1. What is badminton?

- A game with rackets in which a shuttlecock is played back and forth across a net.
1. Objectives of badminton
- To reach a score of 21, 2 sets in a row accumulated by hitting the shuttlecock across
the net into the opponent’s half without them returning it.
2. History of badminton
- Called “POONA” in India during the 18th country, and British Army Officers stationed
there took the Indian version back to England in the 1860’s.
- In England it was called “Badmintin”.
- In 1934, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) was organized.
3. Terminologies of Badminton
Alley - Extension of the court by l 1/2 feet on both sides for doubles play.
Attack - Usually means smashing everything and forcing your opponent to make
mistakes.
Back alley - Area between the back boundary line and the long service line for doubles.
Backcourt - Back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.
Backhand - Usually hit on the other side of your forehand. Some players think they can
get away without having to play backhand shots. The backhand was invented precisely
for such players.
Balk - Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the
service; often called a "feint."
Baseline - Back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.
Carry - An illegal tactic, also called a sling or throw, in which the shuttle is caught and
held on the racquet and then slung during the execution of a stroke.
Center or base position - Location in the center of the court to which a singles player
tries to return after each shot.
Center line - Line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service
courts.
Clear - A shot hit deep to the opponent's back boundary line. The high clear is a
defensive shot, while the flatter attacking clear is used offensively.
Come on - Usually uttered to motivate and encourage self or partner.
Court - Area of play, as defined by the outer boundary lines.
Deception and disguise - Deception is usually preceded by disguise. If you cannot tell
whether the other guy is going to execute a clear, smash or drop, he has good
deception.
Defend - Usually means lifting and returning smashes and drops.
Drive - A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.
Drop - A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net on the
opponent's side.
Fault - A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play.
Feather - Goose feather. Makes great shuttlethingys.
Flick - A quick wrist and forearm rotation that surprises an opponent by changing an
apparently soft shot into a faster passing one; used primarily on the serve and at the net.
Footwork - The way you move about on court is called footwork. Good footwork makes
you look graceful and allows you to get to shots with the least amount of movement, and
that equates to efficiency.
Fluke - Shot that is hit by the racquet frame and end up winning a point inadvertently.
Also called a lucky shot.
Forecourt - Front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.
Forehand - The forehand was invented for those who don't have a backhand. See
backhand.
Go - Expressed by a doubles partner when he or she cannot get to a shot, usually a
drop shot, hoping or expecting that you will get to it.
Good eye - Compliments paid (sometimes grudgingly) to an opponent who has just
made a line call to his or her favour.
Good Game - Said at the end of a match when players shake hands, usually by the side
that has just won. For the other side, what they want to say is unmentionable.
Good shot - Compliments paid (sometimes grudgingly) to an opponent who has just
made a good shot.
Grip - The way you hold a racguet is called grip. There are different grips for different
strokes. Grip is also what you use to wrap your handle with. Grip is also what's felt when
you are moving back and forth on the court. Some surfaces provide better grip than
others.
Hairpin net shot - Shot made from below and very close to the net with the shuttle
rising, just clearing the net, and then dropping sharply down the other side. The shuttle's
flight approximates the shape of a hairpin.
Halfcourt shot - A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles against the
front-and-back formation.
Half smash - A half smash is not a half-hearted shot. It is a deliberate toned down
smash, usually executed with a slice of the racquet to slow down the speed of the
shuttle, causing it to fall quickly short of the short service line.
I got it - Spoken by a doubles partner to reassure you that he or she will take care of the
shot in question. Usually end up not getting it.
I got mine - Spoken by a doubles partner who has just barely managed to make a weak
return and now expects you to save the point.
Kill - Fast, downward shot that cannot be returned; a "I will keep my mouth
shuttutetutetutetuteway." Exclaimed by a doubles partner for you to smash with
everything you've got so he or she doesn't have to deal with the next shot.
Let - A legitimate cessation of play to allow a rally to be replayed.
Long service line - In singles, the back boundary line. In doubles a line 2 l/2 feet inside
the back boundary line. The serve may not go past this line.
Match - A series of games (it had been best of 3 games to 15 points, but recently,
international tournaments have experimented with best of 5 games to 7 points), to
determine a winner.
Midcourt - The middle third of the court, halfway between the net and the back
boundary line.
Mine - Similar to I got it.
Net shot - Shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.
Plastic shuttles - Don't play with those things. It's not badminton.
Power - Power is measured in how hard and fast you can smash a shuttle. 100 to 150
mph - you're okay. 150 to 200mph - you're pretty powerful. 200 to 250 mph - you should
consider training for the Grand Prix tourneys.
