Badminton Rules

Court and Equipment Court size for singles - 44 feet long x 17 feet wide Court size for doubles - 44 feet long x 20 feet wide Net height - 5 feet Shuttlecocks - Also known as birdies or birds. One type has feathers with a cork base, and the other is plastic with a rubber base. Rackets - Made of lightweight material like wood, plastic or metal.

Object of the Game The object of the game is to hit the shuttlecock back and forth over a net without permitting it to hit the floor in bounds on your side of the net.

Scoring A match shall consist of the best of three games, unless otherwise arranged. A game shall be won by the side which first scores 21 points. The side winning a rally shall add a point to its score. A side shall win a rally, if the opposing side commits a "fault" or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the surface of the court inside the opponent's court. If the score becomes 20-all, the side which gains a two point lead first, shall win that game. If the score becomes 29-all, the side scoring the 30th point shall win that game. The side winning a game shall serve first in the next game

General Rules A player may not touch the net with a racket or history body during play. A birdie may not come to rest or be carried on the racket. A birdie may hit the net on its way across during play and the rally can continue. A term of service is called an inning. A player may not reach over the net to hit the shuttlecock. A loss of serve is called a side out. Singles The players shall serve from, and receive in, their respective right service courts when the server has not scored or has scored an even number of points in that game.

The players shall serve from, and receive in, their respective left service courts when the server has scored an odd number of points in that game. Doubles A player of the serving side shall serve from the right service court when the serving side has not scored or has scored an even number of points in that game. A player of the serving side shall serve from the left service court when the serving side has scored an odd number of points in that game. The player of the receiving side who served last shall stay in the same service court from where he served last. The reverse pattern shall apply to the receiver's partner. The player of the receiving side standing in the diagonally opposite service court to the server shall be the receiver. The players shall not change their respective service courts until they win a point when their side is serving. Scoring and serving If the serving side wins a rally the serving side shall score a point. The server shall then serve again from the alternate service court.

Serving A coin toss or spin of the racket determines who will serve first. The serve must travel diagonally (cross court) to be good. A serve that touches the net and lands in the proper court is called a let serve and is reserved, otherwise, only one serve is permitted to each court until a side out occurs. A serve that is totally missed may be tried again. The racket must make contact with the birdie below the waist on a serve. The server and receiver shall stand within their respective service courts until the serve is made. Points may only be scored when serving. All lines are considered in bounds. In singles, when the server's score is an even number, the serve is taken from the right side. When the server's score is an odd number, it is taken from the left.