Soft Tennis: The Complete Guide to Rules, Scoring and Equipment
Soft tennis is a racket sport from Japan played with a soft, hollow rubber ball instead of the pressurized felt ball used in regular tennis. It is played in singles and doubles on a tennis-style court, with a scoring system built around four-point games.
This guide covers what soft tennis is, how it compares to regular tennis, how it is scored, what equipment it uses and how it developed internationally, with links to detailed pages on each topic.
Soft Tennis at a Glance
The core facts that separate soft tennis from regular tennis, before getting into the detail.
What Is Soft Tennis?
Soft tennis is a racket sport that grew out of regular lawn tennis after it was introduced to Japan. Rather than adopting the hard, pressurized felt ball used in mainstream tennis, early Japanese players adapted the game around a soft, hollow rubber ball, and the sport developed its own identity from there.
The objective is the same as in regular tennis: players hit the ball over a net using a racket and try to land it in a way their opponent cannot return. A point ends when a player fails to get the ball back over the net within the court boundaries, or commits a fault under the rules.
Soft tennis can be played as singles, with one player on each side of the net, or as doubles, with two players per side. Because the ball is lighter and softer than a standard tennis ball, rallies tend to have a different rhythm, and the racket used is generally lighter and more flexible to suit that ball.
For a full breakdown of how points, games and matches are structured, see the complete soft tennis rules.
Soft Tennis vs Tennis
Soft tennis and regular tennis share the same basic idea, a net, a racket and a court, but the equipment and scoring differ in ways that change how the game is played.
| Element | Soft Tennis | Regular Tennis |
|---|---|---|
| Ball | Soft, hollow, air-filled rubber ball | Pressurized ball with a felt cover |
| Ball weight | Approximately 30 to 31 g | Heavier, felt-covered construction |
| Racket | Lighter and more flexible frame | Stiffer frame built for a harder ball |
| String setup | Lower tension suited to a soft ball | Higher tension for a pressurized ball |
| Court | Tennis-style court dimensions | Standard tennis court dimensions |
| Net height | 1.07 m | 1.07 m at the posts |
| Scoring | Games generally won at four points, with deuce at 3-3 | Games won at four points with advantage scoring |
| Match format | Seven-game or nine-game formats depending on the format played | Best-of-three or best-of-five sets |
The lighter ball and racket change the pace and feel of rallies compared to regular tennis, though both sports follow the same underlying principle of winning points by outplaying the opponent across the net.
Read the full soft tennis vs tennis breakdown for a deeper look at how the two sports differ in practice.
How Soft Tennis Is Played
A soft tennis match takes place on a tennis-style court divided by a net set at 1.07 m. One side serves to start each point, and the receiving side must return the ball before it bounces twice.
- Serving: One player serves the ball into the diagonally opposite service area to start the point.
- Receiving: The opponent returns the serve, and the point continues until one side fails to make a legal return.
- Rallying: Players exchange shots over the net, aiming to place the ball where the opponent cannot return it within the court lines.
- Winning a point: A point is won when the opposing side cannot return the ball, hits it out of bounds, or commits a fault.
- Winning a game: Games are generally won by being first to reach four points, with deuce rules applying if the score is tied at three points each.
- Winning a match: Matches are decided over a set number of games, using either a seven-game or nine-game format depending on the competition.
In doubles, both players on a side share responsibility for covering the court and typically rotate serving duties according to the match rules. See the soft tennis rules page for the full serving rotation and fault conditions.
Singles vs Doubles
Soft tennis is played in two formats, and the format affects how the court is used and how a match is structured.
Singles
- One player competes on each side of the net
- Played using the singles court dimensions
- Commonly follows the seven-game match principle
Doubles
- Two players compete on each side of the net
- Played using the wider doubles court dimensions
- Matches commonly use seven-game or nine-game formats
Full serving order, positioning and fault rules for both formats are covered on the soft tennis rules page.
Soft Tennis Scoring Explained
A soft tennis game is generally won by the first side to reach four points. If both sides reach three points in the same game, deuce rules come into effect.
Matches are then decided across a set number of games. Singles commonly uses a seven-game principle, while doubles matches commonly use seven-game or nine-game formats depending on the competition. Final-game procedures can vary by tournament, so check the specific event rules where relevant.
See the full soft tennis scoring guide for game-by-game and match-level detail.
Soft Tennis Equipment
The ball and racket are what define soft tennis as its own sport rather than a variation of regular tennis.
Soft Tennis Ball
A soft, hollow, air-filled rubber ball, lighter and more flexible than a standard tennis ball.
