Split step

[anthonysadiq]

When to split step? At the sound of the ball or even before.

[stotty]

When to split step? At the sound of the ball or even before.

You should split step just before your opponent is about to strike the ball. You should be landing just after your opponent has struck the ball...when you know where it's going. The timing of this is crucial and some players do it better than others. Needless to say, all tour players do it well. When you land you need your legs to be like springs...ready to get after that ball.

[worldsbesttenniscoach]

So many times I will see an ATP competitor hopping to start the split step as the opponent's shot is crossing the net. Obviously, that split step is too late. Often, the even the best players have poor timing for their split steps.

Today's coaches probably force artificial split steps. Older players like Ken Rosewall, who covered court superbly, used to split step, but it was almost a hidden split step -- not as noticeable as today's split steps. Major League shortstops must use some hidden kind of split step, but they avoid the pronounced hopping split steps used by modern tennis players. Those modern tennis split steps are almost impossible to time just right.

Although Rosewall & Major Leaguers' split steps are not as obvious, by the time the tennis opponent or batter is hitting the ball, Rosewall & baseball defenders are not rushing forward, they are on their toes & balls of feet, in athletic position, ready to flow in direction of the hit ball.

I find that an overemphasis on the split step sometimes actually harms a tennis player.

[johnyandell]

anthony,

if you want to see this from an amazing view, look in the HS Archive at the fed fh's the rear view. In several you will actually see the timing in direct corelation with the forward swing of the opponent. If you look report back!

John Yandell

[worldsbesttenniscoach]

I hate to get picky, but details are important, timing is important. I will try to see Federer's forehand, but what does "in perfect correlation with the opponent's foreward swing" mean? Please be more exact, more specific.

When I watch Federer's forehand, I sadly often see Federer too quickly getting his shoulders & hips too sideways, too quickly, with his racket back too far, somewhat disconnected to his body. I notice Federer throws a lot of points away with his forehand. I notice Roger embarrassingly mishits a lot of his forehands. (He hits many great forehand shots, & many bad forehand shots.)

Getting back to the split step, I think it is difficult to time well. Players in other sports (football, baseball, basketball) do not overemphasize the split step the way many tennis coaches & players do. I didn't see Ken Rosewall using easily observable split steps, but he could move on court pretty well.

[worldsbesttenniscoach]

I forgot to include in the post I just finished (above):

I find tennis coaching & tennis instruction can be a follow-the-leader endeavor. Often, some coach comes up with an idea. Then, because the idea is new or seems cool, soon 100s & 1000s of coaches everywhere are spouting that new idea as though it is gospel & research-based (when it is not). Some tennis leader comes up with the next new idea, & then so many other coaches follow those new words like sheep.

Skepticism is important, even in tennis coaching. In general, even "experts" are not really expert in teaching, or in coaching tennis, specifically. It is smart to realize the experts are only human, & they do not know everything. They often claim to know more than they actually do.

[worldsbesttenniscoach]

He he he. The next time I view Federer on TV, I will re-run some points in slo-mo to see if Federer's split step is always perfectly timed. By the way, could you please provide a link for that perfectly timed Federer forehand, so I can begin to analyze that?

Right now, we have one person's testimony that the "greatest player ever" timed the split step 1 time perfectly. ok. ha ha ha. I need more proof that today's pros execute the split step well.

[johnyandell]

Go look in the High Speed Archive.

[stotty]

Split step...when it happens.

This is a good one...watch the guy the other end.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_speed_archive/phantom/Roger_Federer_Court_Level_HD_HS/index.html?dir=Forehand/RF_FH_Center&stroke=FH%20Center%20OpenStance%20CourtLevelRear%20500fps.mp4

Just love these ground level clips.

[GeoffWilliams]

Extreme split steps are the hall mark of great defensive players: Murray, 9" high, Chang, Hewitt, Edberg on the other hand, had a very wide, very deep knee bend on his incoming net split step, which gave him more lateral movement, and placed him on the low end/to the ground, for ankle and lower volleys. That's what he needs to teach to Fed! Maybe that will be worth $80,000 euros per week for ten weeks.

[10splayer]

He he he. The next time I view Federer on TV, I will re-run some points in slo-mo to see if Federer's split step is always perfectly timed. By the way, could you please provide a link for that perfectly timed Federer forehand, so I can begin to analyze that?

Right now, we have one person's testimony that the "greatest player ever" timed the split step 1 time perfectly. ok. ha ha ha. I need more proof that today's pros execute the split step well.

Save yourself the time. he does split step on time as every other world class player does. Look, I understand via your posts, that you have no respect for the current player or the state of the game. You, and others spend a lot of time trashing these guys, but here's the thing.......The one undeniable truth, is that the game is played at an incredible speed. If these guys dont split step on time, they simply cant compete. The modern game (regardless of whether or not you like it) is based on balance, reaction time, court coverage etc. ....incredible athleticism.The SS timing is imperative. THEY DO IT, and ON TIME.

