Afonso Santos (UCO: 532669) | Hugo Barros (UCO: 532343) 2022/23
SOFT TENNIS
History of Soft Tennis:
Soft tennis is exactly like regular tennis but with a softer and lighter ball and,
optionally, lighter rackets. Soft tennis is most popular in Japan, where it was first played
at the end of the 19th century. A special racket and ball were developed, and the game
became known as soft tennis. The International Soft Tennis Federation was established
in 1973. The first world championships followed in 1975, and they are now held every
four years. Soft tennis was included in the 1990 Asian Games as an exhibition game and
4 years later became a permanent official event.
It is played primarily in Asia, especially in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. In
2004, soft tennis was introduced into Europe. Some European countries, including Czech
Republic now have active soft tennis federations. All of them are also members of the
European Soft Tennis Federation, and the International Federation. Tournaments are held
regularly in Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, etc.
Rules of Soft Tennis:
▪ Soft tennis is a racket game played on a court of two halves, separated by a net. It
is played in singles or doubles, whose objective is to hit the ball over the net,
landing within the boundaries of the court, preventing the opponent from doing
the same.
▪ Soft tennis differs from regular tennis in that it uses soft rubber balls instead of
the standard ones.
▪ Most of the rules are the same as for regular tennis. Play starts with a serve, which
can be underarm or overhead, and typical shots include forehand and backhand
ground strokes, the overhead smash and the volley.
▪ The first player or pair to reach four points wins, with a deuce-style decider when
players are tied on three points each, although the terminology is simplified.
Unlike regular tennis, serve changes after two points in each game.
▪ Soft tennis can be played indoors or outdoors. The winner is the first to seven
games in singles or nine games in doubles. A tie-break decides the winner if
opponents are at three all or four all.
Afonso Santos (UCO: 532669) | Hugo Barros (UCO: 532343) 2022/23
Dimensions:
The standard size of a soft tennis court is 23.77 meters x 8.23 meters for singles,
and 23.77 meters x 10.97 meters for doubles (same as in regular tennis).
Scoring:
As regular tennis, soft tennis is a four-point game that must be won by a two-point
lead. The name of these four points is 0 (zero), 15, 30, 40, and game. If the game is tied
at 40, it extends until one player wins by a two-point lead. There are six games in a set
and two or three games in a match.
Afonso Santos (UCO: 532669) | Hugo Barros (UCO: 532343) 2022/23
CLASS PLAN
Teachers: Afonso Santos UCO 532669 and Hugo Barros UCO 532343 Date: 14/11/2022 Time: 10h00 – 11h00 Duration: 60 minutes
Sport: Soft Tennis Nº of students expected: 16 Semester: 2º semester Place: Faculty of Sports Studies MU, ball sports hall
Purpose of the class: Learning the basics of Soft Tennis Material resources: rackets and soft tennis balls
Time
Teacher goals Task/Organization Key components Success criteria
T P
INITIAL PART
5’ 5’
- Increase body temperature and
heart rate;
- Avoid injuries;
- Mobilize and prepare the students
for the class.
Warm-up: The students are distributed in the lateral line of the field and are
tasked with executing joint mobilization exercises for the upper and lower limbs that
the teacher asks for. --- ---
FUNDAMENTAL PART
15’ 10’
- Comprehend the technical gesture
correctly.
- Improve the technique of the
forehand and backhand.
In pairs, the students spread out across de badminton fields (one in each half of
the fields). The first task is: one student only throws the ball with the hand to his
playmate and the other one returns it. Do 5x times to the left and right side and then
change rolls [1º].
The second task is to play with crossed right only. After a while, with crossed
left only [2º]. If it’s too difficult, the player can hit the ball up before returning the
ball.
Forehand:
- The racket retreats above and advances
below);
- The racket ends on the opposite side of
the body, with the elbow at shoulder
height and pointing forward.
Backhand:
- Rotation of the hip and shoulders,
making a continuous and circular
movement of the racket backwards and
down;
- Contact with the ball at the front and at
waist height, keeping the racket parallel
to the net;
- The movement ends with the racket on
the opposite side of the body and hands
on top of the shoulder.
- The students are able to correctly
perform the technique of the
forehand;
- The students are able to correctly
perform the technique of the
backhand;
- The students are able to correctly
place the ball within the
boundaries of the opponent's field;
- The students are able to
cooperate with each other.
1º
2º
Afonso Santos (UCO: 532669) | Hugo Barros (UCO: 532343) 2022/23
25’ 10’
- Improve the technique of the
forehand and backhand;
- Improve the movement and
footwork of the players on the field.
- On this exercise, one participant plays only to the opponent's right and the other
plays free, then switch to the left. After a while change roles.
Forehand and Backhand (above)
Split Step:
- Take a small balanced jump when the
opponent is hitting the ball. With this, it
is possible to perceive the gesture of the
player to allow the possibility of a fast
movement/reaction for the return of the
ball.
- The students are able to perform
the two strikes with this variant;
- The students are able to strike the
ball and come back to the center of
the field;
- The students are able to do the
split step for a faster reaction.
35’ 10’
- Train the service technique. - With the same pairs, each one will practice the service. After 5 times each with the
other one responding the service, change rolls.
Service:
- Lateral position in relation to the net,
with feet at shoulder height;
- Abduction of the upper limbs
simultaneously in opposite directions;
- Impact with the elongated, at the
highest possible point and minimized in
front of the body;
- The racket must be facing forward to
hit.
- The students are able to perform
the service correctly;
- The students are able to correctly
place the ball within the
boundaries of the opponent's
service area;
- The students are able to correctly
return the ball after the service
within the boundaries of the
opponent’s field.
55’ 20’
- Improve and consolidate the
learning of movements/techniques
learned in class.
Match 1 vs 1 in each half of the field. Change opponents from the same
badminton field.
- All of the above. - The students are able to play a
full game of soft tennis following
the rules of the game and using
different movements/techniques.
FINAL PART
60’ 5’
- Return to calm;
- Reduce heart-rate.
After the exercise is over, the students run slowly around the field (1 lap). Then
they join the midfield to stretch. --- ---
These players
only play to
the square
These players
play freely
Do the service
behind the line
Return the
service