Sports20 Concepts & Facts

What Is Soft Tennis? Inflatable Rubber Ball, Asian Games Rules & Key Technical Differences from Lawn Tennis

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Soft tennis is a distinct racket sport that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century, around 1884. When Western lawn tennis was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era, imported pressurized felt tennis balls were scarce and expensive. In response, Japanese educators and sports enthusiasts adapted the sport by substituting a lightweight, hollow, inflatable rubber ball. This modification dramatically altered the ball's aerodynamics, ball rebound dynamics, and shot-making mechanics, establishing an entirely independent sporting discipline that rapidly expanded throughout East Asia and gained widespread international recognition.

While soft tennis is played on a court with the same boundary dimensions as standard lawn tennis, its equipment and physical mechanics differ fundamentally. The soft tennis ball is made of thin, flexible rubber, measuring sixty-six millimetres in diameter and weighing approximately thirty to thirty-one grams, which is nearly half the weight of a standard lawn tennis ball. The internal air pressure is manually regulated using a specialized pump needle to maintain a standard bounce height of seventy to eighty centimetres when dropped from one and a half metres. Soft tennis rackets are lighter and strung at significantly lower tension than conventional tennis rackets. Because the rubber ball compresses deeply against the racket strings upon impact, players generate extreme topspin, slice, and abrupt angles using a dominant Western grip on both forehand and backhand strokes.

Governed globally by the International Soft Tennis Federation, established in 1973, the sport achieved major international status upon being introduced as an official medal event at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan. Unlike lawn tennis scoring with its traditional fifteen-thirty-forty sequence, soft tennis employs a simple numerical point system where games are won by the first player or doubles pair to secure four points with a two-point margin. In doubles play, which is exceptionally popular and tactical, competitors frequently execute aggressive underarm cut serves that skid low across the surface. While East Asian powerhouses like Japan, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei historically dominate medal tables, participation across South Asia has expanded steadily, with the Amateur Soft Tennis Federation of India actively fielding teams in international championships.

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Soft tennis was developed in Japan around 1884 during the Meiji period as an adaptation of Western lawn tennis.

The sport was invented because standard imported pressurized felt tennis balls were prohibitively expensive and difficult to acquire in nineteenth-century Japan.

The International Soft Tennis Federation (ISTF) is the world governing body for the sport, established in Tokyo, Japan, in 1973.

Soft tennis was featured as a demonstration sport at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China.

Soft tennis debuted as a full official medal sport at the 12th Asian Games held in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1994.

The sport has remained an official medal event at every subsequent Asian Games, including Bangkok 1998, Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014, and Hangzhou 2022.

The soft tennis ball is made of hollow, pliable rubber, usually white or yellow in colour, lacking any felt covering.

A regulation soft tennis ball weighs between 30 and 31 grams, compared to approximately 56 to 59.4 grams for a standard lawn tennis ball.

The ball has a diameter of 6.6 centimetres and is inflated with air to an internal pressure that produces a bounce of 70 to 80 centimetres when dropped from 1.5 metres.

#10

The court dimensions are identical to lawn tennis: 23.77 metres (78 feet) in length, 8.23 metres for singles width, and 10.97 metres for doubles width.

#11

The net height in soft tennis is 1.07 metres uniformly across the entire width of the court, unlike lawn tennis where it lowers to 0.914 metres at the centre.

#12

Soft tennis rackets are lighter than lawn tennis rackets, typically weighing between 200 and 260 grams, and strung at much lower string tension.

#13

Players predominantly utilize a Western grip, frequently using the same side of the racket face to strike both forehand and backhand shots.

#14

The scoring system counts points numerically (1, 2, 3, 4) rather than the conventional tennis progression of 15, 30, 40, and Game.

#15

A standard game is won by the first side to reach 4 points with at least a 2-point lead; when the score reaches 3-3, it is called deuce.

#16

Singles matches are typically played as the best of 7 games (first to win 4 games), while doubles matches are played as the best of 9 games (first to win 5 games).

#17

If a match reaches a deciding game (such as 3-3 in a best-of-7 match), a tiebreak game is played where the winner must score 7 points with a 2-point margin.

#18

Underarm cut serves with severe side-spin and backspin are frequently used in competitive soft tennis, particularly in doubles matches.

#19

South Korea, Japan, and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) represent the historical dominant powers in world championships and Asian Games soft tennis medal tallies.

#20

The Amateur Soft Tennis Federation of India (ASTFI) is the national governing body recognized for administering and developing the sport across India.

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Educator's Insight

Soft tennis was created in nineteenth-century Japan when schools replaced costly imported felt tennis balls with inflatable rubber ones. This lightweight ball compresses deeply on racket strings, enabling massive spin, sharp dipping angles, and extended baseline rallies. As an Asian Games medal sport since Hiroshima 1994, soft tennis shares the court dimensions of regular tennis but uses distinct equipment, uniform net height, and numerical scoring.

For competitive exams including SSC CGL, State PSCs, and UPSC, examiners test sports history, Asian Games disciplines, and rule variations. Do not confuse soft tennis with padel or pickleball; it uses a full-sized tennis court and a hollow rubber ball. Key exam facts include its 1994 Asian Games debut, uniform 1.07-metre net height, and the 1, 2, 3, 4 scoring system. Remember that South Korea and Japan dominate global medal tables.

What Is Soft Tennis? Inflatable Rubber Ball, Asian Games Rules & Key Technical Differences from Lawn Tennis

Key Concepts & Self-Assessment20 Key Facts

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