Badminton: Essential Rules, Techniques, and Terms
Badminton is a fast-paced racket sport where the shuttlecock can reach speeds of up to 260 km/h. It is one of the most played sports in the world, particularly popular in Asia and parts of Europe, such as Denmark and the UK. You can play badminton in individual competitions (singles) or doubles. Men and women can play together in mixed doubles (one man and one woman).
Basic Badminton Vocabulary
- Match: Un partido
- Shuttlecock: Volante
- To rally: Pelotear
- Rally format: Formato de competición en el que no hace falta tener el saque para puntuar.
- Backhand: De revés
- Bounds: Límites
- Odd: Impares
- Outright: Directamente
- To pretend: Fingir, hacer como si…
- Below: Por debajo
- Game: Un juego
- Court: Cancha
- Rally: La duración de un punto
- Forehand: Envés de la mano. En bádminton se usa para el golpe “de derechas”
- Even: Pares
- Smashes: Remates
- Deception: Engaño
- To deceive: Engañar
- To follow through: Seguir el movimiento
- To shake hands: Darse la mano
Basic Badminton Rules
Badminton games follow a 21-point rally format. This means you don’t have to be serving to score a point; you can score regardless of who serves.
How to Play:
- To win a match, you must win two out of three games.
- To win a game, you must score 21 points.
- You score a point when your opponent can’t return the shuttlecock, or the shuttlecock they return falls out of bounds (outside the court).
- In singles, you serve from the right service court when your score is an even number (0, 2, 4…).
- You serve from the left service court when your score is an odd number (1, 3, 5…).
- If the score becomes 20-20, the side that scores two consecutive points wins that game.
- If the score becomes 29-29, the side that scores the 30th point wins that game.
The Badminton Court
A) Singles
The light blue areas are the left and right service courts. You serve from there. The shuttlecock must land in the equivalent areas on your opponent’s court. If it lands in the dark blue or red areas, it is a fault. After the service, all blue areas are valid. The red areas are not part of the court, so they are out of bounds. If your shuttlecock lands there, you lose the point.
B) Doubles
The court for doubles is slightly different. The shuttlecock can land anywhere on the court now, except in the red area when serving. If it lands there after the service, it is valid.
Badminton Grips
Forehand Grip
Use this grip to hit shuttlecocks that are on the forehand side of your body and around your head. Place your hand on the handle as if you are shaking hands with it. There should be a V-shape between your thumb and index finger.
Backhand Grip
Use this grip to hit shots that are on the backhand side of your body. Hold the racket as in the forehand grip. Turn the racket to one side and place your thumb against the back part of the handle for better control and power. You need to learn to change grips quickly between shots.
Badminton Techniques
A) Basic Position
To react quickly, you must have a good waiting position. Stand with your feet apart, more or less at shoulder width. Bend your knees slightly. Hold the racket in front of your body, head up, with your weight on your toes. Move fast and hit the shuttlecock comfortably, away from your body with an ample movement.
B) The Serve
When you hit the shuttlecock, the head of the racket must be completely below your waist. If you hit it with the racket above your hip, it is a fault, and you lose the point. Relax your body and bend your knees slightly. Place your non-racket leg in front of your body. Bring your racket back and then swing it forward. Hold the shuttlecock by the feathers and let it drop slightly in front of you. Hit it with the racket and follow through.
C) The Clear
You can execute forehand and backhand clears. You must hit the shuttlecock when it is over your head. The clear makes the shuttlecock fly high and land on the back part of your opponent’s court. Use it to move your opponent to the back of the court or to defend.
D) The Smash
The smash is the strongest of all badminton shots. There are forehand and backhand smashes. To execute a good smash, hit the shuttlecock further in front of your body than with the clear. The shuttlecock should travel downwards towards the ground. The trajectory of the shuttlecock makes it difficult for your opponent to return.
E) The Drop Shot
Badminton drop shots are delicate shots used to deceive your opponent. There are forehand and backhand drops. You can use a drop shot by pretending to execute a smash, causing your opponent to move to the back of the court. Slow your arm at the last second and hit the shuttlecock softly so your opponent does not have time to run to the front of the court.