International Badminton Federation Rules

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was founded in 1934 with nine countries as members. In 2006 it changed its name to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), and it now has over 150 member nations. The regulatory body organizes seven major badminton events throughout the world, including the World Championships and the Olympic Games in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee.

  1. Court Specifications and Equipment Rules

    • A badminton court must be rectangular and measure 44 feet long and 17 feet wide during a singles match. The width is 20 feet when a doubles match is played. A 5-foot-high net is placed across the middle of the court to divide it into two equal halves. Most competitions use a synthetic shuttlecock during matches, but the BWF allows the use of natural feathered shuttlecocks. Rackets must be no longer than 26½ inches, and the width of the head of the racket must be 9 inches or less.

    Scoring

    • A badminton match is won when one player wins two out of three games. Each game is played until one player reaches 21 points unless there is a 20-20 tie, in which case play continues until one player has two more points than the other. The winner of the game always serves first in the next game. Points can be won by one of the players winning a rally or if the opposing player commits a fault. The BWF states that a point can be scored by either the defensive (receiver) or offensive (server) player. A point is scored when the shuttlecock is not returned by the opposition but lands within the court boundaries. If the shuttlecock lands outside the boundaries or does not cross the net, the opponent receives the point.

    Serving

    • In badminton, a coin toss will decide who serves the shuttlecock first. The players stand diagonally across from each other as they serve. Both feet must remain on the ground during service. The player’s racket must be pointing downward during service and the shuttlecock must not be hit from above the waist. The server must stand behind the back line on the badminton court.

    Doubles Rules

    • The sidelines on a badminton court are only used for doubles matches, and this increases the width of the playing court to 20 feet. There are two horizontal lines at the back of the court, and the line closest to the net is the service line in doubles. Service is made from the right-hand side of the court to begin a doubles match. If the point is won by the server, the serving team swaps sides on their half of the court. If the server does not win the point then the opposing team gets to serve and the player who did not receive the serve now serves. Any player may hit the shuttlecock after the serve has been returned. Players who are neither serving or receiving the shuttlecock may stand anywhere on the court.