Soft tennis words · Intermediate

The words that make the commentary make sense. They build on the beginner words.

I · Intermediate · 45 words · Step 2 of 2

General terms

ISTF

The International Soft Tennis Federation, the governing body of the sport. Its address is in Daegu, Korea, and it runs the world soft tennis championships.

Rules for Competitions and Rules for Umpiring

The two sets of rules for playing and for officiating, with a third set for the operation of competitions. A national association may set local rules for national events if the guide to the competition says so.

Court and equipment

Lines

White lines 5 to 6 cm wide (base lines may be up to 10 cm), which are part of the court. A ball that touches a line when it lands on the court is in, and the call is made where it lands.

Outcourt

The flat space around the court, kept clear so as not to hinder play, usually more than 8 m beyond each base line and more than 6 m beyond each sideline. Neighbouring courts should be at least 5 m apart. A ball that lands in it is out.

Court surfaces

Outdoors clay, sanded artificial grass or an all-weather chemical surface; indoors wood, sanded artificial grass, hard rubber or chemical surfaces. The guide to the competition states which is used.

Net posts

Posts of 7.5 to 15 cm diameter set outside the court at the middle of the sidelines, 12.80 m apart measured on the outside, and 1.07 m high (not less than 1.06 m).

Umpire's chair

A chair 1.5 m high placed in the outcourt, 60 cm from a net post.

Racket

A strung racket whose strung face is flat and the same on both sides. The frame may be any material, weight, size or shape, but the strings must be crossed and must not give the ball excessive variation in flight. Each player uses one racket throughout a match.

Serving and receiving

Servers and receivers

The pair serving and the pair receiving. Each server serves for two consecutive points in turn and the order must not change in a game. Each receiver takes one service court, starting with the right, and alternates, and the order is fixed for the game.

Fault

A serve that does not land in the right service court, or that the server tosses and does not hit, or toss two balls, or touches twice. Other faults are a served ball touching the net and then the server, or the server touching the net, and a foot fault. After a first fault the server gets a second serve.

Foot fault

The server touching the base line, sideline or centre mark, or going into the court, while serving. Moving over the line but still in the air is not a foot fault.

Double fault

Two faults in a row on the same point, which loses the point for the servers.

Let (serve)

A serve that is retaken because of a breach of the rule about timing, a ball that touched the net and landed in the right court but also touched the receiver or the receiver touched the net, the receiver being interrupted by an umpire's error or an outside incident, or both pairs losing a point at once.

Receiving

The receiver must return a legal serve after its first bounce in the service court and before its second bounce.

Change of service and sides

Servers and receivers swap at the end of every game except the final one, and the pairs change sides after each odd game. In the final game the pairs alternate serving every two points, change sides after the first two points and then after every four points, and each player serves in turn.

Rotation error

A mistake in who serves, which side is used, or which service court is chosen. If found before the point starts it is corrected at once, and if found during a point it is corrected at the next point, with earlier points standing.

Toss for serve or side

Before the match, the vice umpire tosses a coin with sides A and B. The pair winning the toss chooses to serve, receive or a side, and the other pair then chooses from what remains. The winner also chooses the kind of ball when there is a choice.

Losing a point

Out

A returned ball that lands in the outcourt, or hits the umpire, the chair or fixtures. A ball is out when it lands out, and is in if it touches a line.

Two bounces

Failing to hit the ball before it bounces a second time. A good return can still be made if a ball landed properly but rebounded to the net or post and the player returned it before it landed again.

Through

A ball that goes through a break in the net, between the net and a post, or under the net, or does not fly directly over the net. A ball touching the net or post and going over, or going around the post and landing in the court, is good.

Body touch

The ball touches the body or clothing, including a cap, towel or glasses, of the player who is to return it.

Net touch and over net

Touching the net or post with the racket, body or clothing (including by wind or by a ball that hit the net) loses the point. So does the racket crossing the net, its imaginary extension or the post in a failed swing.

See also: Racket

Dribble and carry

Dribble is touching the ball more than once with the racket in one stroke; carry is the ball resting on the racket face.

See also: Racket

Tip

The ball touches only the frame of the racket so that the player fails to return it.

See also: Racket

Interfere

Interfering with the opponent: touching the opponent or their court, hitting the ball with a racket that left the hand, a partner touching the receiver's service court or the ball, or any clear hindrance to the opponent's play. It loses the point.

