Too often in tennis (I certainly have been guilty of this myself both in working on my own game and when giving instruction) there is an overemphasis on stroke mechanics and how to hit a tennis ball in a certain manner. Meanwhile, the strategy of how and when to use the techniques learned gets far less attention. We have all seen players who seem to have beautiful strokes but rarely ever win. They don't really have a clue as to how to play the game!
Click photo: Pinned behind the baseline and clearly in trouble, Santoro throws up a neutralizing lob which allows him time to get back into position.
Tennis is similar to other sports in that a player can be on offense or defense. However, unlike many other sports, in tennis, a player can also be in a "neutral situation," that is neither on offense or defense. I like to explain this to my students as the D-N-O Theory - Defense-Neutral-Offense. In this article I will share how having an understanding of D-N-O can transform you into a better tennis player without any changes to your current strokes or how you hit the ball! Be aware, this strategy is nothing new but it is often overlooked in the quest to develop that perfect backhand or volley.
It's D-N-O and not D-O-N
I call this theory D-N-O and not D-O-N because one of the most common strategy mistakes made by players of all levels is too often trying to go from defense immediately to offense without transitioning through a neutral phase. Many tennis players work on their offensive and defensive shots but not neutralizing shots.
To avoid any confusion between defensive and neutralizing shots, for the purposes of this article I would define them this way:
A defensive position is when you are clearly in trouble and for the most part have no other plan other than to try hit the ball over the net. Being on the run and having to extend yourself just to make contact would be one example.
A neutral position is when your opponent has an advantage but you also have time (Or at least more so than when you are on the defense) to chose your response to your opponent's shot or strategy.
How does D-N-O apply to court positioning?
Being aware of where people, including yourself, are positioned on the court can be of great help in understanding D-N-O.
Click photo: The first team to gain control of the net in doubles has the best chance of winning the point.
Neutral situations:
All players are at the baseline.
All players are at the net.
Nobody has an offensive advantage over someone else simply by where everyone is positioned on the court.
Offense/defense situations:
One player is at the net and one is at the baseline in the case of singles or one team is at the net and the other team has either both players at the baseline or one at the baseline and one at the net for doubles. How often have we read or heard the following statement: "The first team to gain control of the net in doubles has the best chance of winning the point." Why? Because they are on the offense.
What are some typical playing situations which highlight D-N-O?
Obviously whenever the ball is in play someone is on the offense and someone is on the defense or it is a neutral situation. Here are three scenarios and what you can do to go from Defense to Neutral.
Serve and Return of Serve
Click photo: Andre Agassi used his great return to neutralize his opponent's serve and then find a way to go on offense.
The serve and return is the most common situation because it happens on almost every point! We have to make some assumptions here. Your opponent consistently puts you on the defense when they are serving. In other words, whether through placement, depth, spin, or power or a combination thereof, your opponent's serve causes you discomfort. So right from the start the server is on the offense and the receiver is on the defense.
Often, when tennis players are in trouble, they go for a big shot. Meaning, they try to go from "D" to "O" instead of "D" to "N." The return of serve is not the shot or the time to try win the point. Andre Agassi has a great return of serve not because he wins the point at that moment but rather because he neutralizes the situation.
If your opponent serves and stays on the baseline (Singles) then trying to hit your return over the middle of the net (Lowest point of the net) gives you the best safety margin and reduces the angles your opponent has available to play the next shot. In other words you neutralize the serve. Even if your return is weak, it has at least one neutralizing aspect in that it forces the server to hit another shot in order to have a chance to win the point.
This is also why, in a related issue, it is helpful to get a high percentage of your first serves in. Why? Because the average tennis player is thinking more defensive when returning your first serve ("Okay, just get the ball back") and more offensive when returning your second serve ("If he serves the ball short I am going to come to the net").
Serve and Volley
Click photo: A return at the feet of a serve and volleyer like Mirnyi will force him to hit up and allow you to take control of the point.
There are more serve and volley players at the 3.0 to 5.0 level than there are on the pro tour! So if your opponent is serving and volleying this is what you can do to neutralize the situation:
Singles Neutralizing Options
Hit a soft underspin return at your opponent's feet.
Hit a topspin return at your opponent's feet.
Make your opponent move laterally (This is not the same as trying to hit a winning passing shot off the return which is another example of going from "D" to "O" in one shot) and force your opponent to reach or stretch for the ball.
Hit a lob.
Hit the return right at your opponent.
