Basic Rules for Badminton Singles

Badminton is a racket game played by either two or four people. A singles match is played by two people, one against another. Badminton is played with a shuttlecock (also called shuttle or birdie) instead of a ball. A shuttlecock has feathers that surround a rubber tip. A badminton match consists of up to three games, with the winner being the player who wins two.

  1. Court

    • A regulation singles badminton court is 17 feet wide by 44 feet long. The net sits at the center lengthwise and is 5 feet tall at its center. Each half court is divided into two halves, right and left.

    Coin Toss

    • The match begins with a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss gets to choose one of two things: if he will serve or receive first, or which side of the net he would like to play on. The loser of the toss makes the other decision. The winner of the first game serves first in the second. Players change ends after each game and after eight points have been scored in the third game.

    Scoring

    • A player only scores a point if she is serving and a fault is made by her opponent. The serve stays with the same player until that player commits a fault; then the serve passes to the other player. In men’s singles, the game ends when a player reaches 15 points. A women’s singles game ends when a player earns 11 points.

    Serving

    • The first serve is done from the right side of the court. It then alternates to the left side and back to the right. The server may re-serve if he misses the shuttle. The serve may not begin until the receiver is ready. If the receiver attempts to return the serve, she is considered ready.

    Serving Faults

    • Three faults can happen during a serve. The first occurs when the server contacts the shuttle above his waist or if his racket head is above his hand. The second fault occurs if the serve does not land in the side of the court diagonal from the side on which the server stood. The third fault occurs when either player does not have at least part of her feet in contact with the appropriate side of the court.

    Play

    • Players volley the shuttle back and forth across the net until one player commits a fault or the shuttle contacts the floor. The shuttle may contact the net during play, and as long as it crosses the net it is considered good. Any shuttle that lands on a boundary line is also considered good.

    Shuttle Faults

    • A fault occurs when the shuttle does not pass over the net or contacts a wall or ceiling. A player may hit the shuttle with his racket only once until it is hit by the opposing player. A fault also occurs if the shuttle contacts a player or her clothes, even if she is out of bounds.

    Player Faults

    • A player commits a fault when he or his racket touches the net. A player may not reach across the net to contact the shuttle, although a swing follow-through that crosses the net is allowed. A player may not obstruct or go into the opponent’s side of the court.