Badminton is an entertaining and accessible game for people of all ages, from younger children who can play on smaller backyard nets to adults. What makes badminton even more accessible is that little equipment is required, with only a birdie--also called a shuttlecock--a net and badminton rackets needed to play. Before playing, it's important to understand some of the basic ground rules and guidelines for the game.
Equipment
The shuttlecock should weigh approximately 4.7 to 5.5 grams, and be 25 to 28 mm in diameter. Two different types of shuttlecocks can be used,; they are either made from feather and cork or a synthetic material. The length of the frame of the racket should not exceed 27 inches, and the width of the racket should be less than 9 inches.
Playing Court
Ground rules for the playing court vary depending on whether you are playing singles or doubles. When playing singles, the court should be 44 feet long and 17 feet wide. When playing doubles, the court should be 44 feet long and 20 feet wide. When playing in a backyard, these number can be reduced depending on the size of your yard.
Game Play
The rules of game play vary depending on whether you are playing service or rally style. In service play only the team serving can win a point, and the the match is won after 15 points in doubles or when playing men's singles, or 11 points when playing in women's singles. In rally play either team can win a point based off a serve and 21 points are needed to win. Typically two matches are played to determine the overall winner. If both teams win one match, a third game is played as a tie breaker. Teams switch sides between each match. A point is scored when a fault is called, such as the birdie landing out of bounds or touching the ground on a player's side of the court.
Racket
The racket cannot touch the net during game play or a fault is called. The racket can also not be used to reach over the net to hit the shuttlecock. When serving the shuttlecock must be hit while the racket is still below the waist, resulting in only underhand serves.
Shuttlecock
The shuttlecock cannot be carried on the racket at anytime. The shuttlecock can only be struck. The same player cannot hit the shuttlecock twice in a row or a fault is called. If the shuttlecock is hit out of bounds, the fault is called on the last team member to touch it. On the serve, the shuttlecock must be hit diagonally to the cross court to be a valid serve.
Net
The top of the net should be about 5 feet above the ground. A shuttlecock can hit the net and go over during a rally and still count. However, if the shuttlecock hits the net on a serve and goes over, the serve does not count and is redone.
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