Badminton Rules
A fast racket sport played with a shuttlecock, won by rally-point scoring.
Singles or doubles; matches are best-of-3 games.
- •A game is first to 21 points, win by 2, hard cap at 30
- •A point is scored on every rally, regardless of who served
- •Match won by whoever wins 2 of the 3 games
- •The shuttlecock must clear the net and land inbounds to stay in play
- •Serves must be hit underarm, below waist height, diagonally
- •Touching the net with your racket or body during play loses the point
Shuttles decide how your league plays
Feather shuttles fly faster, decelerate sharply and cost several times more than plastic ones, and a competitive evening can get through a tube of twelve. Plastic shuttles last far longer and play noticeably slower, which changes tactics more than newcomers expect.
Shuttles also come in speed ratings matched to hall temperature. Test at the start of the season with a full underarm hit from the back line, which should land between the back service line and the doubles back line, then buy for your hall rather than to the shop's default.
Singles and doubles are different sports
The court boundaries change between disciplines: doubles uses the wider side tramlines but a shorter service box, singles the reverse. That trips up casual players constantly and is worth stating plainly at the start of a league.
Movement and tactics differ just as much, and a strong doubles pair can be an ordinary singles player. Keeping two separate tables from the same fixture night barely adds work and produces standings that mean something in each discipline.
Common questions
How does badminton scoring work?
Rally point scoring to 21, winning by two, with a cap at 30. Best of three games. The side winning a rally serves next, and in doubles the serving side alternates service courts rather than swapping servers on every point.
What is the service height rule?
The shuttle must be struck below 1.15m at the moment of contact. In a league without officials, the convention is that the server judges honestly and a genuinely contested serve is replayed once, which keeps it from becoming personal.
How many courts does a league need?
One court rotates about eight players through an evening in doubles. A league of sixteen wants three or four courts. Booking more courts for fewer hours gets everyone far more play than one court for longer, and is often cheaper.
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