Find Badminton Opens
01The objective
Hit the shuttlecock over the net so it lands inside your opponent's court. The shuttle never bounces — if it touches the floor, the rally is over. Land it in their court, you win the point; hit it out or into the net, they do.
Hit down
Smashes and drops angled downward are badminton's winners — a shuttle falling steeply is nearly unreturnable.
Hit deep
High, deep clears push opponents to the back line and buy you time to recover position.
Same swing, different shot
Elite play is disguise: a smash wind-up becomes a feather-soft drop. Watch the wrist, not the arm.
02The court
One court, two sizes: singles is long and narrow, doubles uses the full width. The dual lines are what confuse beginners — this diagram is the fix.
03Rally scoring to 21
04Serving — watch how a game starts
Both animations loop. Singles: P1 serves to P2. Doubles: P1 serves, wins the point, swaps boxes with partner P2 and serves again to the other receiver.
- Underarm, below the waistContact must be below 1.15 m (club shorthand: below your ribs). No tennis-style overhead bombs.
- Diagonal, past the short lineServe crosses to the diagonally opposite box and must clear the short service line.
- Even right, odd leftYour own score decides the side: even (0, 2, 4…) from the right court, odd from the left. Score called server-first.
- One attempt onlyNo second serve. A net-cord serve that lands in is live — play on.
05Faults — how rallies are lost
Don't touch the net
You, your racket or your clothes touching the net mid-rally loses the point instantly.
Contact on your side
Hit the shuttle before it crosses to you and it's a fault — though your follow-through may cross above the net.
One clean touch
Carrying or slinging the shuttle, or hitting it twice (including once each by doubles partners), is a fault.
Racket only
Shuttle brushing your shirt, arm or hair = opponent's point, even if you then return it.
Know your lines
Singles: inner sidelines. Doubles: outer everything (except that serve tramline). Lines are in.
Serve promptly
Once server and receiver are set, deliberate delay or fake pump-swings are faults.
06Doubles in 60 seconds
- Only the serve rotates by ruleAfter the serve is returned, either partner can take any shot — there's no positional rotation during a rally.
- Server swaps boxes on won pointsWin a point on your serve → same server, other box. Lose it → serve passes over, nobody swaps.
- Attack in tandemStandard shape: one up at net, one back smashing when attacking; side-by-side when defending.
07Quick FAQ
Feather or plastic shuttles?
Feather shuttles fly truer and decelerate sharply — standard in serious tournaments, but they break. Nylon shuttles last far longer and suit casual opens. The tournament listing usually states which is used; feathers feel noticeably different, so practice with the match shuttle.
Why can't I serve overhead?
The rules cap serve contact height precisely to prevent smash-serves — badminton wants rallies, not aces. That's also why there's only one serve attempt.
Is a net-cord shot legal during a rally?
Completely. A shuttle clipping the tape and dribbling over is heartbreaking and 100% legal — a polite apology-wave is customary.
Can I play badminton outdoors?
Casually yes, competitively no — a 5-gram shuttle is at the wind's mercy. All sanctioned play is indoors.
08What's new · latest regulations
Badminton is mid-way through its biggest scoring change in twenty years — so the very format of a game may differ between tournaments right now. Check before you walk on.
3×15 scoring
BWF is moving from best-of-3 games to 21 → best-of-5 games to 15 (capped at 21), rally scoring unchanged. Confirm whether your open uses 3×15 or classic 3×21.
Spin-serve ban
You must release the shuttle without adding spin, and the racket must first strike the base of the shuttle. Pre-spun "twist" serves are now illegal.
Fixed 1.15 m serve height
Serve contact must be below 1.15 m from the floor (a fixed height, not the old "below the lowest rib") — the same for tall and short players.
