Soft tennis started in Japan in 1884, a few years after tennis arrived there from the West. From a distance it looks like tennis, because the court, the net and the footwork are the same. The differences are in the ball, the racket, the net height and the scoreboard.
Soft tennis ball vs tennis ball
A tennis ball is felt-covered and weighs about 57 g. A soft tennis ball is rubber, hollow and inflated, weighs 30–31 g and measures 66 mm across, the same as a tennis ball. Under ISTF rules it bounces to 70–80 cm when dropped from 150 cm, which is lower than a tennis ball.
The ball has a valve. It holds pressure for a few weeks, then you top it up with a needle pump, the way you inflate a volleyball. The rules speak of a white ball. PSTA and ISTF events are played with the white Kenko TSOW-V. Training, tournament and coloured balls are covered in the guide to soft tennis balls.
Soft tennis racket vs tennis racket
A 27-inch (686 mm) tennis racket usually weighs over 300 g strung. Soft tennis rackets weigh 210–275 g at 690–700 mm. The aluminium Kenko STR-88 weighs 275 g, the carbon KTR-24 between 210 and 225 g.
ISTF rules require both string faces to be the same and the strings to cross. Material, weight and frame size are free. The STR-88 comes with permanent factory strings, the KTR-24 has replaceable strings. Choosing between them is covered in how to choose a soft tennis racket.
Is soft tennis played on a tennis court
Yes, on an ordinary tennis court. The doubles court is 23.77 × 10.97 m, the singles court 23.77 × 8.23 m and the service lines are 12.80 m apart, as in tennis.
The net changes. On a tennis court it is usually strapped down to the court at the centre, where it drops to 91.4 cm. In soft tennis the net should hang level along its whole length, at 1.07 m. Before play you unhook the strap or prop the net up in the middle so that it is level all the way across.
Soft tennis scoring vs tennis scoring
Points are counted 1, 2, 3, 4, without the 15, 30, 40 of tennis. The side that first reaches 4 points wins the game. At 3 all it is deuce and play continues to a two-point lead.
There are no sets. A match is played to 7 or 9 games, so the side that first takes 4 games out of 7, or 5 out of 9, wins. At 3 all in a 7-game match, or 4 all in a 9-game match, a final game is played to 7 points, with the serve changing every two points. The full rules, with the serve, faults and match flow, are on the soft tennis rules page.
The serve in soft tennis
The serve works as in tennis, from behind the baseline diagonally into the opponent's service court. There are two serves, and a ball that touches the net and lands in the proper court is a let. The rules do not prescribe a technique. The ball is tossed by hand and struck before it lands, overhand as in tennis or underhand.
In doubles each player of the pair serves two consecutive points, alternating, and that order is kept to the end of the game. After each game the serve passes to the other pair.
Doubles and positions on court
Tennis is mostly singles, soft tennis is mostly doubles. One player of the pair plays at the net, the other on the baseline. In Japanese the positions are called 前衛 (zen'ei, the net player) and 後衛 (kōei, the baseline player). Competitions are also played as singles, mixed doubles and team events. Singles is played on the narrower court and the rest of the rules are the same.
What this means for a tennis player
Anyone who has played tennis is not starting from zero. The court, the net once the strap is off and the footwork are the same. What you learn is the ball, the racket and the counting. We have been playing soft tennis for years and travel to international tournaments, and a club that has courts needs only rackets and balls to play.
For a first session the aluminium Kenko STR-88, a box of 12 Standard training balls and a pump are enough. The three come together in a starter set, cheaper than bought separately.
Gear for a first soft tennis session
See starter sets