Doubles Neutralizing Options
All of the above singles neutralizing options will work although there will be less of a chance to make someone move laterally because they are only having to cover half the court.
The lob of course can go over either the server's partner or server's head. The time honored phrase which has probably been around since doubles was first played is a perfect neutralizing option: "Hit the return crosscourt and low at their feet."
Remember, the return of serve and a groundstroke are two different shots. I never tell any of my students to hit their return just like a ground stroke. So in order to add neutralizing underspin and topspin to your return of serve, you need to practice them. Just because you can hit a topspin forehand ground stroke doesn't mean you can hit a topspin forehand return of serve. Ditto on the lob. Being able to hit a lob during a rally is different from being able to hit a lob as a return of serve.
Approach Shot and Volley
Maybe you are playing someone who doesn't serve and volley every time or even often, but as the point continues they look for opportunities to come to the net.
Click photo: By keeping your shots deep you can prevent a net rusher like Taylor Dent from coming to the net and ending the point.
The same neutralizing options I noted above for singles and doubles apply here too with one additional possibility. By keeping your shots deep you can prevent or minimize your opponent from being able to come the net.
Obviously you can also try for the passing shot when your opponent comes to the net and I would encourage everyone to practice passing shots. But remember, with a passing shot you are going directly from "D" to "O" and bypassing "N." Not a bad decision necessarily but much more risky.
Using neutralizing shots, you don't necessarily expect to win the point outright. If I hit a shot at my opponent's feet when he is charging the net, I am assuming he will make a play on it and get the ball back but what I have done is make him hit a defensive shot instead of an offensive one and that may allow me to transition to offense.
Use the White Net Band as a Guide!
This is a very simple yet helpful concept. Anytime your point of contact is below the white net band whether at the baseline or all points in between the baseline and net, you are in more of a defensive position. Why? Because your ball must travel up and over the net. When the point of contact is above the white net band then the potential exists for a more offensive shot.
This is how you neutralize someone who is at the net when you are at the baseline. They are in an offensive court position but by forcing them to make contact below the white net band you put them in a more defensive hitting position which helps neutralize the situation. I often use the idea of white net band awareness when doing a doubles clinic. A basic goal in doubles is to make the other team hit up so you can keep hitting down on them.
Just like many other aspects in tennis there are exceptions. I know having a high bouncing ball above your shoulders to your backhand when you are five feet behind the baseline is not an offensive hitting situation even though your point of contact is above the white net band. Also, some people can hit very aggressive ground strokes from a low contact point.
So use this as a guideline and the next time you are on the court, be aware of D-N-O and you will play better tennis!
Drills
Half Volley Drill - One player or a team start at the baseline; one player or team start at the service line. Have the person at the baseline (or your pro) hit a ball at your feet or below the white net band to the person at the service line. From then on play out the point.
Half Volley and Lob Drills
The key shot is often the first one hit by the player at the service line. If he can hit a low shot back (Below the white net band which would make it "Neutralizing" since he had to play the ball at his feet which was"Defensive") then he can probably move in and close out the point on the next shot (or at the very least, seize the offensive). On the other hand, if that first shot is popped up, then the baseline player(s) can move in and take the offense.
Lob Drill - Same as A except the people at the net are half-way between the service line and net. The pro is now on the same side as the net player(s) and feeds a ball to the baseline player(s)...They must hit a lob. If the lob is short then the net team will smash it; if the lob goes over the net players then they scramble back to try to keep it in play while the baseline player(s) moves towards the net. In other words, regardless of the depth of the lob; the point is played out. Obviously, depending on the skill level; the feed of the pro can put the baseline team under varying amounts of pressure.
Doubles Drill (not shown) - Have everyone start at the baseline and when the person (or pro) serves the ball; all four people start moving towards the net at the same time. This helps those who are hesitant about coming to the net but also is good practice for hitting while moving and in particular trying to make the other team play a ball below the white net band so they have to hit up.
These drills will help you be more aware of D-N-O as it relates to both court positioning and the type of shots you can play.
Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Kensler's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.
Dave Kensler has 23 years of teaching experience with Peter Burwash International (PBI), the most successful international tennis management company.PBI directs tennis programs at 60+ exclusive resorts and clubs in 23 countries and has taught over 3 million students in their 30 year history. For information on PBI tennis destinations and employment opportunities please go to www.pbitennis.com.All PBI Tennis Professionals play with WILSON racquets and wear WILSON shoes.
