The game of badminton can be traced back 2,000 years to ancient Europe and Asia. It was originally known as battledore or shuttlecock and played without a net. Today's traditional badminton game is rooted in the adaptation of the original created during the 19th century by British officers in India. When the retired officer, Duke of Beaufort, taught this new game to his guests in Badminton, England, it was renamed and reestablished as a popular elite hobby.
Equipment
The badminton court requires you to use a flat area that is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long if playing doubles or 17 feet long if singles. The badminton net is erected at a height of 5 feet over the center of the court. A series of horizontal and vertical lines are drawn to divide each side of the court in half for doubles and assign an area for the server. Each player needs a badminton racket and at least one shuttlecock is necessary to play.
Scoring
Teams compete to win three sets of games, each played to 21 points. Points are earned when a team wins a rally. The first team to earn 21 points, with a two-point lead, wins that game. Without a two-point lead, the game continues until the two-point lead is achieved or a score of 30 points is earned.
Serving
There are several ways to determine which team or individual will serve first, a coin toss being the most viable option. When serving, you must use a single underhand stroke to hit the base of the shuttlecock, which must be below the server's waist at point of contact with the racket. No one is allowed to make a single step until the shuttlecock has been served, not even the server. The team that wins the rally will earn the right to serve. The shuttlecock must remain in bounds of the court, otherwise providing the opposing team with a point and the right to serve. When playing singles, the server must stand on the right if their score is even and to the left if odd. The opposing player must be diagonal the server. When playing doubles, the same rule applies, trading the responsibility to serve according to an odd or even score. The opposing team must keep one player diagonal the server while the other player can stand anywhere.
Game Play
During a rally, the players can only hit the shuttlecock once before passing it off to another player, otherwise resulting in a fault and point for the opposing team. Hitting the net or ceiling will also result in a fault and point. Players can hit the feathers of the shuttlecock during a rally, but not when serving. An interruption to the flow of a game is referred to as a let, or do-over. The play is started over with no faults or points awarded.
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