Rules of the Game

As with many sports, badminton has a very extensive set of rules. While I could certainly post all the rules here for you to read, I don't think that is a very effective way of learning the rules. So I've decided to simply post an interpretation of the major rules that you will need to get started on the court! However, if you are interested, read the official rules here.

 

The Court

A full badminton court measures 44' long by 20' wide. It is outlined much like a tennis court:


Photo courtesy of http://www.mbvorg.com/about_badminton.html

General things to remember about a badminton court:

  • When playing singles, you do not use the 1.5' outer allies that run the length of the court.
  • The tape that marks the court should be 1" in diameter.
  • When serving in singles, you must land the shuttle between the short service line and the singles long service line on the opposite side of service.
  • When serving in doubles, you must land the shuttle between the short service live and the doubles long service line on the opposite side of service.
  • The net should be 5'1" at the standards (ends) and exactly 5' in the center.
  • Shuttles landing on the tape (lines) are considered in.

 

Shuttles and Rackets

  • Shuttles must be feather (16 to be precise).
  • There are size and weight requirements for shuttles, but most shuttles will already fit requirements.
  • Rackets must fit within a certain size but most rackets from reputable manufacturers should be fine.
  • Rackets must not be cracked, fixed with attachments, or otherwise broken or modified; it's a safety issue!

 

Starting the Game

  • Start the game by flipping a coin, spinning a racket or tossing a shuttle.
    • Spinning a racket involves a racket that has a logo or symbol under the base of the handle. One side will chose either "up" or "down" and the racket owner will put the racket head on the ground and spin and release the racket. The racket will land with the logo either upright or upside down.
    • Tossing a shuttle involves a player gently hitting a shuttle up in the air. The shuttle will land whichever side of the court the cork is pointing at wins.
  • Once a side has won the coin toss, they get to choose to either serve first or start on a specific side of the court. The opposing side then receives the unselected alternative.
    •  If I win the coin toss and chose to serve first, then my opponent can choose which side of the court they would like.
    • Likewise, if I choose the side of the court, then my opponent gets to serve first.

 

Keeping Score

Alright, here is where you need to pay attention. Keeping score in badminton has gotten somewhat complicated recently. There are two scoring methods that people can play by; the official way and the old way. It my seem ridiculous, but you will likely encounter both methods when playing so you will need to be familiar with each.

The Old Way - Singles

  • Service starts in the right service court at 0-0.
  • Points are only scored if you served that rally.
  • If you lose the rally, service changes sides.
  • The right service court is considered the even score side while the left service court is considered the odd score side.
    • In other words, when you server from the right side of the court, your score should be an even number (2, 8, 12, etc.). If you are serving from the left side of the court, your score should be an odd number (3, 7, 11). This also helps you remember which side of the court you should be serving from in case you forget.
  • Men's singles plays the best of three 15 point games.
  • Women's singles plays the best of three 11 point games.
  • Players change sides after each match and again half-way through the third match (if there is a third match).
  • For instance:
    • A new game with the score of 0-0
    • I serve from the right service court and get a point.
    • The score is now 1-0, then I serve from the left service court.
    • I lose this rally so my opponent begins service from his/her right side and the score is still 1-0.
    • My opponent loses the rally and I serve from the left service court; I win the rally.
    • The score is still 1-0 and I now serve from the left service court.

The Old Way - Doubles

  • Everything is basically the same but each player must remember where they started at the beginning of the match and maintain their rotation.
  • For instance:
    • I begin the game serving from the right service court at 0-0 and thus I am the "even" player (because I started on the right side) while my partner is the "odd" player (because they started on the left side).
    • My side wins the rally and so my partner and I switch sides and I serve on the "odd" side of the court (the left side) since our score is odd, 1-0. The opposing team does not change positions since they are also locked into their starting positions and their score has not changed. 
    • My side loses the rally and service changes sides but nobody changes side positions.
    • The only time you rotate service positions is when your side scores a point.

The New Way - Singles