Generally speaking, a maul should never swing to the side. Rather it should be powered through the drop, using force to assist the natural weight of the maul. In addition a suitable splitting base is one of the most important components to splitting wood with a maul. Wood can be split directly off the ground, although this is a disadvantage for a few reasons. For one the ground, if not frozen, will give on each blow, thereby weakening the overall effect of the blow. The second disadvantage is that it can present the log to be split at a low level, forcing the person splitting the wood to bend over during the swing, which causes back fatigue. The best bases are flush-cut segments of hardwood logs, usually about one foot tall. For repeated season use the top open grain may be treated slightly. The diameter of the base should be at least twice that of the wood placed atop it for splitting, and the base should be placed on firm ground.