Badminton Overview and History

A racquet sport played by two opposing players (singles) or pairs (doubles) on a rectangular court divided by a net. Players score points by hitting a shuttlecock (birdie) over the net and into their opponents' half of the court.

The object used in badminton, which is a small, feathered projectile.

A sequence of hits between players, with the shuttlecock remaining in play, until it touches the ground or a player commits an error.

The act of initiating a rally by striking the shuttlecock from behind the service line and over the net into the opponent's service court.

The designated area on the badminton court from which the server must hit the shuttlecock.

Points are scored in badminton by winning a rally. Each game is played to 21 points, and the player or team must win by at least 2 points.

A badminton match played by two individual players against each other.

A badminton match played by two pairs of players against each other.

The back boundary line at the end of the court that runs parallel to the net.

Another name for the shuttlecock.

A shot hit deep to the opponent's back court.

A fast and low shot that travels horizontally over the net.

A shot hit slowly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net on the opponent's side.

A quick wrist and forearm rotation that changes an apparently soft shot into a faster passing shot, often used on the serve and at the net.

The grip used for forehand shots like clears, smashes, drops, drives, lifts, and net shots.

The grip used for backhand shots like drives, lifts, net shots, serves, and doubles defense.

A grip used for specific shots, achieved by rotating the racket from backhand grip to have strings facing diagonally.

Grip where the thumb pinches the sides of the racket, used for specific shots.

A serve that forces the opponent to lift the shuttle high.

A fast serve that leaves the opponent with little time to react.

A serve where the wrist is used to quickly flick the shuttle, often disguised as a low serve.

A serve that pushes the opponent to the back of the court, increasing space for the server.

The server scores a point and serves again from the alternate service court.

The receiver scores a point and serves from the appropriate service court: left for an odd score, right for an even score.

The same player continues serving, but switches to the alternate service court to serve to the next opponent.

The player in the right service court serves if the score is even, and the player in the left service court serves if the score is odd.

A player's service court is determined by their position at the beginning of the previous rally, not their end position.

A fault occurs when a player fails to return the shuttlecock correctly, leading to the opponent winning the rally.

The most common fault is failing to hit the shuttlecock over the net and land it inside the opponent's court.

A let is a disturbance that causes a rally to be replayed with no change in score.