Monday Musings, Moving Beyond the Split Step

Hi Everyone,

Today we journey beyond the split step. The principle goals are:

• Responding not reacting. 

• Go slow enough that the first step is appropriate, not just doing something.

• Quick is going slow well. Quick is moving appropriately. 

• When you take your time, it may seem like you are wasting time, but you are actually making time. Under pressure, facing tough shots and tough opponents, more time is always good. 

OK, here’s how to get some exercise at home, off the court, that will help your tennis when you return to the court. It’s footwork folks, it’s learning to move better, quicker, more appropriately, and it a way that helps your movement and power, and not hurts it. And you can learn all this without a ball. Let’s get started! 

Make sure you have a nice size space, in the living room or back yard. Probably need at least 6’ x 6’. Walk around a bit, and do a few calf stretches before you begin. We want to loosen up a bit first. Enjoy! 

First a quick review on the split step. At the moment right before they contact the ball, hop into the air. At the moment of recognition, when you can tell which way their ball is going, you want to be in the air. Then as you start to come down, turn your foot (the on the side you are going to move to) to the proper angle to pursue the ball. Land and bounce off that step into the next one, the other leg crosses your body and you are on the move. 

A dear friend of mine is a teacher and is retiring this year in June. All year he has been thinking about the last day of school, a retirement party, accolades he deserves for a fabulous career, and none of that is going to happen the way he envisioned. And that lesson from the pandemic has helped him to realize how much of life we waste in our heads, just thinking. Letting the mind run free. The mind on a walkabout.  

“The past is a story, the future a dream. We only can live in the present.”

In these intense times that we live, with uncertain futures, I don’t want to waste any time. How much time in my life have I wasted thinking about things that never happened, will never happen, were never real. 

Here’s the problem for me, perhaps for you. It all has to do with: The next thing

I keep worrying, a constant, underlying anxiety, about what I’m supposed to do next. What’s the answer, what is the next thing to get right? Always feeling the need to know the future. Feeling a judgement, that I have to get it right. Being right was so important in my childhood, in school, on the tennis court, at work, everywhere. I felt loved and approved when I got the right answer. How many of us have had that drilled into us? 

It seems like a good idea, getting the right answer, but it can be a trap, like perfectionism, that promises so much, but actually delivers so little positive, and leaves you in a constant state of anxiety, fear, always having to prove, to earn your acceptance, your right to even exist, detached from grace, knowing that you are OK, that you are loved.

The split step, when done to its highest, purest form, is an exercise in the exact opposite. An exercise in life, in living. In reality. In loving what is. 

We wait in the present. Only having to know what we know, see what we see. Being ready. Responding when there is something to respond to (not a fear, a guess, a rose-colored fantasy, or stab in the dark at what the future might be), trusting myself, accepting that I’m already just fine, loved, accepted. Nothing to prove or earn. Grace. 

Right here in tennis is one of the gifts of life, of living, loving, learning. One of the greatest lessons, teachings, and a door into enlightenment.

Tennis? The split step? Who would have thought. 

But the lesson in presence continues. For once we are in the air, and we actually see something happening, where our opponent is hitting the ball, we need to see that for what it is. Where the ball is going. 

Of course, we can’t know exactly where to move right away, that comes later in the process we are studying today, but we get a general idea: left or right? Maybe deep or short too. 

And we turn to the extent that we know. If we don’t know, it’s too soon to move. Wait until you know, until you see. Generally, I focus on left or right for that first, up in the air, move.

By the time you land and step, the ball has traveled another 10 feet or so towards your side of the court, and you can get a sense of whether it is deep or short, near or far, (even “in” or “out” – so important to take that first move before you know “in” or “out”—don’t waist that precious time getting started late), and then, once you can sense that, adjust the path that you have started on. Most balls I can get to relatively easy. Some require quicker movement, even a sprint. 

Now comes the part that separates the excellent players from the average: I need to keep adjusting. Starting in the right direction is not enough. I take small, little steps to fine tune my positioning as I get close to the ball, so that as well as possible I can produce the best stroke with the ball in the best possible place in relation to me. 

