Sport
Badminton
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 40
- years
- 6+
In the box
Rackets and shuttlecocks
Official rules (federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- DexterityReal-TimeTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
In singles or doubles, you must land the shuttle in the opposing court or force a fault, each side hitting it only once. The serve goes diagonally, from the side that won the previous rally, and every rally won scores a point, whoever served. A game is won at 21 points with a two-point lead, never beyond 30, and the match is the best of three games.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
Singles or doubles, 13.40 m court, Net at 1.524 m
- Singles or doubles, on a court 13.40 metres long, wider in doubles.
- Net 1.524 metres high at the centre and 1.55 metres over the doubles sidelines, where the posts stand.
How to play
Diagonal serve, 1 hit per side, Rally winner serves
- The serve is diagonal, into the opposite service court, with server and receiver standing still, both feet on the floor. At the moment of impact, no part of the shuttle may be higher than 1.15 metres above the floor.
- The side that won the previous rally serves. It serves from the right service court when its score is even, from the left when it is odd.
- In doubles, only the player diagonally opposite the server receives. Partners only swap service courts after winning a point on their own serve.
- The shuttle may only be hit once per side: there is no passing between partners.
- A shuttle that touches the floor ends the rally. It is also a fault when the shuttle lands out, passes under the net or touches a player.
- The winner of a game serves first in the next one. Players change ends after each game, and in the third game as soon as one side reaches 11 points.
Scoring
1 point per rally, Game to 21 points, 2-point lead, 30 max
- Each rally won scores a point, whoever served.
- A game is won at 21 points with a two-point lead. At 29-all, the next point decides it: nobody goes beyond 30.
End of the game
Best of 3 games
- The match is played as the best of three games.
House rules and pitfalls
Intervals: up to one minute when the leading side reaches 11 points in a game…
- Intervals: up to one minute when the leading side reaches 11 points in a game, up to two minutes between games.
- The BWF still allows the old "below the waist" serve as an alternative law: shuttle below the server's lowest rib, with the shaft and head of the racket pointing downwards.
- By prior arrangement, you can also play a single game to 21 points, best of three games to 15 points, or best of five games to 11 points.
- From January 2027, the BWF is switching to "3 × 15" scoring: games to 15 points, a two-point lead needed at 14-all, the 21st point decides it at 20-all, and ends change at 8 points in the third game. This scoring does not apply yet.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Counting
Points in a game (21)
Games won (best of 3)
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How do you score?
Rally-point scoring: every rally won gives a point, whether you served or received. A game is played to 21 points, with a two-point lead (capped at 30).
Where must the shuttle land on the serve?
Diagonally, in the opposite service court, after an upward flight. At the moment of impact, no part of the shuttle may be higher than 1.15 m above the floor. The old rule, which the BWF still allows as an alternative law, required it to be below the waist, meaning below the server's lowest rib.
Can the shuttle touch the floor during a rally?
No: unlike tennis, there is no bounce. As soon as the shuttle touches the floor, the rally is over.
Singles or doubles: which court lines?
The outer sidelines are used in doubles, the inner ones in singles. When serving in doubles, the back boundary changes too: a classic source of mistakes.
How many games to win?
Best of three games (two games to win).