Badminton Study Guide
Fun Facts









This is what the buzz is all about!!!
Do you like power, speed, finesse,
intelligence, agility, a challenge?
This is the sport for you.
BADMINTON... the ultimate phy. ed
activity.
Badminton originally was played without a net
with the objective of keeping a rally going as long
as possible.
About one million Americans play badminton at
least 25 times a year.
Shuttlecocks can travel at speeds up to 200miles per hour.
Badminton first went to the Olympics at Barcelona in 1992. More than 1.1 billion people watched the five events-men’s and
women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles—on television
Badminton is the second most popular sport in the world, after soccer.
The Asian countries now dominate the badminton scene and they continue to rule the roost as far as tournaments go.
Badminton matches draw thousands of spectators in Malaysia, Indonesia and China
The shuttlecock has been often called a birdie because it is made of 16 goose feathers.
Badminton provides a vigorous cardiovascular workout for the player. In fact, the Department of Physical Education at
Baylor University describes it as "one of the finest conditioning game activities available"
History
The history of badminton shows that it had its roots in an old children’s game in England known as battledore or shuttlecock.
British Army officers in India played a grown up version of this game. Known in its early days as ‘poona’, it was played with many
people who tried to keep the ‘bird’ in air. A net came to be added later and badminton in its present form was born. This sport
derived its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire where the game was played at a lawn party held by Duke of Beaufort in
1873. The game became known as “the Badminton game” among various guests who introduced it to other friends. The Bath
Badminton Club, organized in 1877, developed the first written rules, which have remained essentially the same.


The International Badminton Federation, started in 1934, is the governing body of the sport of badminton. It
represents over 150 member nations, over half of which are in Asia or Europe. The IBF organizes six major badminton
events, including the badminton competition at the Olympic Games.
o The 1st big IBF tournament was the Thomas Cup (Men’s world team championships) in 1948. Since then, the
number of world events has increased to 7, with the addition of the Uber Cup (ladies’ team), World
Championships, Sudirman Cup (mixed team), World Juniors, World Grand Prix Finals and the World Cup.
Badminton in the U.S. began as a weekend meeting place for New York’s society leaders with the formation of the
Badminton Club of New York in 1878. Clubs and YMCAs and educational institutions began to offer training in badminton.
o The United States Badminton Association (USBA) has its national office in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This body
focuses on promoting badminton within the country and developing players.
Game Objective: 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.
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.
Match Play





A coin toss shall be conducted before a game starts. If you win, you can choose between serving first or to start play at
either end of the court.
The best of three games wins the match.
The team winning the previous game serves first.
Switch sides after ever game.
Third game players switch after a side first score 8 points.
Scoring



As in volleyball, scoring can follow the side-out scoring system or rally scoring system
Side out scoring= a team wins a point only when serving
Rally scoring system=a team that wins the rally wins the point.
Whoever wins 15 points in men’s and 11-points in a female game(side-out system); 21 (rally scoring) wins the game. You must win
by two. However, if the score gets to be 29-all, the winner is the team first scoring 30.
Some general rules and terms









A player may not touch the net with a racket or his body during play.
Birds landing on the line are in.
Birds landing outside the lines are out.
o Even if a player attempts to hit the bird but misses it, the bird is still out
o If a player swings at the bird and tips it before it lands out, the rally is won by their opponent.
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.
Some types of shots are the clear, drop shot, smash, and drive.
Fault: A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play.
o
If a fault is made by the serving side, the side loses the right to serve. If it is made by the opposition, the serving
side scores a point and continues to serve. (in rally scoring a point would be earned by the opposition if the serving
side made a fault)
Faults can occur for the following reasons:
If the Shuttlecock:


lands outside the court
passes through or under the net.
If player:
o
o
o






does not pass over the net
touches the roof ceiling or any side walls
touches a player or player's clothing
touches any person or object out of bounds
is caught, held and slung on the racket
is hit twice in a row by the same player on the same play or
if both partners in doubles hit the shuttle before it is
returned to the other side.
hits the shuttle when it is on the opponent's side of the net
touches the net or posts with his racket, clothing or any part of his body
Has his racket or any part of his body over or under the net; or obstructs an opponent's stroke.
.
Let: When a ‘let’ occurs, play since the last service shall not count and the player who served last shall serve again. (DO-OVER)


Let’ shall be called by the umpire, or by a player (if there is no umpire), to halt play.
It shall be a ‘let”, if:
o the server serves before the receiver is ready.
o during service, the receiver and the server are both faulted.
o A serve that touches the net and lands in the proper court.
o after the service is returned, the shuttle is:
 caught on the net and remains suspended on its top, or
 after passing over the net is caught in the net;
o in the opinion of the umpire, play is disrupted or a player of the opposing side is distracted by a coach;
o any unforeseen or accidental situation has occurred.
Serving Rules








