I.

Objective

The objective of the game is to hit the shuttlecock back and forth across the net with
the rocket without permitting it to touch the ground, attempting to hit the
shuttlecock into the opposing court so that it cannot be returned.

II. Scoring System

- Each team is consists of players.

a. Singles – 1 player each team
b. Doubles – 2 players each team
- Badminton Singles is a match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.
- Every time there is a serve – there is a point scored.
- The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.
- At 20 all, the side which gains a 2 point lead first, wins that game.
- The side winning a game serves first in the next game.

III. Rules and Regulations (The Mechanics of the game)

a. Singles

- At the beginning of the game (0-0) and when the server’s score is even, the
server serves from the right service court. When the server’s score is odd, the
server serves from the left service court.

- If the server wins a rally, the server scores a point and then serves again from
the alternate service court.

- If the receiver wins a rally, the receiver scores a point and becomes the new
server. They serve from the appropriate service court – left if their score is odd,
and right if it is even.

b. Doubles

- Each side has only one “set” – only one partner has a chance to score points.
- A side has only one ‘service’.
- The service passes consecutively to the players.
 - At the beginning of the game and when the score is even, the server serves
from the right service court. When it is odd, the server serves from the left
court.
- If the serving side wins a rally, the serving side scores a point and the same
server serves again from the alternate service court.
- If the receiving side wins a rally, the receiving side scores a point. The
receiving side becomes the new serving side.
- The players do not change their respective service courts until they win a
point when their side is serving.

IV. Boundaries for Singles and Doubles

a. Service Boundaries - Serve to the gray area. If your serve land on the court within
the gray area, you get a point.

Singles

Doubles

b. In/Out Boundaries - After the receiver retrieves the serve, the yellow area
becomes the In/Out boundaries. If the shuttlecock lands anywhere within the
yellow area, you get a point.
 Singles

Doubles

Note: If the shuttlecock falls on the line between the Inside and Outside Area of
the court then the shuttlecock is considered as dropping inside the court so
you’ll earn a point.

V. Where to stand? – Serving and Receiving

a. Singles

When serving, stand within the service box; while receiving, stand within the
receiver’s box.
Service Box
Basically, you can stand anywhere within the Yellow area to serve. Ideally, you’ll
want to stand at the red dot to serve in singles.
Receiver’s Box

You can stand anywhere within the Yellow area to receive the serve. Most players
will choose to stand at the Red dot to receive the serve.

Note: You are not allowed to stand on the lines of the Service and Receiver’s box
while serving or receiving because it’s a fault. Any part of your feet should not be on
top of those lines.

b. Doubles
Serving Even Score

Serving Odd Score

 Service-Return Even Score

Service-Return Odd Score

VI. Fouls/ Faults

There are 5 types of faults in badminton.

a. Contact Fault
 When a rally is in play, this means when a serve has been delivered, there are
TWO things that you cannot touch during the rally.

- Badminton Net. You and your racket cannot touch the net in the middle of a
rally.
- Shuttlecock. You can hit the shuttle with the racket only. But you or any part
of your body cannot touch the shuttle in the middle of a rally. Even if the
shuttle touches your shirt, pants, leg, etc, it is still a contact fault.

b. Over the Net Fault

You are NOT allowed to take the shuttle when it’s still on your opponent’s side.
As long as you obey this, your racket can go over the net.

The racket can go over the net but you are not allowed to take the shuttle before
it passes the net to your side of the court.

Scenario 1 – FAULT

FAULT because I take the shuttle when it’s still on my opponent’s side.

I can only take the shuttle after it has fly over to my side.

Scenario 2 – Correct (No Fault)

 Not a fault because I take the shuttle after it crosses the net.

I am also allowed to follow through with my racket after I hit the shuttle. Even if my racket
crosses over to my opponent’s side, it is fine.

c. Service Fault

Service faults often happen when you perform the low serve.
It’s even more commonly committed when you perform the low serve and flick
serve in a doubles game. This is because players will try very hard to make their
serve pass right above the net. It may sound simple but it’s definitely not an easy
task for short players.

To avoid a service fault when serving:

- The shuttle must be struck from below your waist (lowest rib bone).
- Your racket head must be pointing at a downward direction when you hit the
shuttle.
- Your racket must swing in an upward direction.
 Sometimes it is difficult to detect whether a player obeyed the 3 conditions above. However
there is an unofficial way to determine whether a service fault is committed.

If your serve is legal, there is NO way that you can hit a low serve that looks like a drive unless
your waist line is as high as the top of the net.

d. Receiver Fault

When receiving a serve from your opponent, you cannot move your feet away
from where you’re standing.
Otherwise it’s a receiver’s fault. You can only move after your opponent has
struck the shuttle.

e. Double Hit

When the shuttle comes to your side, you have only ONE attempt to hit the
shuttle.

Once your racket makes contact with the shuttle, you cannot hit it again until
your opponent returns the shot.

In doubles: Only one player in a partnership is allowed to hit the shuttle. If both
players touch the shuttle with their racket, it’s a double hit.
VII. Hits/Etiquette

- All serves must be below the waist, and the racket head must be below the
wrist. No overhead serve is allowed.
- In official tournaments, toss a coin to decide who starts first. In casual
games, this doesn’t really matter. Different countries have different
interesting ways to decide who serves first.

In Malaysia and Australia, hit the shuttle high up into the air and let it fall to
the ground. If the head of shuttlecock points towards your side on the floor,
you’ll serve.

VIII. Summary

A rally starts with a serve.

A rally ends when:

- the shuttle touches the ground or get caught by the net.

- someone commits a fault.

The player gets one point for every win on a rally. To win the game the player needs
to gain 21 points. It’s a battle for whoever gets 21 points first.

IX. Sources

Book: Sports and Recreational Activity

http://wp.stolaf.edu/intramurals/badminton/
http://www.badmintonplanet.com/badminton-rules-laws-terms-regulations/2868-
singles-guides-scoring-system.html
http://www.badmintonplanet.com/badminton-rules-laws-terms-regulations/2869-
doubles-guides-scoring-system.html
http://www.masterbadminton.com/badminton-rules.html
http://www.masterbadminton.com/badminton-fouls.html
http://www.badmintonconnect.com/badminton-doubles