True Alignment: Two Handed Backhand

The movement of the legs to create true alignment on the two-handed backhand is critical but not widely understood. The concept of true alignment refers to the angles between the legs and the hips in relation to the line of the shot. In a previous article I looked at True Alignment on the forehand. (Click Here.) Now let's do the same for the two handed backhand. The combinations of movements that creates true alignment has changed my whole approach to playing and teaching the game. It applies as well to the one-handed backhand, the serve, approach shots, and the volleys—something I will detail in future articles. Top players use open, neutral and closed stances. Stances We know that on the two-hander top players set up mainly in semi open stances. They can then hit from the existing open stance, or step into a neutral stance, or step across into a closed stance. Regardless of stance, we know they push off the ground with the back foot. We also know that the hips and shoulders rotate in conjunction with this push. But what exactly happens to the legs after the initial push, and how does that affect the timing of the...