See also: Racket

No count

A play suspended and replayed from the first serve, because of an umpire's error, an unforeseen incident or another ball, both pairs losing the point together, or any other case the chair umpire accepts.

The ruleWhen is a point replayed in soft tennis?

Conduct, warnings and withdrawals

Player's conduct

Players must observe good manners, not shout excessively, play continuously from start to finish and follow the umpire. A minute is allowed between points or games and at changes of side (and in the final game before it starts), and delaying, long talks, resting in the final game, and repairing a racket are prohibited.

Time (injury)

A break when a player cannot continue because of a physical problem, up to 5 minutes at a time and at most twice in a match. The chair umpire must agree, and play resumes with the call No time.

Advice and entry to the court

A player may not get advice or physical treatment from anyone but their partner during a match, unless the chair umpire allows it after consulting the referee, and no one but players, umpires and approved persons may enter the court.

See also: Referee

No protest

Players may not protest against the umpire's calls or stop play on purpose. They may ask about a call, but after the umpire explains, further argument counts as protest. The chair umpire declares the final judgment.

Warnings and cards

The chair umpire shows a yellow card to warn a pair for clear breaches of the advice or protest rules. Three warnings in one match bring a red card and disqualification, with the opponent declared the winner.

Withdrawal and default

A pair that entered but did not play, withdraws with the referee's agreement, fails to recover within the injury time, or retires with the chair umpire's acceptance is treated as withdrawn, and the opponent wins. Points and games already won by the loser stand.

See also: Referee

Disqualification

For breaking the conditions of participation, not appearing when called to court, or a red card. In a tournament it is retroactive to the first match, the ranking is left vacant and the pairs it beat cannot come back.

Appeal

A pair may appeal to the referee when it believes the umpire misinterpreted or misapplied the rules. There is no second appeal against the referee, and none after the closing greetings.

See also: Referee

Officials and procedure

Jury (soft tennis)

The referees and umpires of a competition. There are two to four referees, with a chief referee when there are several, and in principle four umpires for each court. Court supervisors may be added.

See also: Referee

Referee

The official who directs and advises the umpires, and rules on appeals. A court supervisor looks after the progress of the matches at one court.

Umpire's signals and calls

Umpires give no sign when a ball is in, except an arm out palm down if it is unclear. For a fault the vice umpire raises an arm with fingers stretched, for out an upright arm facing the landing spot, and for a let two fingers (first serve) or one (second). Calls include Let, No count, Time, Correction and Game set.

Verification of judgment

An unsure umpire may check the mark where the ball landed, ask other umpires, or ask the chair umpire to come down from the chair to see it. The chair umpire may correct an apparent error, and a scoring error is corrected with the call Correction at the next serve.

Start and end of a match

Players and umpires line up, greet each other at the net, the umpire identifies the players, the toss is made and a warm-up of usually not more than one minute follows. The chair umpire calls Ready and then announces the sides and the game format and says Play ball. At the end the umpire calls Game set and announces the result, and everyone greets.

Score sheet

The form the chair umpire fills in during the match: O for points won and X for points lost, the total for each game with the winner's circled, the match score, and Y or R for warnings and a circled 5 for each injury time.

Competition formats

Guide to competitions

The document the organisers must send participants in advance, listing the competition name and dates, venue, events, schedule, qualifications, entry method, rules, method of competition, draw, conditions, balls and equipment, doping, medical care and managers' meeting.

Team competition

A tie made up of singles or doubles matches, or a mix, played in the order submitted in advance. The team that wins more matches wins the tie, unless the organisers decide that winning more than half ends it. A manager or coach counts as a member of the team.

Round-robin ranking

Teams or pairs with equal win ratios are separated by the result between them, then by win ratios in the matches among the tied teams, then by games won minus lost and then points won minus lost (and for teams matches, games, then points). If still level, the organisers may draw.

Draw, seeds and byes

In a knockout the draw is arranged with seeds, and when the entries are not a power of two the difference to the next power of two is given as byes. In a round robin the entries are split into blocks, with orders of play set out for 3 to 6 players per block, and players from one federation in a block meet first.

Retirement in a round robin

If more than half of a team's players retire, the team cannot continue and loses the tie by a zero score back to the first match. If fewer retire, the team may continue with approval and the unplayed matches are lost by zero. An individual who retires has all earlier results counted as lost by zero, unless the retirement was an injury withdrawal.

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