One against one
A long, narrow court and nowhere to hide.
In singles the court gets narrower and longer: the two outer tramlines are out, but the very back line is in. Your job is to move your opponent and get back to the middle.
- SidelinesThe inner lines. Anything landing in the outer tramline is out.
- Back lineThe outer back line. The full length of the court is live.
- Serve fromRight service court when your score is even (0, 2, 4…), left when it's odd.
- Serve toDiagonally, into the box opposite. It must clear the short service line.
- Base positionCentre of the court, a step behind the short service line. Return to it after every shot.
Beginner habit worth building: after you hit, move back to the middle. Most points at this level are lost by standing still and admiring the shot.
Two against two
Wider court, shorter serve, faster everything.
Doubles uses the full width of the court, so the tramlines are in. The trade-off is the serve: it has to land shorter, in front of the inner back line.
- SidelinesThe outer lines. Tramlines are in.
- Serve lengthMust land in front of the inner back line, 76 cm short of the back.
- After the serveThe whole court is live for both of you — the service boxes only matter for the serve itself.
- Who servesWin the rally on your serve and you serve again, from the other box. Win it on their serve and the serve comes to your side.
- PositioningSide by side when defending, one in front of the other when attacking. Swap as the rally turns.
The one thing partners argue about: you don't swap sides just because you won a rally — only the server changes box, and only on their own side.
How a rally starts
Underarm, below 1.15 m, and diagonal.
The serve is the most rule-heavy shot in badminton, and the one beginners get pulled up on. There are only four things to get right.
- HeightThe whole shuttle must be below 1.15 m from the floor when you hit it — roughly hip height on most adults.
- DirectionRacket moving upward, hit underarm, travelling diagonally into the opposite service court.
- FeetBoth feet stationary and touching the floor, inside your service court, until the shuttle is struck.
- ReceiverMust stand still until the serve is hit. After that, anyone can move anywhere.
- Net cordClips the net and still lands in the right box? Play on. There's no replay for that any more.
Which box? Look at your own score, not your opponent's. Even score → right-hand box. Odd score → left-hand box. Same rule in singles and doubles.
Rally scoring
Every rally is worth a point. Every single one.
You don't need to be serving to score. Whoever wins the rally gets the point and the next serve, which makes games move quickly and mistakes expensive.
- Game to21 points, and you must lead by two.
- If it's 20–20Play on until someone leads by two — 22–20, 24–22, and so on.
- Hard cap30. At 29–29 the next point wins it, no two-point margin needed.
- MatchBest of three games. Two games wins it.
- Changing endsAfter every game, and again in a deciding third game when one side reaches 11.
- Breaks60 seconds at 11 points, 120 seconds between games.
Calling the score: the server's score comes first, always. “Eight–five” from the server means they're winning.
Calling it fairly
The line is in. The rest is a fault.
Without an umpire you call your own side of the net, and the convention is simple: if you aren't sure, it's in. Doubt goes to your opponent.
- On the lineIn. A shuttle touching any part of the line counts as good.
- LandingJudge where the shuttle lands, not where it looked like it was going.
- Touching youShuttle hits your body or clothing — point to the other side, even if you were standing out of court.
- Over the netYou can't hit the shuttle before it crosses to your side. Your follow-through may cross over; the contact may not.
- Touching the netRacket, shirt or hand touching the net while the shuttle is live is a fault.
- Double hitOne hit per side. You and your partner can't both touch it, and you can't scoop or carry it.
Reading the shuttle: a shuttle that looks long usually drops shorter than you expect. It decelerates hard — let deep ones fall rather than swiping at them.