Badminton is a racket sport. The origins of the modern game can be traced to India where it evolved during the 18th century. The game of Poona, in which players used rackets to keep a shuttlecock in the air, grew in popularity in India among British officers. They brought the game back to England where it developed into the modern game.
Court
A singles badminton court measures 44 feet long and 17 feet wide. A net measuring 5 feet high divides the court. Each side of the court has two serving boxes. These are in the back of the court and measure 13 feet long and 8½ feet wide. When served, a shuttlecock must land within one of the opposite serving boxes. The front edge of the serving boxes is 6½ feet from the net.
Points
According to the Badminton World Federation, a player scores a point when his opponent cannot return the shuttlecock over the net. This can include circumstances in which the shuttlecock hits inside the court boundaries of the receiver, or the receiver hits the shuttlecock into the net or out of bounds. Similarly, the receiver scores a point if his opponent hits the shuttlecock out of bounds or into the net.
Scoring System
Badminton.org states that a match consists of three games; the first player to win two games takes the match. In classic scoring only the server can score points, the first player to 15 wins a game. In rally scoring either player can score, and the first to 21 wins. If the game is tied at 21, it continues until one player wins by two points. If the game is tied at 29, the player who earns the next point wins the game.
Serving
To begin a singles game the server must stand in the right-handed box and serve diagonally to his opponent's right-handed box. The server alternates between boxes with each point. The server must keep his racket below his waist when serving; the racket head must remain below his hand. Both feet must remain stationary and behind the end line. The shuttlecock must go over the net. If the shuttlecock hits the net it must continue to the receivers box to be in play.
Faults and Lets
A fault occurs when a player's serve hits the net or lands outside his opponent's service box. A player may also fault if his foot touches the end line while serving. A let is called to stop play. This can occur if both players fault, a player serves before his opponent is ready or if the shuttlecock gets caught in the net. There are no points awarded when play is stopped by a let.
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