First off, what are simplified badminton rules?
Badminton is an easy game to understand. It is played with a light ‘ball’ called the shuttlecock and players use a racquet to send the shuttlecock over the net and onto the other side to their opponent/s. It is important to hit the shuttle before it hits the floor because if that happens you will lose a point.
The same thing happens if you hit the shuttle with your body, or else you put the shuttle in the net or make contact with the net. Each time one of these happen, the other player will take one point and the games are played up till 21 points, with the winning player being that one that reaches 21 the first. If both players or pairs get to 20-20, to win you need to get 2 more points than your opponent example 23-21.
That was a quick overview of the rules of the game but now we will get into the comprehensive badminton rules and regulations. These rules and regulations change from time to time and have changed a lot from when badminton originated
Some of the badminton rules in their simplicity and complexity
Court Dimensions
The badminton court is in a form of a recangle and is 13.4 meters long and 6.1 meters wide. There is a net in the middle of the court which is place in the centre of the court. The height of the net is 1.55m at the sides and 1.524 in the middle (as it is pulled down by gravity)
Scoring System
Each game of badminton is played to 21 points, with the first player or pair to reach 21 points wins the game. If the game is tight and the score reaches 20-20 then the game continue until a player has a 2-point lead for example 27-25. If not even this does the trick and the score reaches 29-29, then it’s a winner takes all as the limit of a game of badminton is to 30 points. A match is played in best of three games, therefore a player or a pair needing to win 2 games to win a match.
Badminton rules serving
The game and each rally starts with a service. Whoever holds the service also determines on which sides the players stand. If the server has even points, then both players stay on the right square of the court but if the server has odd points, then both get to the left of the court.
When serving, you should serve diagonally to your opponent’s court. If the shuttle lands outside of the court, gets stuck in the net or one of the service faults are called, then you will lose a point. It is very important that if the shuttlecock hits the net and keeps on moving towards the opponent’s court, that is still valid! (not as in tennis, as the umpire calls a let if it touches the net and goes in).
In doubles, the same rules apply for basically everything, but the rear corridor is considered ‘out’. You still need to serve diagonally in doubles.
Faults
A fault is committed if any of the following happens:
- The shuttle lands out.
- The shuttlecock is stuck in the net.
- You hit the ceiling or wall with the shuttle.
- The shuttle is hit with any part of a player’s body.
- If the net is touched with any part of the body or with the racket.
- The shuttlecock is hit twice by the same player (or pair)
- During play you shout to distract the opponent.
A point is awarded to the opposing player whenever a fault is committed.
Change of Ends
After the first game, after the second game (if there is a third game), and in the middle of the third game, the players or teams change ends. Who starts the game is decided by a coin toss in the beginning of the match and then in the second and third game, the winner of the previous game starts serving.
Why are the rules of badminton important?
As with every sports, the badminton rules play an important part of the game and these are some of the reasons why these are important.
Safety: It is important to keep a safe environment for all players. The service rules for example, helps the players not to hit each other with the shuttlecock and rules regarding players’ attitude and conduct help the court to be a safe place to play badminton and prevent dangerous and aggressive attitude from any player.
Fair play: The badminton rules are also laid to create a level playing field to all players. Equipment, the court and other aspects are controlled to ensure no one has an unfair advantage on their opponents.
Orderly play: It is vital to have orderly play in all sports as well as badminton. Imagine watching a game where one of the players goes to talk to his coach for a minute after each rally. Rules regarding scoring, readiness on court, chaning of shuttles etc. help keep the game running smoothly and efficiently. Even the use of towels and breaks are regulated and imposed by the umpire.
Competitive integrity: Integrity is crucial in sport. The badminton rules are there to safeguard this integrity as much as possible. This also ensures that all players and teams are competing fairly and within badminton regulations.
Without rules, badminton can become chaotic and potentially dangerous for players. By following the rules, one can enjoy the game while also making sure that the game is fair and enjoyable for all. Now that we’ve seen the basic rules of badminton and why they are important, we are going to continue more advanced rules.
Some more advanced badminton rules
Let
A let can be called in several instances. For example, if the shuttlecock gets stuck on the net a let is called. Let can also be called if there is a distraction on the court, example another shuttlecock that lands in the court. This can be called as well if the linejudge or the umpire do not have a ruling if the shuttle was in or out. A let does not count as a fault, and the serve is retaken.
Service Faults
Other than putting the shuttle out or in the net, there are more rules to the service. First off, the shuttle cannot be all above 1.15m when it makes contact with the racket. Another important service rule to keep in mind is that you cannot lift your feet from the ground, but lifting just the heel is accepted.
Other two rules in serving are that you have to serve in one continuous forward motion and that you need to hit the cork of the shuttlecock for the service to be valid. Interestingly, if both the server and the reciever fault (mainly the receiver cannot move the feet before the serve is given), then the umpire calls a let.
In/Out
A shot is considered in if any part of the shuttle lands on the court boundary lines. Even if a fraction of the cork of the shuttle hits the line it is considered as in. That is why it is not always justifyable to critisize a line judge as it is very difficult to decide in a fraction of a second. In high level tournaments, the players can challenge a line call and Hawk Eye is used to check if the shuttle was actually in or out.
Player Conduct
Players must always play fair and show good sportsmanship at all times. Players who verbally abuse their opponent or any of the officials may receive a warning (yellow card), a point penalty (red card) or even being disqualified from the match (black card)
Equipment
Players must used only approved rackets, shuttles and clothing in badminton. The length of a racket must be less than 68cm and shouldn’t be wider than 23cm.
Umpire Decisions
The umpires have the ultimate authority in badminton. Their decision is final and players and coaches are not able to overturn their calls (apart from a line call where they can challenge)
Lettering and Advertising
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has rules in place regarding advertising and lettering on clothing.
There are very comprehensive regulations when it comes to advertising and lettering and it is not unknown of that players get fines for not adhering with these regulations. Before each match, the umpire checks the clothing for such infringements and reports them to the referee.
According to the BWF regulations, the front and back of players’ t-shirts can feature the player’s name, national flag, national emblem, sponsor logo, or tournament logo. However, there are specific guidelines that must be followed:
Maximum five advertisements out of the nine locations can be permitted. One advertising per location. These cannot be larger than 20cm squared.
The player’s name cannot exceed 10 centimeters in height on the back of the shirt and the country name must be 5cm high.
The national flag or emblem cannot exceed 20 square centimeters.
The shirt must not have any political, religious, or racial content.
The advertising must be in good taste and not cause any offense to viewers.
The advertising must be real: A real brand with a registered trademark or brand and we quote the BWF rules here: “not eg. I don’t have a sponsor, I am nice etc) 😀
The lettering and advertising must be clearly visible and legible.
Its good to keep in mind that these rules and clothing regulations can be changed along the way so it is recommended to consult the BWF regulations directly for the most up-to-date information.
These are just a few of the basic and even more advanced badminton rules. While at first one may think they are complex, they are quite simple and are important to ensure fair play and also keep the game’s integrity.
As you gain more experience in the game, you will get a deeper understanding of the rules although there are still cases where there is controversy around a certain rule and how it is interpreted. More experience players, together with their coaches do their best to understand the rules and also find ways on how to use them to their advantage. If you are interested to know more you can read the whole list of all BWF rules and statutes.