When to Split Step: Pickleball Coaches Urge Earlier Timing

Timing is the name of the game in pickleball, and coaches are urging players to start their split step earlier than many habitually do. Mary Barsaleau, writing Coach Mary’s Tip of the Week in the Desert Sun on Jan. 31, 2026, highlights that “Don't wait until your opponent contacts the ball to split step” and relays instructor Tanner Tomasi's cue to act as the ball crosses the plane of the net: “As your ball is traveling through the air, you should split step right when it crosses the plane of the net.” Barsaleau adds the practical payoff: “Those precious milliseconds saved will go a long way to success.”

Sources from the coaching and online communities offer slightly different visual cues, but the message is the same: get balanced before you try to play the opponent's shot. Betterpickleball defines the move plainly: “A split step is a light hop onto the balls of your feet, creating a balanced position from which you can change directions easily and quickly.” Betterpickleball advises players to trigger that hop when they “see your opponent's paddle about to contact the ball,” language echoed by long-running tutorials such as Pickleball Channel’s Quick Tip with Coach Mo, first posted Sept. 25, 2014.

Selkirk coach Athena Trouillot frames the timing challenge as a footwork problem many advancing players face. “The biggest mistake players make is not knowing when exactly to stop their feet as they’re advancing toward the kitchen line,” Trouillot says, and she stresses that “That is why it’s important to learn to stop your feet with a split step.” Trouillot’s drill-based teaching asks players to try stopping as a partner makes contact, then stopping right before contact to compare readiness and shot consistency: “Now, start over and try stopping your feet as your partner makes contact with the ball. This time, you may have been able to make contact with the shot, but was your return solid? Finally, perform the exercise again, this time stopping your feet right before your partner makes contact. How did that feel? Were you better prepared for the shot? Did you execute a solid reset?”

Practically speaking, coaches give straightforward drills to lock the timing into muscle memory. Betterpickleball suggests starting behind the baseline, moving forward while alternating split steps and stops, and “initiate at least two split steps before you get” to the non-volley zone so the bounce stays light and ready for lateral movement. Scott F., a Betterpickleball community member, underlines the stability advantage: “Excellent point on being sure to stop before you hit the ball. Otherwise, you have two forces moving the ball, your normal stroke, and your forward momentum.”

Players who tried earlier split-stepping report real gains. One Pickleball Channel commenter wrote, “I have been split stepping just as my opponent is about to contact the ball for several weeks now; and my unforced errors have gone way down, and my control of the ball has gone way up. This guy knows his pickleball.”

If you want to practice with others, Barsaleau is running a community event: the Superbowl Pickle Round Robin at Paradise Pickleball Club is scheduled for Feb. 8, and organizers promise Super Bowl Squares with cash prizes. Email mgbarsaleau@gmail.com to enter.

For players looking to sharpen timing, watch Tanner Tomasi’s short tutorial referenced by Barsaleau, review Pickleball Channel’s Quick Tip with Coach Mo, and run Selkirk and Betterpickleball drills at practice. Work methodically toward the kitchen line, compare cues, and pick the visual trigger that gives you the cleanest, most consistent reset.