Only one serve is permitted to each court until a side out occurs, unless it is a “let serve”.
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.
Some part of both feet of the server and the receiver shall remain in contact with the surface of the court in a stationary
position from the start of the service until the service is delivered.
The server shall not serve before the receiver is ready, but the receiver shall be considered to have been ready if a return of
service is attempted.
Serve must land on or behind the service line.
If the server makes a "fault" or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the surface of the court inside the
server's court, the server loses the right to continue serving, and the receiver then becomes the server, with no point
scored by either player.
If the receiver makes a "fault" or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the surface of the court inside the
receiver's court, the server scores a point. The server then serves again from the alternate service court.
Double Serving








The server on the right side begins.
Serves must pass over the net, beyond the short line, and land on or inside the diagonal service box.
A server continues his/her turn of service until put out.
Server must alternate the box he/she serves from.
If the serving team loses the rally on the serve, then the serve goes to the opposing pair. When a pair regains the
serve from opponents, the other server who did not serve last time serves from the appropriate side(odd-left,
even-right).
o If the score is even (e.g., 0,2,4,6,8), the server serves from the box on the right.
o If the score is odd (e.g., 1,3,5,7,9), the server serves from the box on the left.
In doubles, it is the pair who is serving that change sides on the court, not the receiving pair.
Only the receiver shall return the service: should the shuttle be touched or be hit by the receiver's partner, the
serving side scores a point.
After the service is returned, a player may hit the shuttle from any position on that player's side on the net.
Single Serving






The server on the right side begins.
Serves must pass over the net, beyond the short line, and land on or inside the diagonal service box.
A server continues his/her turn of service until put out.
Server must alternate the box he/she serves from.
If the score is even (e.g., 0,2,4,6,8), the server serves from the box on the right.
If the score is odd (e.g., 1,3,5,7,9), the server serves from the box on the left.
Badminton Terms

























Attacking clear: An offensive stroke hit deep into the opponent's court.
Backcourt: Back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.
Backhand: The stroke used to return balls hit to the left of a right-handed player and to the right of a lefthanded player.
Carry : An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released;
also called a "sling" or "throw
Center line: A line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.
Defensive Clear: A shot hit deep into the opponent's court.
Doubles: A game where a team of two players play against another team of two.
Drop shot: A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net in the opponent's court.
Drive: shots that crosses the net flatly in a horizontal trajectory. It can be played both on the forehand and
backhand sides
Fault: A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play.
Forecourt: the front one-third of a badminton court, the area between the net and the short service line.
Flick – a shortened stroke that speeds the shuttle up with a quick wrist action.
Forehand: The stroke used to return a ball hit to the right of a right-handed player and to the left of a lefthanded player
Clear: A defensive shot hit deep into the opponent's court
Kill: Fast downward shot that cannot be returned.
Let: A minor violation of the rules allowing a rally to be replayed.
Long Service Line :At the end of the court there are two lines in each half. In doubles, the line on the outside
determines the end of the court i.e. long service line. In singles, out of these two lines the one on the inside of
the court determines the end of the court i.e. long service line. This means the court length for the single is
shorter than that of the doubles by is 2.5 feet inside the back boundary line.
Match- A series of games to determine a winner.
Rally: The exchange of shots that decides each point.
Serve (Service)- Stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of a rally.
Service court: The area into which a service must be delivered. Different for singles and doubles.
Short service line: The front line of the service courts 1.98 meters from the net.
Shuttlecock (Shuttle)- Official name for the object that the players must hit. Composed of 16 goose feathers
attached to a cork base covered with leather. Synthetic shuttles are also used by some.
Side out – loss of service
Smash: A hard-hit overhead shot that forces the shuttle sharply downwards into the opponent's court.
Strokes for Badminton
A) Smash
B) Drive
C) Drop shot
D) Clear
E) Hairpin
A
B
F) Net Flick
C
F
D
E
Badminton Clubs:
Badminton is played as a recreational and professional sport. A badminton club is the ideal place to begin
your initiation into the sport. Most educational institutions and private clubs offer badminton coaching. A
coach at the badminton club can guide with the right techniques to get your game going. Regular family
memberships are also offered at many a badminton club. Badminton is an excellent aerobic sport that can
enhance your fitness levels and provide you and your family a recreational activity.
Some nearby Badminton clubs to look into if you are interested in playing some more badminton!!


NJ Badminton Club: a member of USA Badminton, started in the summer of 2009 and currently plays at the
Parsippany PAL Gymnasiums on Sundays (9:30AM to 12:30PM noon) throughout the year and every Thursdays or
Fridays (7:00PM to 10:00PM) depending on the season schedule.
Mountain Lakes Badminton Club: The club meets most Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Briarcliff School Gymnasium
throughout the school year (September to June).
Check out this website for more information: http://njbadminton.com
Many college’s have an Intercollegiate Badminton Team: Check here to find out which ones:
http://www.ibabadminton.com/IBAmembers.htm
Resources:
http://www.clearleadinc.com/site/badminton.html, http://www.worldbadminton.com/rules/history.htm