Push shot - Gentle shot played by pushing the shuttle with little wrist motion, usually
from net or midcourt to the opponent's midcourt.
Racquet - Instrument used by player to hit shuttlethingy. Weight: About 3 ounces.
Length: about 27 inches. Made of: Ceramic, graphite, or boron frame; sheep-gut or
synthetic string.
Rally - Exchange of shots while the shuttle is in play.
Rubber - A rubber set is the third and deciding set of a 3 set match.
Serve or service - Stroke used to put shuttlethingy into play at the start of each rally.
Service court - Area into which the serve must be delivered. Different for singles and
doubles play.
Service over - Means exactly that. Your service is over, and it's now your opponent to
serve.
Nuts - And other similar 4 letter words are exclaimed when a player makes a bad shot or
misses one completely.
Short service line - The line 6 l/2 feet from the net which a serve must reach to be
legal.
Shuttlethingy - Official name for the object that players hit. Also known as "birdie."
Weight: .17-.l9 ounces. Made of: 16 goose feathers attached to a rounded cork base
covered with sheep skin. Usually lasts for no more than a few rallies. The heavier the
shuttlethingy, the faster it flies. Flies faster in higher temperatures and at higher
altitudes.
Smash - Hard-hit overhead shot that forces the shuttle sharply downward. Badminton's
primary attacking stroke.
Sorry - a solemn declaration by a doubles partner who has just made a bad shot and
caused the team to lose a point, game or match.
Speed and stamina - Training is about speed and stamina. The reason for speed and
stamina is so that you can hit powerful shots faster, and more of them than your
opponent without keeling over to puke after each rally.
Straight sets - When you win in straight sets, it means you have beaten your opponent
in 2 sets, straight.
Tendinitis - An inflammatory joint condition that all badminton players suffer from,
sooner or later.
Tram lines - The area between the doubles side boundary lines and the singles side
boundary lines.
Up - Usually expressed by a dominant, condescending player to his or her partner to go
up to the net to cut off weak returns from their opponents.
Warm up - Other than the conventional stretching or moving about to get the blood
flowing, warming up also consists of hitting the shuttle in various ways with a partner or
opponent for a few minutes before actual play begins.
Wood shot - Shot that results when the frame of the racquet hits the base of the shuttle.
Once illegal, this shot was ruled acceptable by the International Badminton Federation in
1963.
Walk over - When a player is unable to play or did not show up for a match, it's a walk
over.
Wrist - A necessary anatomical part if you want to excel in badminton.
 Yours - Expressed at the last second by a doubles partner for you to take a shot that
has went past both of you, and it's your fault if you miss it.
4. Facilities and equipment
Badminton racket
This is the most important tool that a player will use in the game. A badminton racket is
lighter than other sports rackets; as they are made out of carbon fiber and also lighter
metals for example aluminum. Strings are stretched in a checker board pattern over the
opening of the badminton racket. This will act as the racket's hitting surface. The cost of
a badminton racket will vary widely. This will depend on whether the racket is an
expensive and more professional model or a basic back-yard set.

Shuttlecock
The shuttlecock is also known as a birdie and will act the same as other balls in racket
sports. The design of the shuttlecock will create more drag. It will be propelled into the
air because of the feathered shape. The birdie is cone shaped that has a hard cork at
the tip. Birdies are made out of various materials. A less expensive model will be made
out of plastic while a more expensive model will be made out of feathers.
Net
A net divides badminton courts into two sides. It is placed five feet high within
the center while on the sides it is five feet and one inch high. This is lower than volleyball
nets. The length of the net will vary whether singles or doubles are being
played. Doubles will reach 22 feet and singles will reach 17 feet.
Badminton court
Badminton courts should be 17 feet wide by 44 feet long when playing singles, and 22
feet wide by 44 feet long when playing doubles. If it is an indoor facility there must be
sufficient height for the birdie to float over the net and not hit the ceiling. The height
varies depending on the players' strength.
5. Fundamental skills
Serving
Serve the shuttlecock with your non dominant side closest to the net, so if you are right-
handed, your left side would face the net.
Clear or Toss
This is an offensive as well as defensive stroke. It is taken with overhead swing of the racket
to hit the shuttle hard so that shuttle goes deep and back in the opponent’s court. It may be
high clear or low clear, over the both sides of the court in opponents side.
Smash
This is an offensive stroke to stop the rally at once. In this, shuttle is powerfully hit in
downward direction and gives no chance to the opponent to return. Shuttle is hitted with very
fast swing of hand just over the head. Shuttle goes steep’ down in opponent’s court.