[don_budge]

Skepticism...about Split Steps

So many times I will see an ATP competitor hopping to start the split step as the opponent's shot is crossing the net. Obviously, that split step is too late. Often, the even the best players have poor timing for their split steps.

Today's coaches probably force artificial split steps. Older players like Ken Rosewall, who covered court superbly, used to split step, but it was almost a hidden split step -- not as noticeable as today's split steps. Major League shortstops must use some hidden kind of split step, but they avoid the pronounced hopping split steps used by modern tennis players. Those modern tennis split steps are almost impossible to time just right.

Although Rosewall & Major Leaguers' split steps are not as obvious, by the time the tennis opponent or batter is hitting the ball, Rosewall & baseball defenders are not rushing forward, they are on their toes & balls of feet, in athletic position, ready to flow in direction of the hit ball.

I find that an overemphasis on the split step sometimes actually harms a tennis player.

I have never liked the term split step...but I recognize that there is an instant where the receiving player of a tennis shot must be prepared to...get prepared. Your description of the shortstops preparation is a very good analogy...and it has a lot to do with my father being a professional baseball player in the Detroit Tiger system back in the early 1950's which might make that experience obsolete in some persons minds. He taught me a lot about baseball when I was a boy. He was a shortstop.

Funny enough...my father took up the game of tennis at the ripe old age of 37 and he actually became a very, very good player...he confounded me on the tennis court up to a certain point. It was frustrating to play against him...first of all he was my father and secondly he got to everything.

One of his strengths was his ability to read his opponents and to anticipate well enough to afford him the luxury of getting in position to make a balanced swing. But how do you teach that to someone who cannot appreciate the intuition of a shortstop. I guess that is how we come across the term split step...which I never have liked for some reason either.

I played a lot of basketball too. The movements in basketball are very similar to those in tennis and it is interesting to realize that in tennis and basketball you are playing a lot of defense, offense and transition. These movements and positions to get a quick jump on the ball are universal to other sports as well. That first step is so important. Interesting post. It doesn't hurt to reconsider things...being skeptical is healthy. I think it was Stotty or tennis_chiro who once made the statement that the first step was in the mind.

But there is certainly an element of truth in the world of worldsbesttenniscoach because the thing is...players these days spend 95% of their energy pursuing balls from side to side without taking into consideration that the front court is in play as well...well maybe for the occasional drop shot. But a shortstop must take a whole range of directions once he has settled into his position before the batter hits the ball. Its a good analogy. That business about Ken Rosewall is a good point too. "Ready to flow in the direction of the ball"...that's a good way of putting it.

[worldsbesttenniscoach]

10splayer: You believe the spiel that the ATP, WTA, advertisers & public relations firms want you to believe -- that the current state of the pro game is so much more advanced than it has ever been. I disagree.

Find a video of the 1972 Wimbledon final between Ilie Nastase & Stan Smith. Their quickness & court coverage & anticipation put today's players to shame. That final was not an anomaly. Players in that era & before knew how to cover court better than today's players know.

On the pro circuits today, players throw away too many points, they hit the ball to places they did not aim at, they don't know when to move forward & anticipate short balls, they have technique in which they let the ball come to them rather than attack the ball, they are generally bad in dealing with short balls.

The pro players today are pretty good, but they are not gods. They are still flawed human beings, who still need to learn a lot more about how to play tennis better. (I am sorry to "trash" the players whom you so obviously idolize.)

[lobndropshot]

10splayer: You believe the spiel that the ATP, WTA, advertisers & public relations firms want you to believe -- that the current state of the pro game is so much more advanced than it has ever been. I disagree.

Find a video of the 1972 Wimbledon final between Ilie Nastase & Stan Smith. Their quickness & court coverage & anticipation put today's players to shame. That final was not an anomaly. Players in that era & before knew how to cover court better than today's players know.

On the pro circuits today, players throw away too many points, they hit the ball to places they did not aim at, they don't know when to move forward & anticipate short balls, they have technique in which they let the ball come to them rather than attack the ball, they are generally bad in dealing with short balls.

The pro players today are pretty good, but they are not gods. They are still flawed human beings, who still need to learn a lot more about how to play tennis better. (I am sorry to "trash" the players whom you so obviously idolize.)

How long must a player be retired before you can call them a god? I have watched professional athletes play tennis for the first time and guess what they did when the opponent was hitting the ball? Split step! Tennis is one of the world's top sports with fantastic athletes. If an athlete comes to tennis as a second or third choice they WILL NOT have the gifts to compete.

[10splayer]

How long must a player be retired before you can call them a god? I have watched professional athletes play tennis for the first time and guess what they did when the opponent was hitting the ball? Split step! Tennis is one of the world's top sports with fantastic athletes. If an athlete comes to tennis as a second or third choice they WILL NOT have the gifts to compete.

Haha, yes. It seems we have a few keyboard experts here....I guess we really are debating whether or not current players split step and are great athletes. Good grief.