Sure - here's a splitting tip - my buddy taught me how to REALLY split with a maul some years ago.
I watched in amazement as he laid open a two foot diameter chunk of oak with three hits! Then he showed me the secret: just as the maul head is about to hit wood, twist the head so that it's actually at an angle. Two things will happen: the maul will not get stuck in the wood, it will just bounce off. Also, the force is not just directed perpendicular to the wood leaving only the shape of maul head to split the wood apart but rather, the maul head is entering the wood at an angle and the force is directed sideways - now not only is the maul head wedging the wood apart, but the sideways force is also working for you. If it's a larger piece, say larger than a foot diameter, don't try to split it all at once, hit it two or three times. You'll find you can split it anywhere you want with this technique but for demonstration, let's say you want to split in half: hit the chunk in the center but towards one side then hit towards the other side - both of these hits should not be full out hits, just half-hearted hits to prime the wood. Then, on your last hit, just HIT it in the center and the chunk will explode in half like you wouldn't believe.
This technique does require some practice but once you get the idea, you'll be amazed at the efficiency of it. Now I can easily split two foot diameter sections with three hits. I have a splitter but I actually prefer to split by hand (I too need the exercise). If the chunk doesn't go after a few hits I'll just kick it aside for the splitter along with the really knotted pieces. Oh - one more thing - I find that maple and oak split best when green.
Hope this helps
Moe