- MaterialSoft rubber, hollow
- WeightApproximately 30–31 g
- DiameterApproximately 6.6 cm
Soft Tennis Racket
Similar in general shape and length to a standard tennis racket, but built lighter and more flexible to suit the soft ball, typically strung at lower tension.
- FrameLighter, more flexible
- String setupLower tension
- ShapeSimilar to a standard tennis racket
Soft Tennis Court Dimensions
Soft tennis is played on a tennis-style court, with the singles and doubles courts differing in width.
- Singles court23.77 m × 8.23 m
- Doubles court23.77 m × 10.97 m
- Net height1.07 m
For full detail on service boxes, the center line and other court markings, see the soft tennis court guide.
Soft Tennis History
Soft tennis has a documented development path from its origins in Japan through to today’s international competitions.
Read the complete soft tennis history for more detail on each period.
International Development
Soft tennis is organized internationally through the International Soft Tennis Federation, with the Asian Soft Tennis Federation playing a central role in the sport’s regional growth across Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and neighboring countries.
The sport’s international competitions include the World Soft Tennis Championships and the World Junior Soft Tennis Championships, alongside its status as an official event at the Asian Games since the 1994 Hiroshima Games. These competitions have supported soft tennis reaching players and federations beyond its original base in Japan, including groups in Hawaii, Hong Kong, Venezuela and Brazil.
Soft Tennis Techniques
Players develop a range of strokes and serves suited to the soft ball. The core techniques covered in our detailed guide include:
Learn each soft tennis technique in detail, including how and when to use it during a match.
Soft Tennis Rules Overview
The complete soft tennis rulebook covers the court, equipment, serving and receiving procedures, faults, lets, scoring, player rotation in doubles, conduct on court, continuous play requirements, warnings, disqualification, appeals and match formats.
- Court and equipment standards
- Serving and receiving procedure
- Faults and lets
- Scoring and deuce rules
- Doubles rotation and positioning
- Player conduct on court
- Continuous play requirements
- Warnings and disqualification
- Appeals process
- Match format variations
Who Can Play Soft Tennis?
Material from the Asian Soft Tennis Federation presents soft tennis as accessible to players of different ages and both sexes, largely because of its lighter equipment and the playing characteristics that come from using a soft ball. This is a general accessibility point drawn from federation material rather than a claim that the sport suits every individual or fitness level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soft tennis is a racket sport from Japan played with a soft, hollow, air-filled rubber ball instead of a standard pressurized tennis ball. It is played in singles and doubles on a tennis-style court, with the aim of hitting the ball over the net so the opponent cannot return it.
The main difference is the ball: soft tennis uses a soft, hollow rubber ball weighing about 30 to 31 g, while regular tennis uses a heavier, pressurized ball with a felt cover. Soft tennis rackets are also lighter and more flexible, and are typically strung at lower tension to suit the softer ball.
Yes. Soft tennis is organized internationally through the International Soft Tennis Federation, established in 1973, and is played competitively through events such as the World Soft Tennis Championships and as an official Asian Games event since 1994.
Soft tennis uses a soft, hollow, air-filled rubber ball weighing approximately 30 to 31 g with a diameter of approximately 6.6 cm, which is lighter and softer than the felt-covered ball used in regular tennis.
Soft tennis rackets are similar in general shape and length to standard tennis rackets but are built lighter and more flexible, with lower string tension to suit the soft rubber ball.
A soft tennis game is generally won by being first to reach four points. If the score reaches three points each, deuce rules apply before the game can be won.
Yes. Soft tennis is played both as singles, with one player per side, and as doubles, with two players per side, each using slightly different court widths and match formats.
The singles court measures 23.77 m by 8.23 m, and the doubles court measures 23.77 m by 10.97 m, with a net height of 1.07 m in both formats.
Soft tennis began developing in Japan starting in 1884, after tennis was introduced to the country by Western missionaries, and grew through Japanese domestic play before expanding internationally.
The basic rules cover serving and receiving, scoring to four points with deuce at three-all, faults and lets, doubles rotation, and match formats using seven or nine games. The full rulebook also covers conduct, continuous play and appeals.
Related Soft Tennis Guides
A Sport Built Around a Different Ball
Soft tennis takes the core idea of tennis and rebuilds it around a soft, hollow rubber ball and a lighter racket, producing a sport with its own rules, scoring pattern and competitive history dating back to 1884 Japan. It is organized internationally through the International Soft Tennis Federation and played in singles and doubles under a four-point game scoring system.
Use the guides linked throughout this page to go deeper into the rules, techniques, equipment and history that make up soft tennis.