List of Badminton Rules

Badminton is a racket sport played by either two or four players at a time. Similar to tennis, a player serves over an elevated net to start the game by hitting a shuttlecock, also known as a birdie, which is a cone-shaped object made of rubber and plastic. The shape allows for an aerodynamic flight, a key strategic element in the sport of badminton. Badminton is a simple game to learn and is a worldwide sport seen in the Olympics since 1992. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the major governing body for rules in general badminton competition. It oversees five smaller regional bodies around the world as well.

  1. The Court

    • A regular badminton court is 44 feet long by 20 feet wide (17 feet wide in all singles games) with a 5-foot, 1-inch net. There are service boxes, two on each side, for which a server must aim for. These boxes are 6 feet 6 inches from the net.

    Scoring System

    • A badminton game usually consists of three games or sets up to 15 points for men's games and 11 points for women's games. If tied at 14 (10 for women), the first player who reached 14 has the option to decide to play the game to the first one with 15 points or a set score of 17 points. The player who wins a set will have the opportunity to serve first the next game. Players must switch sides after the first game, and if a third game is played, players must switch sides again when the first player reaches 8 points for men's, 6 points for women's.

    Serving

    • -A server must serve and receive from her right side of the court when either player has an even amount of points. It the exact opposite for an odd amount of points.
      -A "let" may be called by the umpire if he feels the shuttlecock touched the net while going over during the serve.

    Faulting

    • -You may lose a point if you fault, meaning either not hitting the shuttlecock over the net, not hitting it inside the correct box on your opponent's side, or serving out of turn at any point.
      -There are other guidelines for a fault that do not involve a serve, such as if your body crosses over the net line onto the opponent's side, if your racket crosses over the net line, if you double-hit the shuttlecock, or if you hit the net with your racket

    Shuttle Out of Play

    • The shuttle is considered out of play (resulting in a point) when it is not successfully hit over the net onto the opponent's side, when it is hit outside the designated boundary lines, or when it successfully lands in bounds on the opponent's side of the court.