Badminton Rules Simplified

Badminton is a racket sport that was originally called Poona, which is a town in India, where the game was very popular with British soldiers in the mid-18th century. It is a great way to keep fit improve co-ordination. Badminton is governed by the Badminton World Federation.

  1. Equipment

    • Badminton is normally an indoor sport that is played on a hard surface when played in tournaments but can also be played outdoors for fun. It is worth remembering though that the shuttlecock is fairly light and can get blown away in high winds. Badminton is normally played with either two or four players divided into equal teams. Each player needs a badminton racket and one shuttlecock per game. A badminton court is rectangular in shape and differs in width depending whether or not it is a singles or a doubles match but it needs to be approximately 44 feet long and 20 feet wide. These are rules according to the Badminton World Federation but are handy to know. A net is placed across the middle of the court and this is five feet high. It is best to mark out the boundaries of the court with rope or tape to prevent any arguing about whether a shot is in or out.

    Object of Badminton

    • The aim badminton is to hit the shuttlecock over the net so it lands in your opponents half of the court. The shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce so must be volleyed over the net. If a shuttlecock hit’s the net but still carries onto your opponents half of the court then the point must continue. Badminton games are usually played to 21 points and once a player reaches this score the game is over and a new game begins. Matches are usually played to the best of three games. If a player misses the shuttlecock and it lands inside the court then the point goes to the opposition. If it lands outside the court then the point is given to the person that did not hit it.

    Serving

    • To decide who is going to serve first a coin is usually tossed. A shuttlecock must be served diagonally across the court and over the net. If the opponent misses the shuttlecock it must land inside the court boundaries or the opponent gets the point. You must hit the shuttlecock below your waistline. The same player continues to serve until they lose a point. If the server has an odd number of points then the shuttlecock is served from the left and an even number of points means the shuttlecock is hit from the right side.