Have you ever heard of soccer or tennis? It’s a really fun soccer game that you can enjoy with your friends. But it’s more than just a game – it’s also a great way to improve your juggling skills, control skills, and instincts on the field.
If you’re not familiar with soccer tennis, it’s a game that combines soccer and tennis.
You can play it on a tennis court, and you can also set it up in any space with a makeshift net.
In soccer tennis, your goal is to keep the ball up in the air and pass it over the net to the other team. You can use any part of your body except for your hands.
The rules and how you set up the game can be changed to fit what you like and what you have available.
You can play with two or three players on each team, and you can decide how long you want the game to be or how many points you need to win.
Before we go on how to play the game, it’s important for you to know about its history, rules, different categories, and what you’ll need to play the game.
You need to have a good understanding of these aspects.
History Of Soccer Tennis
The game is also called football tennis or futnet, and it hasn’t been around for as long as regular soccer.
Rumor has it that it started in the Czech Republic in 1922 when players from a Czech club called Slavia Prague started playing a game called “football over the rope.” In the beginning, they used a rope stretched out like a net.
As more people got interested in the game, they made official rules for the game in 1940.
Tournaments started to happen, and the first Futnet Cup took place in the same year. Czechoslovakians really liked the game, so they made a soccer tennis league called the Trampská Liga.
Then, in 1961, the Czechoslovak Sports Organization recognized Tennis Soccer as an official sports.
The 1990s were an important time for the fun game. They formed two groups, the European Futnet Association (EFTA) and the Union Internationale de Futnet (UNIF).
They had the first European Championship in 1991 and the first World Championship in 1994. These events made soccer and tennis even more famous all over the world.
Nowadays, there are a few organizations that oversee soccer tennis, like UNIF, EFTA, and the Federation International de Football Tennis Association (FIFTA).
UNIF has members from different countries, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Colombia, Costa Rica, the USA, India, Iraq, South Korea, Benin, Cameroon, and Mali.
Understanding Soccer Tennis Rules
To play this fun and exciting game, you need to follow some fundamental rules:
Court and Teams
The game is played on a rectangular court, similar to a tennis court but with smaller dimensions.
The court can vary in size, but a common size is around 10×15 yards. Two teams, typically consisting of 2 to 4 players each, compete against each other.
Serving
The game starts with a serve.
One player from a team kicks or throws the ball over the net to the other team. The serve must be made from behind the baseline and within the court boundaries.
Rally and Touches
After the serve, the opposing team has to return the ball over the net after it bounces once.
Each team can touch the ball a maximum of three times to control and pass it. The ball should not touch the ground during each touch. You can use any part of your body except your hands and arms.
Scoring/Points
Points are earned when a team fails to return the ball within the boundaries or commits a fault.
A fault happens when the ball bounces more than once on a team’s side, goes out of bounds, or a team exceeds the three-touch limit. The other team gets a point when a fault occurs.
Winning
The game can be scored in different ways, like increments of 15 (15, 30, 40) or playing up to a certain number of points (5 or 10).
The first team to reach the designated points or the team with the highest score at the end of a set time limit wins the game.
Soccer Tennis Categories
When it comes to soccer tennis, there are three main categories: single, double, and triple.
Let me break it down.
- Single Category: In this format, you play on a soccer tennis court that’s 3.60 meters × 9 meters (12 ft x 30 ft) in size. As a single player, you have two touches and one bounce to control the ball on your court.
- Double Category: With this, you play with a partner on the same court size as the single category. Each team is allowed three ball touches, but there can’t be consecutive touches from the same player. For men’s games, only one bounce is allowed, while in women’s and junior’s games, two bounces are permitted.
- Triple Category: The triple format is played on a larger court measuring 9 meters × 12.8 meters (30 ft x 42 ft). Like in the double category, each team gets three touches, and no consecutive touches from a single player are allowed. In the men’s category, only one bounce is allowed, but in the women’s and junior’s categories, two bounces are permitted.
How Do You Play Soccer Tennis
What You Will Need
- Soccer Ball: Get a regular-sized soccer ball that matches the age and skill level of the players. Make sure it’s inflated properly for the best performance.
- Cones: Use small cones or markers to mark the boundaries of the soccer tennis court. Place them at the corners and along the sides to clearly show where you’ll be playing.
