Badminton's rules and policies are governed by the Badminton World Federation, also called the BWF. This federation monitors sanctioned international tournaments, sets the sport's anti-doping rules and codes of conduct and issues world rankings for successful players. In addition to the International Olympic Committee, there are also 164 national federations allied with the BWF, including USA Badminton.
Policy for Sanctioned Tournament Play
Players who are serious about competing nationally and internationally should register with USA Badminton. Registered players can compete in sanctioned regional and national tournaments as well as earn a numbered ranking. Only registered players can take classes to become coaches or officials, as well as participate in qualifying matches for important tournaments such as the Pan American Games, the World Championships and the Olympics.
Scoring
Every badminton match consists of two to three games each played to 21 points; the best of three wins the match. Unlike pickleball or racquetball, you don't have to be serving to score a point. Every time there is a serve, a point is added to the score of the player or team that wins the rally. If both players have 20 points, the first player to open up a 2-point lead wins.
Service Courts and Change of Ends
Players must use particular sides and ends of the court at the appropriate time during play. Each player's side of the court is divided into left and right service courts. When the server's score is an even number, he serves from the right side. When his score is odd, he serves from the left. Players switch sides with each other at the end of each game and as soon as someone reaches 11 points in the third game.
Serving
The server and her opponent must stand in diagonal courts. When a player serves, she can't jump into the air the way a tennis player might. At least part of both her feet must touch the ground and the shuttle has to be hit below waist level. Most badminton players hold their rackets parallel to the floor at waist level, hold the shuttle at chest level, drop it, and swing their racket forward to hit the shuttle over the net.
Rally
The rally is everything that happens between the serve and the shuttlecock falling out of play. Players hit the shuttle back and forth over the net until one player commits a fault, ending the rally; the other player earns a point. Players can hit the shuttle from anywhere on their side of the net; unlike pickleball, there is no non-rally barrier near the net.
Faults vs. Lets
A "let" is a play that can be done over because one or more factors interrupted the play. This happens when the shuttle is damaged or, during the course of a rally, gets stuck in the net once it's passed over the top. A "fault" is an error that can't be re-played, such as when the shuttle goes out of bounds or hits the net during a serve or rally. Player errors such as hitting the shuttle twice or touching the net in any way count as faults.
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