Badminton Laws Summary

Scoring

A game is won by the first side to score 15 points (11 points in women's singles).

You must be serving to win a point.

If the server loses the rally, no point is scored. The other player becomes the server.

Scoring option: Use speed scoring—there is a point scored on every serve regardless of

Which team served. If the receiving team scores, they also get the serve.

Serve - In a correct serve:

Some part of both feet of server and receiver must remain in contact with the floor in a

stationary position until the service is delivered.

The server's racket must hit the shuttle while the entire shuttle is below the server's waist.

When the shuttle is hit, the entire head of the racket must below the entire server's hand.

Where to stand during a serve:

The server and receiver must stand in diagonally opposite service courts.

Neither the receiver or server may have their feet on or past the boundary lines of the service

court.

The receiver's partner may stand anywhere, but must not hit the serve.

After the serve is returned, either player on a team may hit the shuttle, and players may

position themselves anywhere.

Singles: If the server has a even number of points, the serve is from the right. If the server has

an odd number of points, the serve is from the left.

Doubles: To start the game, the person in the right court has the serve. If the serving team

gets the point, they rotate sides, and the same person now serves from the left. This continues

until the serving team loses the rally. Then the serve passes to the other team. The person on

the right serves first. They rotate if they get a point. If they lose the rally, the serve goes to

the second person on that team ("second serve"). When the rally is lost, the serve passes to the

other team. Each time that the serve passes to a new team, both players get to serve until they

lose a rally.

Doubles serving rotation can be confusing at first. Remember these rules:

Whenever the serving team gets a point, they rotate sides.

Whenever the serve passes to a new team, the person on the right starts to serve.

Remember whether you started on the left or right. When your score is even, you should be

on the side you started from. Whenever your score is odd, you should be on the side opposite

to the one you started on.

For the first serve of the game, the server's partner does not get a serve.

The Toss

Use “rock, paper, scissors” to determine the winner of the “toss’’.

At the beginning of a match, the winner of a toss may choose to serve, to receive, or select

the side.

The loser of the toss gets the choice of remaining options.

Miscellaneous

It is a fault if the player or racket touches the net.

It is a fault if the shuttle touches a player or clothing.

(The above faults only apply if the shuttle is in play. It is in play until it hits the floor or sticks

the net.)

If the shuttle hits the top of the net, it does not matter. Play it as though it did not hit the net.

If a shuttle hits a boundary line, it is considered to be in the court.

It is a fault if a player's racket is over the net when the shuttle is hit. The striker may,

however, follow the shuttle over the net with the racket in the course of a stroke.