Badminton Terminologies

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 i