G-12 P.E.

Badminton Handout
History
The idea of hitting a small object with a racket has been around for hundreds of years. In
ancient Greece, a game was played between two players wielding small rackets, and hitting a
th

feathered shuttle. Ancient Egyptians played a similar game in their country. During the 18 century, a
game similar to badminton, called Poona, was played in India. This game was enjoyed by the British
Army while stationed in India and they brought it back to England. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort had
a party where the game became a great success. This party was hosted at the Badminton Estate in
Gloucestershire, England. The British began referring to the game as Badminton as a result. The
Modern day game is played worldwide as both a recreational activity and at competitive levels
ranging from high school teams up to international competitions. Badminton is even played in the
Olympics.

Rules
To win a game, you have to score 21 points
If a score becomes 20-20, the side which scores 2 consecutive points shall win that game. If
the score becomes 29-29, the side that scores the 30th point shall win that game. There are no
"service over", meaning you can score a point no matter who serves.
One service only for doubles.
Starting The Game
As in most racquet sports, the score begins at 0-0 (called love-all). The players stand on opposite
sides of the court, diagonally opposite. The game begins with the server on the right side. This is
always the case when the score is even and when it is odd, the server serves from the left court.
The serve is underhand and does not bounce.
The Goal of The Game
The goal is to hit a shuttle over the net and onto the floor within the court boundaries to win a point.
The opponent does his best to keep that from happening by returning the shuttle back over the net
as many times as possible.
If the shuttle doesnt get over the net or goes out of the marked boundaries, its a fault and the point
is lost. Then, the next serve goes to the opponent.

What is A "Let"?
A let is a serve that doesnt count either because:
The shuttlecock hit the net
The shuttlecock fell apart
The umpire couldnt determine if the shot was in or out of bounds
Doubles
The badminton rules for doubles are much the same. The server first serves from the right side of
the court. That player will continue to serve until a point is lost. The receiver will serve next, and
continue until they lose a point. Then the first servers partner will serve, and then service will go
back to the initial receivers partner.
As in singles, you would serve or receive on the right side of the court when the score is even and
from the left side when the score is an odd number. Your partner does the reverse.

Terms
Alley- side-extensions of the court by 1 feet on both sides that is used for doubles
play.
Back Alley- Area between the back boundary line and the long service line for doubles.
Baseline- Back boundary line at each end of the court, that runs parallel to the net.
Bird or birdie- another name for the shuttle.
Carry- An illegal tactic, also called a sling or throw, in which the shuttle is caught and held
on the racket and then slung during the execution of a stroke.
Center-line- Line in middle of court which separates left and right service courts. ClearA shot hit deep to the opponents back court.
Drive- A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.
Drop shot- a shot hit softly which falls rapidly and close to the net on the opponents side.
Fault- A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play.
Flick- a quick wrist and forearm rotation that surprises an opponent by changing the
apparent soft shot into a faster passing one; used on the serve and at the net.
Kill- Fast, downward shot that cannot be returned
Let- A legitimate stoppage of play which results in a replay.

Push shot- Gentle shot played by pushing the shuttle with little wrist motion, usually from net
or midcourt to the opponents midcourt.
Rally- this occurs when the players hit the bird back and forth after a good serve and before
one side wins a point.
Service court- Area into which a serve must be delieved. Different for singles and doubles
play.
Short serve line- The line 6 feet from the net which forms the front of the service courts. Shuttle or
shuttlecock- the name for the object that the players hit, made of a ball of cork or

rubber with a crown of feathers in an open conical shape