Half-Smash
This is an offensive skill in which shuttle travels very fast in ownhalf court but lands close to
net in opponent side. It is a combination of smash and drop as racket is just tilted before the
hit which gives spin to the shuttle.
Drop
This is slow push to the shuttle so that it just crosses the net and lands near the net in
opponent’s court. It is taken from deep position and shuttle is contacted at overhead swing of
racket.
Net-Drop
It is returning a close drop by placing the shuttle close to net in opponent court.
Tap
 It is returning a rising shuttle close to net by steping ahead (close to net) and placing the
racket in the path of shuttle. Thus, shuttle lands close to net in opponent court.
Flat Return
It is returning the coming shuttle with force, just at the height of net. This skill is also termed
as drive. This offensive skill is used mostly in doubles game.
6. Rules and regulation
The coin toss – who goes first?
Before a tournament starts, a coin is tossed. The winner of the coin toss will then get to
choose either
1) to serve or to receive or
2) the preferred side of the court.
The loser of the coin toss will then exercise the remaining choice.

Service
A serve is delivered diagonally across the courts. During service, both the server and
receiver must stand at diagonally opposite sides without touching the boundary lines of
the badminton courts. During a serve, the point at which the racquet is allowed to come
into contact with the shuttlecock must happen below the server’s waist.
Rally
A rally starts with a serve, often times continuing with a series of shots exchanged
between opposing sides before it finally ends when a point is scored.
Badminton Scoring System – 3 (games) x 21 (points)
The 3 (game sets) x 21 (points) scoring system was first introduced in December 2005
and is now the official scoring system used at professional tournaments. Despite the
official updates to the rules, some recreational players (particularly those who have been
playing badminton for many years) still follow the traditional scoring system.
A badminton match consists of three games.
The first player/team to score 21 points wins a game.
A point is awarded to the player/team that wins the rally.
In the event that a game reaches a 20-20 score, players can only win the set by getting
a 2 point lead over the opposing party e.g. 22-20, 23-21, 24-22 etc.
In the event that the game reaches a 29-29 score, the first team to reach 30 points will
win the set and take the service for the next game.
Switching sides on the court
Players/teams will switch sides on the court
At the end of the first game
At the end of the second game if there is a third game
During the third game the first player/team scores 11 points.
7. Badminton Game Competition
The BWF organizes several international competitions, including the Thomas Cup, the
premier men's international team event first held in 1948–1949, and the Uber Cup, the women's
equivalent first held in 1956–1957. The competitions now take place once every two years.
More than 50 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within continental
confederations for a place in the finals. The final tournament involves 12 teams, following an
increase from eight teams in 2004. It was further increased to 16 teams in 2012.
The Sudirman Cup, a gender-mixed international team event held once every two years, began
in 1989. Teams are divided into seven levels based on the performance of each country. To win
the tournament, a country must perform well across all five disciplines (men's doubles and
singles, women's doubles and singles, and mixed doubles). Like association football (soccer), it
features a promotion and relegation system at every level. However, the system was last used
in 2009 and teams competing will now be grouped by world rankings.
Badminton was a demonstration event at the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics. It became an
official Summer Olympic sport at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and its gold medals now
generally rate as the sport's most coveted prizes for individual players.
In the BWF World Championships, first held in 1977, currently only the highest ranked 64
players in the world, and a maximum of four from each country can participate in any category.
In both the Olympic and BWF World competitions restrictions on the number of participants from
any one country have caused some controversy because they sometimes result in excluding
elite world level players from the strongest badminton nations. The Thomas, Uber, and
Sudirman Cups, the Olympics, and the BWF World (and World Junior Championships), are all
categorized as level one tournaments.
At the start of 2007, the BWF introduced a new tournament structure for the highest level
tournaments aside from those in level one: the BWF Super Series. This level two tournament
series, a tour for the world's elite players, stage twelve open tournaments around the world with
32 players (half the previous limit). The players collect points that determine whether they can
play in Super Series Finals held at the year-end. Among the tournaments in this series is the
venerable All-England Championships, first held in 1900, which was once considered the
unofficial world championships of the sport.
Level three tournaments consist of Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix event. Top players can
collect the world ranking points and enable them to play in the BWF Super Series open
tournaments. These include the regional competitions in Asia (Badminton Asia Championships)
and Europe (European Badminton Championships), which produce the world's best players as
well as the Pan America Badminton Championships.
The level four tournaments, known as International Challenge, International Series, and Future
Series, encourage participation by junior players.