BADMINTON

Rules and Regulations Objective

The object of a badminton game is to hit the badminton shuttlecock over the badminton net and onto the ground within bounds on your opponent's side of the court. A rally can also be lost by hitting the shuttle into the badminton net, out of bounds, before it crosses the net to your side, or if it strikes your clothing or body rather than your badminton racket. Doubles and Singles Badminton can be played by two or four players. In a singles, two single players (two men or two women) play against each other. A doubles consists of two opposing pairs of players. There are ladies' doubles (two pairs of ladies playing against each other), men's doubles (two pairs of two men playing against each other) and mixed doubles (two pairs consisting of one man and one woman playing against each other). The game therefore has five disciplines: ladies' singles, ladies' doubles, men's singles,

men's doubles, and mixed doubles.

The Court In normal play, the court is 13.40m long and 5.10m (singles) or 6.10m (doubles) wide. The height of the net is 1.524m over the centre of the court, but 1.55m over the side lines of the doubles court. The singles court always covers the full length of the court, from base line to base line, both in normal play and for the service. Similarly, singles are always played on the narrow court. Doubles are always played on the wide court. During a rally, the base line at the back of the court marks the end of the court. However, a doubles service must be played into the short service court, marked by the doubles service line 80 centimetres before the base line.

The Toss At the beginning of each match, a toss is made to determine which side serves first. The winner of the toss can choose whether to make the first service of the match or whether to return first, thus leaving the first service to the opponent. The side that lost the toss can then choose on which end of the court he/she/they want to start.

Alternatively, the side that wins the toss may also choose to select the end of the court on which he/she/they want(s) to start. The right to decide who makes the first service in the match then goes to the side that lost the toss.

The Sets

A badminton match commonly consists of up to three sets. The side that first reaches 21 points wins a set (exception: when there is no two-point difference - see below). The side that first wins two sets wins the match. A third set is played if, after two sets, both sides have won one each. After each set, the sides change ends. A short break of up to 90 seconds can be made between sets and in the middle of each set, when the first player reaches 11 points. Strictly speaking, the players may not leave the court during the break, but coaching is allowed.

Scoring The current scoring system in badminton is the 3 x 21 rally point scoring system. This means that 3 games (i.e. 1 match) are played to 21 points each, with a required 2 points difference between scores (meaning scores can go above 21, to a maximum of 30). The winner of a rally scores a point regardless of who served. The modern badminton rules permit two different scoring formats: service and rally. In service play, a badminton game is won by scoring 15 points in doubles and men's singles, or 11 points in women's singles. In rally play, 21 points are needed to win a badminton game. In service play, only the serving team may score a point. If the rally is lost, service passes to the opponent in singles play. In doubles play, except for the first service of a game, each player on a team is permitted to serve at least once before service is lost. In rally play, a point can be awarded to either team, and in most cases, a point is awarded along with resumption of service, except when a rally point is lost by the first member of a serving doubles team. At the conclusion of each badminton game, players or teams must switch sides. If a third game is necessary during a match, sides are switched during that game when a player/team has reached eight points in doubles or men's singles, six points in women's singles, or 11 points in rally play.

Badminton faults There are three ways a player can cause a fault on the serve in the game of badminton. A fault occurs when the server a) strikes the shuttlecock at a point higher than the waist; b) holds the racket head higher than the hand; or c) fails to serve the shuttlecock in the proper court. Other faults (loss of point or loss of serve) can occur during the rally. These faults occur when the shuttle: a) passes through or under the net; b) lands out of bounds; c) hits the ceiling or sidewalks; or d) the shuttlecock touches the clothing or body of a player.

Badminton Serving Rules

As in tennis, badminton service is always done diagonally, e.g. from the right service court to the opponent's left service court. The first serve is always taken from the right court, and subsequent serves are taken from alternating sides. Line shots in badminton service or rallies are considered in, though court bounds are different for singles and doubles play. The back line is the same for both, but singles badminton is played with the narrower of the two sidelines. A serve that strikes the net and lands in the opponent's court is a let serve and is retaken. During service, players must stand in their respective service courts. The receiving player is not permitted to move his/her feet until the badminton shuttlecock has been struck. The highest part of the serving player's badminton racquet must remain below his/her hand and waistline during service. In other words, only underhanded serves are permitted.

Types of shots used in a Game

Short serve Used mostly in doubles games.

The bird just barely clears the net and lands fairly close to the serve line on the other side of the net. The head of the racquet must stay below the waist and below the wrist. Do not snap or break your wrist on this type of serve.

Long serve Used mostly by singles players The bird is served deep into the court.

The technique is similar to the short serve, but at the end snap the wrist and send the bird high and deep. Used to fool the opponent who is close to the net. Often used with the short serve to mix up your opponent.

Drop shot The bird just barely drops over the net. Contact point is high and there is no follow through.

This shot is used when your opponent is deep in the court and you want to end the rally. The bird should land in front of the service line to be considered a good drop shot.

Smash Similar to the spike in volleyball in that the bird should go down on an angle to the ground.

The bird is contacted high in the air over the hitting shoulder, follow through is also high and in a downward motion. The bird goes down quickly, usually ending the rally. You should try not to set up your opponent so that she can smash at you Considered and offensive shot as it is very difficult to return this type of shot. Aim for your opponents armpits or the centre of her body when hitting this type of shot.

Overhead Clear The bird is contacted high above the hitting shoulder and there is a high follow through The bird should be sent to the back of the court.

This type of shot allows the defensive person time to get back into position and is a good shot to use if your opponent is close to the net.

Underhand Clear Bird is contacted out in front of your racquet side leg. Snap of the wrist sends the bird high and deep. Transfer your weight from back foot to your front foot to get maximum power.

A good shot to send the bird high and deep and give you time to get back into position on the court. You can use your forehand or backhand on this type of shot.

Strategies of the Game

There are two basic strategies or ways to play the game of doubles badminton. The first style is known as up and back . With this style of play you have a quick net person who can move from side to side quickly and has good reflexes for the front of the net. The back person is good at hitting long clears and has the power to hit a drop or smash if necessary. A weakness of this style of play is that the sidelines are hard to cover and often difficult to get from side to side. The second style of play is referred to as sides . With this style of play each player is responsible for a half of the court (left and right sides). This is a good style to play as each person is responsible for their half and there is no confusion about who will play what shot. The weakness of this style is that the middle of the court is often hard to cover unless there is good communication. Also each player must be quick and able to move from the back to the front quickly. While it is a great game of social and physical conditioning, don't let badminton fool you. It's also quite a workout for the mind. Strategy is key in the game of badminton, and the game requires constant thinking and planning. Each shot of the shuttle has a purpose, and a good player keeps his or her eye on the entire court at all times. As you perfect your badminton game, your strategy will naturally mature. However, beginners should adopt a basic strategy of alternating clear and drop shots and adding smashes and drives as the opportunity develops. Try to keep your opponent on the defensive, and remember the following simple points:

Always return to the "stance of readiness" position after each shot Be prepared to move in any direction at all times In most cases, overhead shots are the best choice Move the shuttlecock around the court to keep your opponents running Have a purpose with each shot

References: http://www.badmintonsource.com/badminton-sets/badmintonrulesarticle.cfm http://www.fernandosbadminton.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=6 1 http://www.fernandosbadminton.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=6 1