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Rules of Badminton
The New Rules Of Badminton
The rules of badminton have changed in the last couple of years.
The two most important changes are related to the number of points in a game and who wins a point.
In both men’s and women’s badminton, the number of points you must have to win a game is 21. Whoever wins a volley now wins the point.
Classic Rules Of Badminton
While all official competitions apply the new rules of badminton, many community and backyard games are still played by what we now call the “classic rules of badminton.”
In the classic rules, there are differences in men’s and women’s play.
Badminton Rules For Men
The men traditionally play a game to a total of 15 points.
Should both players be tied at 13 points, the first to reach that number can choose to add five points to the game, with whoever reaches 18 first being the winner.
Should a tie develop at 14-14, the game can be extended by 3 points or end at 15 points.
Badminton Rules For Women
For women, the traditional games are shorter, ending at 11 points. The rules allow women to decide to add 3 points should a game be tied at 10, or end it at 11 points.
The classic rules also differ in determining who can score a point – only the server can score.
In addition, players change sides of the court after each game or when the scores reaches 8 in men’s or 6 women’s play.
A match consists of 3 games with the best 2 out of 3 determining the winner.
Basics Of The Game
Other than in scoring, the rules of badminton are the same whether you play to 21, 15, or 11 points. The match starts with a toss and the winner decides whether to serve or receive and which side of the court on which to begin.
The server stands on the right and serves across diagonally to the opponent. Serves are underhanded and below the waist.
A shuttlecock is struck over the net with the goal of hitting it to the floor on the other side within the court boundaries.
Faults and Lets
The rules of badminton also cover faults and lets.
A fault is an error that can be made in several ways – the simplest of which are: if the shuttlecock doesn’t pass over the top of the net, it hits the net or lands out of bounds.
A fault is also committed if the shuttlecock hits a player or obstruction or if a player hits it twice in succession before it has passed over the net.
A let is like a free pass, giving you the ability to serve over again. The simplest circumstances where a let is called are if the shuttlecock should get stuck in the net, it disintegrates during the play, or in a case where a serve is made before the opponent is ready.