Club players average about 4 steps between each contact they make with the ball. Good club players, tournament players, about 8 steps, and world-class players about 12 steps or even more. Most of these “extra” steps are in “fine-tune” adjusting, and then recovery (more later). Djokovic is a monster here, a master of fitness and steps. 

There are all kinds of moves, depending on what the situation is, and the ball that you are receiving. There are thick books, and long videos describing all the various moves you can make after that split step and initial read. There is a teacher from Australia whose whole career is just teaching this, so complicated, so in depth.  

Here we’ll do our best to describe a few essential footwork moves and give you some ideas for options in how to improve your movement, and thus your game.  

Closing: This is one of my favorite moves in tennis. Closing is when you are at the net, and the ball is hit to you in such a way that you can move in (close the distance between you and the ball, you and your opponent) so that you can take the ball higher, hit a more offensive shot, give your opponent less time. Closing is so important in the net game, that my partner in college used to say, “If you are not closing, you’re losing.” In closing, you move forward towards the ball, but also turned, so that you can play the ball out to the side when you get there. 

“The ball goes back and forth, but the play is to the side.” – Tom Stowe, NorCal tennis-teaching legend. 

While we like to be stepping forward with our left foot catching the ball while that left step is in the air and we are shifting our weight (on a right-handed forehand volley), it is not essential. I have seen and played many a good closing volley stepping with my right foot forward, crossing in front of my left to maintain my sideways orientation. This ball is one that can be attacked and may require several steps forward. Don’t get caught up in which step you are on. What is most important that you get it high and as close to the net (and your opponent) as possible. Close in on those floaters. 

Drop back step: When in the middle of our split step, we see our opponent throw up a lob over our head. From the point where both feet are in the air, our first step is our right foot turning and dropping back behind us (if we are right-handed, left foot for left-handed). Then, like a quarterback, dropping back to pass, we slide the other foot behind the first, repeating right and then left step behind for how ever big a drop back with need to make, one step, three steps, five steps, seven. You plant for the overhead or jump for the overhead with the odd step (right foot for right handers). 

Lunge step: on the return of serve, or when you don’t have a great deal of time and don’t have to move very far, when you are mid split step, and read the direction, you can step out towards the ball with your turning foot, and then with a very short backswing, catch (block) the ball with a very short motion, and release. As you contact the ball you step across with your other foot. In a sense you are “stepping into the ball” but are mid step when you contact. Like a volley. We see this move on return of serve all the time, especially on wide serves.  

Sidestep up to the ball: On a short ball (to the right side), turn the right foot, and step forward. Left foot, moves forward behind the right, then right foot, slides across again in front. Plant with the right foot (for a right-handed forehand, left-handed backhand) and step behind (step in) with the left foot. On contact we often break with that left step and kick up and back with the right foot. (3.5 sitter). 

Sidestep back for a deep ball: We can also do this side step back, for a ball that is going deeper. In this scenario, we plant with the right foot, step behind us (big open stance) with the left foot and rotate on contact so that we end up often facing the opposite side of the court (like we were going to hit a backhand next). A reverse stance. 

Cross over: when we need to cover a lot of ground, we turn and run. This means that if we are going to our right, our left leg has to cross over so that we can run to our right. We are facing right and looking at the ball over our left shoulder as we approach the area of contact. 

Slide step or shuffle step: we side step, or shuffle step when we are getting back into position, and don’t know where then next ball is going to go (left or right) so we want to stay neutral and face our opponent. We wouldn’t do this move out of the initial split step when our opponent is hitting but coming out of the “break step” / recovery step, after we hit (see more below).

Gravity step: When you are in the midst of your split step, and you see that the ball is going to be very far away, and that you are going to have to run very fast to get there, you take your rotating foot (let’s say your right foot), and bring it back toward the other (left) foot, on the opposite (left) side of your body, so that you land turned, and leaning (to the right) so that gravity propels you towards the ball (far to the right). You are starting in a sprinter’s start, quick to explode in the direction you want to go (right). You would not do this move, if you didn’t have to go very far, because it takes you intentionally out of balance to gain acceleration. An example would be if you were on the far left of the court, and your opponent hit the ball to the far (right) side of the court. You would start with a gravity step to enhance your start and acceleration. 

