he’s not going to delay contact waiting for me to commit, and if I know I will be very fast at recognizing the ball’s direction.
The reason for the jump is so that, when you realize where the ball is heading, you can position your feet for push-off while you’re still in the air, and you can sort of bounce into that direction instead of trying to accelerate from a dead stop. The bounce is wasted if, when you land, you still don’t know which way you need to go.
Once your feet are back down on the ground, if your feet are not placed right for the push-off you’re going to have to lift them again before pushing off — which defeats the whole purpose of the split step.
Therefore, I think it’s better to touch down from the hop a little late than a little early.
Frank,
Really good thoughts, thank you for posting. I completely agree about already setting the feet up for movement on their way down from the split step, I’m going to be address that in the third and final video. Some players watching these videos are ready to start using those kinds of patterns already, but many are not so I suggest (mainly for those who aren’t using a split step at all yet) to begin with a simple neutral “touch down” and then moving towards the ball from there. That is WAY better than what the majority of rec players are currently doing (nothing).
As far as being either early or late, I agree that being a bit late is better than being a bit early IF the split step is already a habit for you AND you’re already setting your feet up on the way down for action towards the ball. A large majority of people watching this video don’t have those things in place and will struggle mightily to “catch up” with the ball once it has started traveling away from them, they’ve identified where it’s going, but they’re still stuck up in the air and waiting to get back down.
Hopefully that makes sense. Cheers.
1) The speed of the pro’s ball is faster than ours. Would that change the timing at all?
2) Would the timing of the split step change for at net versus being in the back court?
Thanks.
When the ball makes contact with the hitter’s racquet is a much easier visual (and even audio) event to discern than a point in time after the ball leaves racquet; therefore I would suggest to people to be in the air (both feet off the ground) when the ball makes contact with the hitter’s racquet.
Hi Ian,
Is it that the pros are timing their landing just after the ball is struck or simply that they’re starting their split step just prior to contact? It may be the same thing but from a practical standpoint, it would seem easier for people to time the start of their split step than when they will land.
Although the split step is critical, it seems like it’s talked about separately, almost like talking about the trophy pose, but never talking about the serve itself.
I would like to see some discussion on what to do after you recognize where the ball is going in the first one-two steps after the split step. I think many folks attempt the split step, but then don’t have a clear idea what to do with the feet afterwards. In the Nadal video, you see that once he identifies the direction, he uses the opposite foot, moves it to the foot that is closer to the ball, and uses it to adjust his distance. By contrast, a player might move his right foot first which would be awkward.
Hope to hear more on this!
I knew it! Yes, I’ve incorporated the split step at the point of my opponent’s contact with the ball for at least a year now, but I often feel I’m too early and have to bounce in place once or sometimes twice after. Yesterday I was paying particular attention to my split after watching Video 1 the day before and actually got foot tangled with my extra footwork bouncing. Tonight I have a two-hour hitting session and I’m going to try splitting just after the ball leaves my opponen’t racquet and am sure I’ll feel better timing. I agree that a lot of club players are flat footed and aren’t in good enough shape for the endurance of proper footwork but there are many of us who train for and play tennis several times a week who are quick and light on their feet. Thanks, Ian.
Thank you for showing a leftie, as I rarely get to see how to do it from a leftie’s side. This video was helpful, as I am still working on the split step and it showed the timing, which helps a lot.
Again an excellent video. Again this is just what I have been looking for. Thank you again. I really appreciate this. You are starting to get me to become a follower of you.
I tried this split step some yesterday. I was not entirely successful because I stop concentrating on the split step and concentrate more on watching the ball and timing the hit. I do reconize the importance of the split step (ss) and I am going to get the ss down.
Thanks again so much.
jth
JT,
Don’t be frustrated, you have to give it time to become a habit. Until then expect it to take some conscious effort, which at first will take away your concentration from other things. Thanks for watching!
Since I practice a lot with the ball machine I often don’t use a split step in practice, any ideas on this? Also one thing that has helped in solo practive it hitting against a wall and split steping as I hit the wall
Tim,
Ball machine definitely isn’t best since you can’t see it “hit” the ball. Most have a distinct sound that they make as it prepares to fire, practice timing your split step with that noise if possible!
sounds great, will definitely try this timing out in the court tomorrow.
Very clearly stated, and helpful.
Hi Ian,
This second video was GREAT! Your explanation of timing the split step was so clear & eay to see using the pro footage. You said rec players like me should aim for an earlier split step than the pros — but it seems to make more sense to split step when you can judge where the ball is going, like the pros do. Why earlier?
Joanne,
I understand what you’re saying, great question. Yes, while most rec players take longer to recognize where the ball is actually going (and so you’d guess to aim for a later split step) as I said in the video when amateur players mess up the timing of their split step one way or the other it’s almost always LATE in my experience. Based on those observations (I’d say a solid 90% of the time) I always tell people to aim a bit earlier with their timing.
Hopefully that makes sense!
I believe you would be more effective by instructing a specific movement by the opponent to START the split step. For example, in all the videos shown, the pros started their split step when the opponent touched the ball. Perhaps encourage social tennis players to start the step when the opponent’s racquet reaches the farthest point of backswing.
Debra,
Different people take different amounts of time to perform their split step so I don’t focus on when to begin the motion, rather when to complete it.
Timing is everything! I always try to time my touch down point just after my opponent makes contact with the ball so that I can make a “partial pivot” upon landing. Any indication of this from the pros? It is particularly helpful when I have to chase a ball hit wide. At my “advancing” age, every “little” step helps! Thanks for the detail.
Jim,
Excellent question, I’ll actually be covering that in detail in Video #3!
You speak of when my feet come down, but that is completely dependent on when I start the split step. Therefore the more important question is when do I start the split step. As my opponents raquet start moving toward the ball? When he makes contact? Your opinion please.
Pete,
Different people take different amounts of time to physically perform the split step (based on how high and how wide they like to get). Therefore in my teaching I always focus on the touching down rather than when to start, since different people will touch down at different times if they all start at once
You should time the beginning of your split step so that you touch down either at or JUST after contact by your partner/opponent. Exactly when that is in the beginning will depend on their shot situation and the amount of time it takes you to perform it.
I would imagine they don’t split step that late on a serve return, do they? Also, do they split step that late in a match? Easier to be later when you are rallying in practice.
Craig,
They absolutely DO! I show a prime example of exactly that in video #3.
Great point about coordinating the split step with the ball judgmennt. I am trying to get my eyes ansd my feet to work together on two different tasks at the same time. Its a work in progress, but the potential benefit to my tennis game is huge! Sorry about your Packers going down in the playoffs.
Thanks, John. I appreciate it.
Excellent video, Ian. I went out yesterday and tried to incorporate the split step into my game. I found, tho, that I in so doing I was late in rotating my body to the appropriate side and bringing the racket back.
I’m guessing that as you spring out of the split step, you are simultaneously rotating and bringing the racket back?