Basic Rules of Badminton
Badminton is a fast-paced and fun sport that can be enjoyed by beginners and professionals alike. It can be played both indoors and outdoors, and the rules can be used more or less strictly depending on whether the players are playing in a formal league or just playing for fun. Now, let’s learn more about how those rules work!
The Objective
Badminton is a sport that can be played one-on-one or in teams of two. The objective of badminton is to hit a shuttlecock over the net in the middle of the court so that it lands within the boundaries of the other team’s side of the court. When the shuttlecock lands on one team or player’s side, the other team or player scores one point. The first team or player to score 21 points wins the game, and the first team or player to win two out of three games wins the match.
Basic Rules
Below are the basic rules of badminton:
- Players must hit the shuttlecock with their rackets only.
- Play must begin with an underhand serve (the racket must come from underneath the shuttlecock to propel it over the net, rather than from above).
- A legal serve must land not only on the other side of the net from the serving player, but must land specifically in the diagonally opposite quadrant of that side.
- Players may not touch the net that divides the two sides of the court.
- The same player may not hit the shuttlecock twice in a row.
- The first player or team to reach 21 points wins the game.
- If a game is tied at 20 points, the first team or player to 21 does not automatically win; instead, they must win by a margin of two points (the game does automatically end if one team or player reaches 30 points, even if they are separated by one point).
The Court and Equipment
A standard badminton court is 6.1 meters (20 feet) wide by 13.4 meters (44 feet) long, with a net in the middle that is 1.55 meters (five feet) tall. The back half of each side of the court is divided into two service courts, which are the areas that indicate where the person serving must serve from and where their serve must land to be legal. The only equipment required to play badminton is one shuttlecock (the plastic and cork “ball” that is hit back and forth) and a racket for each player.
Scoring
In order to score a point in badminton, a player must hit the shuttlecock so that it travels over the net and lands within the boundaries of the opponent’s side of the court. If a player hits the shuttlecock and it lands outside the boundaries of the court, the other player or team scores a point.
When a player is serving, they must hit the shuttlecock to the diagonally-opposite service court. If it drops anywhere else on the opponent’s side, the opponent scores a point. In professional badminton, there are no second chances if a serve is not successfully completed.
FAQ
What are the basic rules of badminton?
In badminton, one or two players per side use rackets to hit a shuttlecock over the net in the middle of the court. If the shuttlecock drops on one side of the net, the player or team on the other side of the net scores a point. The first player or team to 21 points wins the game, and the winner of two out of three games wins the match.
How do you play badminton?
In order to play badminton, a player must have a racket in hand. The player hits the shuttlecock with their racket. The player can hit the shuttlecock underhand or overhand except when serving, when the player must hit the shuttlecock underhand (coming from underneath the shuttlecock rather than above it). The players or teams on opposite sides of the net hit the shuttlecock back and forth with the goal of making the shuttlecock drop on their opponents’ side.