There are many other moves, but if you can do these basic moves, that will take care of 90% of the movement you need to do in tennis. And through using these moves, you will, as you play, subtle adjusts, to create the other moves, the ones we have left out in this discussion. 

For example, when I first learned the split step, you would hop up, and land facing forward (toes forward), and then use the bounce of the landing to turn your foot in the direction you wanted to go. But after you do that for years, you start to wait longer, and turn in the air. This speeds up your reaction time, just by becoming more familiar with the move, and the desired result (which is to move, not to land the same way each time). 

This natural progression would happen for everyone, but I’m just teaching you to turn in the air to help move the process along. But you would figure it out on your own. The body is always looking for more efficient ways to move. And as long as it doesn’t leave out things that are important, then it is all-good to become more efficient. When we leave out important stuff trying to be efficient, then we are actually being lazy. Don’t go there. 

Ask the question: is the way you are moving helping you? Or hurting you? Think long-term. What's in my long-term best interests. Be efficient, not lazy. 

So, we are using these moves to take us to the ball, adjust (with little steps) to the ball as we see more clearly exactly where it is going, and now we want to use this movement (this body momentum) to help you play the ball. 

The basic move, is to line the shot up with the back foot (right foot on a right-handed forehand), step (with the left, i.e. shift our weight), contact the ball (catch and throw), then continue to step again with the right foot, into the break step. Just like walking or running, right, left , right. The faster we are running, the more we use the break step (the bigger the step out the faster we are going). The break step is to stop momentum, so we can return back to the defensive position to receive their next shot. 

In the old days, when the game was much slower, and on easy shots today, we try to balance for the contact (not move, static balance), and not step through (break step), but on so many shots today, we don’t have time to set up, plus moving through helps with the shot production, power and control (dynamic balance). The pros move through practically every shot, and they aren’t too bad, so that’s a good modern model. Balance is key, it can be static or dynamic, but balance means you control your movements, and not just fall where momentum takes you. “Move with intention,” my Pilates teacher Maggie says. 

On a wide, right-handed forehand, we would plant with the right foot (the proper distance away from the ball, rotate out bodies and step with the left foot, catch, drive and release the ball, and then step though with the right step, a bit larger stride (depending on how fast we were running) so that when the right foot lands, it can stop our momentum. Again, if we are running fast, it’s a big step. Then we pick up our left foot, and bring it towards our right foot, a drop step / gravity step under our body, which then creates an imbalance or feeling we are “falling back to the left”, and then we will cross with our right foot to move back to the left, finishing with a few side steps or shuffle steps (see above, facing forward, feet forwards neutral position), recovering to the “middle” of where they can hit their next shot. 

A tennis point becomes a dance, with a flow, a rhythm, and constant movement. You stand still, or rest, between points. There are other things to do between points. Other “moves” to be present. Perhaps we’ll talk about between point routines another time. We do seem to have time these days.   

So, in this life we are living, these interesting and challenging times. The next thing, the thing we need to do, the answer to what we need to do, is to be present. To be ready, to resist guessing, predicting, thinking of the worst-case scenario. Our job is to wait for what actually happens, to respond appropriately. 

In meditation, there is a technique that when your mind starts to drift, to start thinking thoughts, spinning tales, inventing horror stories, or wild fantasies, to come back to the moment, to come back to the breath, by saying to yourself, “Thinking.” 

To recognize you are thinking, that you are no longer present. Saying “thinking” stops you and brings you back to the present.

Thinking is not a “mistake”, it is a lesson. We all do it, and the practice, the getting good, is recognizing when we are off the path, and coming back to our path. That’s the value, the skill, the ability to return to the path, to reality. That’s the “right” answer, to be able to return to the present, without scolding, berating, or taking a lot of time. As Kate Winslet said to Leo, “Come back.” 

When I was playing defense in volleyball, back in the day, and I would get in my low stance, waiting to defend, to attempt to dig the hit, the hitter would leap up into the air, and prepare to unleash a powerful shot. I would want to move early, to guess, and I would just say to myself, in as calm of voice as possible, “Wait.”