We have distilled the few rules necessary on how to play badminton minimally, the other rules are usually for competitive matches or very unlikely events (such as a bird or plane flying into your shuttlecock).
However, if you would like to know the rules of competitive badminton, check out the official rules here
The main objective of badminton is to hit the shuttlecock over or around the net to try and land it within the boundary of the opponent(s)’ playing area to score points. It can be played with two or four people. The opposing players will thus each try and land the shuttle on the opposite half of the court. Do note that the shuttle may only be hit once before it crosses the net.
The rally is over when a foul is committed or the shuttle touches the ground. Each rally will award a point, a number of points are required to win a game, and two games will win you the match.
Things you will need to know:
- The Boundaries of the Court/Play Area
- The Point System
- Common Rules/Faults/Ways to Score points
The biggest difficulty that many face learning how to play badminton is understanding the boundary of the court, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it.
Despite having five different events in badminton, there are only two different playing areas, from the Singles (men’s and women’s singles) events and the Doubles (men’s, women’s and mixed) events.
Singles involve two opposing players, one versus another, whereas doubles involve four players, two versus two. The diagram above shows the playing area above, where the opposing players will face against each other across the net, denoted by the white dotted lines.
Do note that the service (Opening/first shot of the game) also has a different boundary than the rest of the rally(non-service shots).
Badminton is a fun sport that brings not only joy but also health benefits. It is no wonder that many people want to know how to play badminton. Look no further, our guide on how to play badminton will get you started in just three easy steps!
1. Get The Right Equipment
How to play badminton involves what you need to play badminton. You will need two different types of equipment to set up the court and equip yourself right!
Court
Badminton is a sport that is largely played indoors. This is because even a slight breeze can throw the shuttlecock/birdie far out of trajectory.
Booking or reserving an indoor badminton hall is the easiest. Even so, some may not be able to access badminton courts easily. Sometimes, you will have to know how to set up the badminton playing area yourself. You will need a net and net posts.
In addition to setting the court up as shown above, here are a few things you should know:
- The net should reach across the width of the court
- the net should be pulled tight, not slack
- The net is right in the middle of the badminton court, so the playing area is halved
If you plan to make your own badminton court, here are the dimensions:
Attire
You will need:
- A badminton racket with working strings and a useable grip.
- A pair of court shoes (Badminton shoes would be great, but not really necessary)
- Breathable, stretchable and comfortable sports clothing
- A water bottle
- Shuttlecock(s) (Not in picture)
The above picture depicts what you might need for a start, you can check out our equipment guides to learn more about the other optional equipment you players use to enhance their playing experience and performance here!
2. Know The Rules
The Boundaries of the Court/Play Area
Singles
The player who is serving (the server), starting the rally, may stand anywhere within the blue box, depending on the point he is on (more details later). The serving boundary is anywhere within the yellow box on the opposite side of the court.
Stepping on the lines while serving or being served to is a foul, and serving onto the white lines that outline the yellow box is considered an in, and will win the server a point.
For the rest of the rally, the playing area is as shown:
Again, landing the shuttle on the lines that outline the yellow box is considered and in, otherwise, it is an out, and the opponent will score a point if you land an out.
Doubles
For doubles, the standing area for serving is the same, but the target area is slightly different. Their partner who is not receiving the serve or serving may stand anywhere on their side of the court.
For the rest of the rally, the playing area is as shown:
The same rules apply for standing on the line when serving or landing the shuttle on the line.
The Point System
A competitive match of badminton is won by winning two games. A game is won when a player first reaches 21 points. If both players reach 20 points, the first player who gains a two-point lead wins the game. The points are reset, at the beginning of each game, they are not carried over.
Of course, you don’t have to play 21 points and two-three game, that can be rather long. Feel free to reduce the number of points and sets as necessary.
The player who wins a coin toss will get to choose whether he/she would like to serve or which side of the court they would like to begin to play. The player who wins the rally/a point will also have to serve.
The correct side of serving depends on the score that the player/players that are serving have. For even scores including zero, the players will have to stand on the right side of the court to serve when facing the net, and vice versa for odd scores.
Then again, you don’t really have to follow this if not playing competitively.
Serving rules for doubles is a huge headache, as there are also rules as to who should serve. The player who serves will continue to serve if he or she wins consecutive points. the two players will then take turns serving each time they lose a point(s) and then win the point again, to have the chance to serve.
As for the receivers of the opening serve, the same rules apply except that the person who receives the service will not serve first, should they win the point, his/her partner will serve first, and the same rules apply as above.
Common Rules/Faults/Ways to Score points
Here are common ways you can score points:
- Hitting your opponent anywhere but their racket (with the shuttlecock/birdie)
- Landing a shot within the aforementioned boundary lines that outlines the boundary included.
Here are common fouls (faults) that will grant the opponent a point when committed:
- Hitting the net with your racket
- Hitting the birdie with your racket across the net (in the opponent’s playing area).
- Stepping on the boundary lines when serving or receiving
- Lifting a foot off the ground when serving
- Moving before the serve is executed when receiving (somewhat like a false start)
- Executing a serve with the racket above the waist-level (officially classified as above the lowest rib of the player)
- HItting the shuttle/birdie with anything but your racket
Common answers to some questions you may face:
- Yes you can hit the shuttle with any part of your racket
- Yes you serve diagonally
- Yes you only can hit the shuttle once before your opponent hits it.
- No you cannot manipulate the net with your hand or racket
Actually, dont let me tell you how to live your life, play it your way!
3. Start Playing
But of course, the most crucial step of all! Start Playing. If you want to learn more on how to play badminton, you have to first start playing badminton!
If you want to learn more about badminton and how to get better at it, feel free to check out our online training page here, where we give you comprehensive and detailed guides about all the techniques and training methods to boost your badminton game.
Nuff said, have fun!
Conclusion
Hope this guide on how to play badminton for useful for you! Feel free to share it with your friends to have a smashing good time together!
if you want to learn how to play badminton under professional guidance, sign up for our classes where we teach you how to be awesome in badminton here!
Otherwise, see you guys soon!