- Net Substitute: Since soccer tennis can be played in different places, you’ll need something to act as the net. If you don’t have a tennis net, you can use tall cones or poles as a barrier in the middle of the court. Just make sure they’re high enough to keep the ball from going over easily.
Setting Up The Court
Now that you’ve got everything you need, it’s time to start your soccer-tennis game!
Here’s what you need to do step by step:
- Use the small cones to make a rectangular playing area that’s about a 10 x 15-yard grid. Put cones at the corners and along the sides to clearly mark the boundaries.
- Place the “Tennis Net”: Put 5 or 6 tall cones in the middle of the court to act as the net. Make sure they’re close enough together to stop the ball but still allow players to hit shots over them.
- Form Teams: Split the players into two teams, with 3 or 4 players on each side. Assign one team to each half of the court.
- Start the Game: Give one team a soccer ball. They’ll be the ones to serve the ball over the net to the other team and start the game.
- Play and Scoring: The game follows the rules of soccer tennis. Each team has to keep the ball in the air and pass it over the net using any part of their body except their hands. The goal is to have a rally by successfully returning the ball within the court boundaries.
How To Play It
To start the game, one player from a team kicks or throws the soccer ball over the net to the other side.
The other team has to return the ball after it bounces just once, using any body part allowed in regular soccer (like feet, knees, thighs, chest, or shoulders).
Just like in tennis, if the ball bounces more than once on a team’s side, they lose a point.
The rally keeps going until the ball goes out of bounds or bounces more than once. Each time that happens, the other team gets a point.
For scoring, you have a couple of choices.
You can use the regular tennis scoring system, where you score in increments of 15 (like 15, 30, 40, and game points). Or you can decide on a specific number of points to win, like 5 or 10.
Playing soccer tennis with these rules and scoring methods, you’ll have an exciting and competitive match where accuracy, control, and quick reactions matter.
Just remember to communicate well with your teammates, plan your shots, and aim to outperform the other team.
Variations
By trying out different variations in soccer tennis, you can make the game more exciting and cater to different skill levels.
It’s a great way to keep things fresh and help other players develop specific areas of their game.
Just remember to adjust the rules and court size accordingly, and encourage your players to see these variations as opportunities to grow and get better.
Here are some popular variations you can use during your soccer tennis practice sessions:
- Beginners’ Variation: For players who are starting out, you can allow the ball to bounce twice before they return it over the net. This gives them more time to react and helps build their confidence in controlling the ball.
- Volleyball Rules: In this variation, players can pass the ball between themselves up to three times before returning it over the net. This adds strategy to the game, allowing teams to set up plays and create more dynamic rallies.
- Left Foot Only: Challenge your players to use their non-dominant feet only. This variation helps them improve their weaker foot skills, like control and accuracy, making them more versatile on the field.
- Small Court: Make the playing area smaller by reducing the court size. This variation encourages players to have a lighter touch because they have less space to work with. It helps develop close-quarters control and agility.
Benefits Of Playing Soccer Tennis
Soccer tennis offers several benefits for soccer players looking to improve their skills.
- Juggling Skills: Soccer tennis will help improve your ball control and reflexes. By volleying the ball back and forth over the net, you’ll naturally improve your juggling abilities. This improved touch and coordination will benefit you during matches and training sessions.
- Passing and Receiving: The fast-paced nature of the game sharpens your passing and receiving skills. You’ll learn to deliver accurate and crisp passes to your teammates, improving your ability to distribute the ball effectively in real soccer matches.
- Agility and Footwork: Soccer tennis requires constant movement, agility, and quick changes in direction. These actions will improve your footwork and agility on the field, allowing you to maneuver past opponents and create scoring opportunities.
- Decision Making: Soccer tennis is a great way to develop quick decision-making skills. You’ll need to assess the game situation, anticipate your opponent’s moves, and make split-second choices about when and where to strike the ball.
- Teamwork and Communication: Just like in regular soccer, soccer tennis relies on effective teamwork and communication. By coordinating your actions with your teammates, calling for the ball, and positioning yourself strategically, you’ll have better teamwork and communication skills.
Wrapping it up
Now that you’ve learned how to play the game, I hope you have fun playing this exciting game.
Before you go, make sure to take a look at the most effective soccer drills for high school players. They can help you improve your skills and have even more fun on the field.
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