Simplest Badminton Rules

The sport of badminton is one of the easiest racket sports to learn and play. The object is to hit a shuttlecock (made of a rubber base with feathers protruding from it) over the net in a position where the opposing player cannot return it. A standard match is two-out-of-three, with men's and doubles games played to 15 points and women's matches played to 11. Several badminton rules are simple to understand.

  1. Serves

    • A coin flip is used to determine which player serves first. To serve, a player must begin on the right side of the floor in the server's box, which is drawn on the court. The opposing player must stand in the service box on his right so that the serve is conducted diagonally across the net. A serve must be made with an underhand stroke, and the racket head must remain below the server's waist. If he hits a serve into the opponent's service box (boundary lines are considered in) and the shuttlecock lands on the floor, the server is awarded a point and may serve again, this time from the left side of the court. If the receiving player earns a point on the play, she has earned the right to serve beginning on the right side of the court.

    Rallies

    • A rally is the term used to describe the exchange of hits between two players. Rallies can last any number of hits, as long as the shuttlecock clears the net between the two side posts holding it up, and it does not touch the floor. Rally shots that clip the top of the net and tumble onto the other side of the court are permitted, and can be played by the opponent. If the shuttlecock lands outside the boundary lines, either wide to the left or right or on the other side of the back line, the hit is considered "out" and the offending player loses the rally. Players may hit a shuttlecock from anywhere, even if it is headed out of bounds.

    Doubles

    • Doubles' games are played using slightly different court dimensions. The court plays wider than a singles' court, and the back service line is closer than in a singles' game. In doubles, only the player standing diagonally across from the server is allowed to make the initial return. If the other player gets a racket on the serve, a fault is called and the serving team is awarded a point. From the moment the serve is returned to the serving team, any of the four players is eligible to hit the shuttlecock no matter where it is played.