Canadian Badminton Rules

Badminton has had a distinct style of play in Canada since the early 1900s. In 1921 the Canadian Badminton Association was formed to govern over the sport. In 1989 the association's name changed to Badminton Canada, and it still creates and maintains the detailed rules that govern badminton today. Canadian badminton is usually played in singles or doubles.

  1. Court and Court Equipment

    • According to the rules of Badminton Canada, the court should be a rectangle with lines 40 millimeters wide and easily distinguishable. The posts are 1.55 meters tall and do not go into the court. The net is a dark color with mesh between 15 and 20 mm, edged with 75 mm white tape, with no gaps occurring between the end of the nets and the posts.

    Shuttle and Racket

    • The shuttle can be made of natural or synthetic materials, as long as the flight characteristics are similar to a natural shuttle. To test a shuttle, a player should use a full underhand stroke and hit the shuttle at an upward angle. If a shuttle is the correct speed, it will land between 530 and 990 mm short of the back boundary line. The frame of the racket should not be larger than 680 mm long and 230 mm wide.

    Scoring

    • A badminton match usually consists of the best of three games, with the first team to reach 21 points winning. The side winning a rally should add a point to its score. If the score becomes 20-all, the side that gains a two-point lead first wins. The side that wins the game will serve first in the next game.

    Serving

    • The server and receiver should stand diagonally opposite each other on the court. The server should not serve until the receiver is ready. The server should serve in an upward motion with the shuttle being below the server's waist at the time of contact with the racket.

    Singles and Doubles

    • Servers and receivers stand on the right side of their respective courts when there is an even number of points, and on the left when there is an odd number of points. It is the same in doubles, except that the right to serve alternates from the initial server to the partner of the receiver to the partner of the initial server and so on. Either player of the winning team in doubles may serve first in the next game.

    Errors, Faults and Lets

    • An error is made when a player has server out of turn or served from the wrong court. A fault occurs when the shuttle is caught on the net or is hit by the receiver's partner. It is also a fault if the shuttle lands out of bounds, passes through the net, does not go over the net, touches a person or touches anything out of the court. Faults also occur when a player touches the net, goes out of bounds or goes into the opponent's court. Lets are called by an umpire or player and include the server serving before the receiver is ready, play being interrupted, any accident or event that is not normal during play.

    Misconduct and Penalties

    • If there appears to be disregard for the rules, the umpire or referee may disqualify the offending team from the game. The umpires decide whether faults or lets occur and uphold the rest of the rules of the game. Line judges decide whether the shuttle landed in or out of bounds.