Badminton 

is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs
(doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players
score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their
opponents' half of the court. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the ground, and each side may
only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net.

The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties
cause it to fly differently from the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create
much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a
much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected
by wind, competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual
recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men's and women's singles,
men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair consists of a man and a woman. At
high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility,
strength, speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the
development of sophisticated racquet movements.

The beginnings of Badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was
created by British military officers stationed there.[2] