The game

Equipment and clothing

Badminton is played with a racket and shuttlecock. Beginners generally play with plastic shuttlecocks but once you start playing regularly you'll graduate to feather shuttlecocks. Standard clothing consists of a polo-shirt or t-shirt without any ostensible advertising logos, and shorts, or skirts for ladies.

Starting play

At the start of a match, a coin or shuttlecock is tossed. The winner of the toss can choose to serve or receive first, or can choose at which end to start.

Continuity of play

When the score of 11 is reached for the first time in each game, the players are allowed a 60-second break.

The players are also allowed a 120-second break between games. During the match, the players can be coached but only when the shuttlecock is out of play. During the 60-second or 120-second breaks, each player/pair can be joined on the court by 2 persons at most.

Badminton is played in five disciplines:

• Women's Singles
• Men's Singles
• Women's Doubles
• Men's Doubles
• Mixed Doubles

Scoring

Matches are played to the best of three games.

In each of the five disciplines, a game is won by the player/pair reaching 21 points first. One point is scored by the winner of each rally.

If the score reaches 20-all, the game must be won by two clear points.

If the score reaches 29-all, the game is won by the player/pair scoring the 30th point.

The players change ends at the end of the first game , at the end of the second game if there is to be a deciding game, and once the first player/pair reaches 11 points in the third game.

The serve

Before the rally

• In Singles

If the server's score is even (0, 2, 4 …), he/she serves from the right-hand service court. If the server's score is odd (1, 3, 5 …), he/she serves from the left-hand service court.

• In Doubles

At the start of the game and when the server's score is even, he/she serves from the right-hand service court. When the server's score is odd, he/she serves from the left-hand service court. The player on the receiving team who last served must remain in the same service court from which he/she last served. The players only switch service courts once they have scored a point from their own service.

During the game

• In Singles

If the server wins the rally, he/she scores a point and continues serving from the other service court.

If the receiver wins the rally, he/she scores a point and takes over the service.

• In Doubles

If the serving pair wins the rally, it adds one point to its score and the server switches to the other service court to continue serving.

If the serving pair loses the rally, the service passes to the other pair, which adds one point to its score.

• Service area fault

A service area fault is committed when a player

• serves or receives out of turn
• serves or receives in the wrong service court

If a service area fault is detected, it is corrected immediately but the score is maintained.

At the end of a game

The winner of the previous game starts serving in the next game.

Faults

It shall be a "FAULT" if:

• the shuttlecock lands outside the boundaries of the court (if the base of the shuttlecock lands on the line it is called good)
• a player's racket or clothing touch the net while the shuttlecock is in play
• a player hits the shuttlecock on the other side of the net
• the shuttlecock is caught and held on the racket and then slung during the execution of a stroke
• the shuttlecock is hit twice in succession by the same player -is hit by a player and the player's partner successively
• the shuttlecock touches the person or clothing of a player, the ceiling or any object outside the court
• if a player has offensive conduct or persists with such after receiving a warning
• the service is played by the receiver's partner
• the server misses the shuttlecock during execution of the service
• the shuttlecock touches the net or a post and begins to fall towards the ground on the side of the player who hit the shot

It shall be "LET" if:

• the server serves before the receiver is ready
• during service, the receiver and the server are both faulted
• the shuttlecock is caught on the net and remains suspended on its top or, after passing over the net, is caught in the net, except on the service
• during play, the shuttle disintegrates and the base completely separates from the rest of the shuttle
• an unforeseen or accidental situation occurs When a 'let' occurs, play since the last service shall not count and the player who served last shall serve again.