Soft tennis
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Soft tennis is a racket game played on a court of two halves, separated by a net. Like regular tennis, it is played by individuals (singles) or pairs (doubles), whose object is to hit the ball over the net, landing within the confines of the court, with the aim of preventing one's opponent from being able to hit it back. Soft tennis differs from regular tennis in that it uses soft rubber balls instead of hard yellow balls.
It is played primarily in Asia, especially in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. In 2004 soft tennis was introduced into Europe. Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom all now have active soft tennis federations. All of them are also members of the European Soft Tennis Federation, and the International Federation JSTA.
History
At the end of the 19th century, tennis was introduced to Japan by a Western missionary, and it was later modified to better suit Japanese tastes. A special racquet and ball were developed, and the game became known as soft tennis (ソフトテニス sofutotenisu?).
Competition
Most of the rules for soft tennis are the same as those for regular tennis. When the rules were revised in 1992, singles became a formal event. This revision also enabled a forward player in doubles to serve. The serve plays an important role in a team's chances of winning.
The world championship is held every four years. The recent world championship was played in Korea from 27 October until 2 November 2011. Teams from different nations took part including Pakistan.
The dimensions of a soft tennis court
| Line Name | Line Length |
|---|---|
| Base Line for Singles | 8.23 m |
| Base Line for Doubles | 10.97 m |
| Side Line for Singles | 23.77 m |
| Side Line for Doubles | 23.77 m |
| Service Line | 8.23 m |
| Side Service Line | 12.80 m |
| Center Service Line | 12.80 m |
| Center Mark | 0.15 m |
| Net | 12.65 m |
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soft tennis. |
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Look up soft tennis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
