Alexandra’s newest sporting innovation, stepping tennis, is preparing for a defining moment.

The Stepping Tennis Foundation will showcase the game to various Johannesburg regions on Saturday at Paterson Park, with the goal of ensuring that the sport is formally recognised.

Founder Sithembiso Maake said this will give them an opportunity to show the region an original, conceptualised and developed in Alexandra. “We want recognition so that we can turn this into a professional sport. We want to be acknowledged, but our main target is to see stepping tennis in the Olympics.”
While their overall goal is ambitious, he believes the Saturday event will give them the recognition they need in the city.

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Maake said he came up with the sport in 2022, with the intention to promote healthier living in a community often challenged by drugs and alcohol. What began as a simple exercise, has since evolved into a structured game, attracting more than 100 children from across Alexandra to the Kwabhekilanga Sports Ground.
The game is played on an approximately 10m x 6m pitch with a small, rubber ball. Although junior teams have five players, only one player can be fielded at a time. Players keep the ball bouncing using only their feet. Hands are not allowed.

The centre area is the battlefield for contesting possession. Each end has an area called a safe zone, a small box that extends from the left to the right of the pitch and is reserved for the defender. The attacking player is not allowed to enter the safe zone and can only attempt to score from outside the safe zone.
To score, a player must bounce the ball hard enough for it to get into one of the three tires, referred to as drains, in the opponents’ box. Every successful attempt is awarded 3 points.

If a ball touches a player’s hand, it is a foul and the other player is given a penalty, which is taken from a centre circle. Junior matches last 40 minutes with rotations, and when the time elapses, the team with the most points wins.

Maake explained that the long-term goal is to ensure the sport can create jobs and give people opportunities.

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The foundation has worked to refine the game, studying how traditional sports were developed and formalised, and applying those lessons to their own creation. Their hope is that stepping tennis will not only gain recognition, but also open doors for young people to pursue opportunities in coaching, competitions, and sports management.

Beyond the game itself, the foundation has expanded its mission to include education. Coach Sibusiso Shongwe said they noticed that some learners were struggling academically, and this year they introduced tutoring support. “We just got them eight tutors, four for primary school learners and four for high school learners, so that the children benefit, both on and off the court.”

With the February 21 event approaching, excitement is building among the children and coaches, who see stepping tennis as more than just a pastime. Maake noted that the presentation could mark the beginning of a new chapter, not only for stepping tennis, but for young people as well.

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