THE DNO THEORY;: A Simple System for Smarter Tennis


One of the biggest breakthroughs in my coaching career came with my learning the DNO Theory. This practical shot selection theory helps players instantly recognise whether they’re in Defence, Neutral, or Offence during a point. Master Professional and long-time mentor, the late Peter Burwash, first introduced the theory to me, and it has been in my coaching "tool bag" ever since.

Instead of guessing or reacting emotionally, players begin making smart, structured decisions based on what the DNO Theory is telling them. And the beauty of this system is that it works at every level — from juniors to professionals, in singles and in doubles.

The Two Rules of DNO

DNO is built on two simple rules that apply to every point you play:

1. Foot Position

  • If your feet are behind the baseline, you’re in Defence.
  • If your feet are on or inside the baseline, you’re in Offence.
  • The further inside the court you go, the more offensive your opportunities become.

2. Contact Height

  • If you make contact below the white band of the net, you’re in Defence.
  • If you strike the ball above the white band, you’re in Offence.

When one rule says you’re on Defence and the other says you’re on Offence, the result is Neutral — your job is to not go for too much with your shot and attempt to create an opportunity to transition to Offence later.

What Does Neutral Look Like?

Neutral is when you're between roles — for example:

  • You’ve stepped inside the court (offensive feet), but contact the ball low (defensive contact).
  • Or you’re behind the baseline (defensive feet), but strike a high, loopy ball (offensive contact).

Neutral is not the time to hit winners. Your job is to build pressure and transition to a clear offensive opportunity.

Simple DNO Match Rules

Over time, I’ve developed three key DNO rules that I teach every competitive player:

  1. The role of the Serve is to create "inside feet" or high contact, especially on the first forehand.
  2. Never make an unforced error during a neutral rally — wait until you’ve earned an offensive position.
  3. Neutralise the serve with your return — aim to keep the server’s feet behind the baseline.

These rules foster a nice foundation for players during competition.

DNO + Technique

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a coach is this:

Never teach technique without a strategic reason.

Every technical improvement should tie back to a real match-play scenario using DNO.

  • Teaching a better service? Link it to creating offensive feet and high contact.
  • Working on a cross-court backhand? Connect it to the neutral-to-offence transition.

When you attach strategy to technique, players learn faster because they see a link to real match situations.

Final Thoughts

The DNO Theory is a decision-making system you can use on every point you play. It applies equally to the decisions you make and guides you in what type of ball to give your opponent. The DNO Theory is equally important on both sides of the net! It brings clarity, reduces errors, and helps players stay composed in the chaos of competition.

Location: London, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KEYS TO THE TWO-HANDED BACKHAND

Image
This article aims to provide you with 5 ingredients to help simplify the  two-hander and give you more control and versatility.       1. THE BOTTOM HAND The bottom hand on the grip controls the length of your contact zone.  The further on top the knuckles of the bottom hand are positioned, the longer your contact zone. The further around to the front of the grip the knuckles of the bottom hand are positioned, the shorter the contact zone will be. The Djokovic bottom hand is positioned almost on  top of the handle.  This would indicate that he intends  to hit down the line.   Positioning the knuckles of your bottom hand on top of the handle makes it a lot easier to hit your down-the-line shots, while placing the bottom hand in the front of the handle makes it easier to hit extreme cross-court angles. Y ou  need to play your backhand in various grip positions on the handle. The important thing is not the position of your hands on the...
Read more

CAN YOU PLAY YOUR BEST TENNIS AT 3AM?

Image
Several years ago, I was on a practice court with Tamarine Tanasugarn. She was part of a team that had travelled with me overseas to compete. It was 7am, and everyone was taking time to adjust to the unfamiliar conditions. Everyone except Tamarine, that is! This was our first practice session after the long flight. Tamarine was striking the ball as cleanly as ever.   Her timing was perfect from the first ball until the last. What created her ability to adapt so well to the conditions and thrive? Later, Paradorn Srichaphan, who reached a career-high ranking of #9 on the ATP, also demonstrated the same adaptability. I began to ask myself what this quality was and whether I could actually teach it to my students on the court. I began to formulate what I called 'The 3am Theory': the ability to play your best tennis at any time, anywhere, on any surface, even at 3am in the morning.   Imagine being woken from a sound sleep at 3 a.m. and asked to play a tie-break aga...
Read more

YOUR BEST GUIDE TO TEACHING UNDER-SPIN FUNDAMENTALS

Image
Is there a resurgence in the use of underspin in tennis today? Having witnessed years of topspin domination (and underspin neglect), are we finally seeing underspin getting the recognition it deserves? I think we are. For too many years, players have relied almost totally on topspin to attack and defend in points.    This new trend from the top male and female players in tennis may be signalling a new and exciting era for the once-maligned underspin. During this year's French Open, players were mixing in underspin groundstrokes during the rally to keep the ball low and using underpin to help defend the point whenever needed. Underspin is also a key element when playing the drop shot, which we see much more now in rallies, particularly by Novak Djokovic.   "...players today must understand how to technically incorporate under-spin into their game, and just as important when to execute under-spin during the point."    As tennis gets increasingly diverse in its...
Read more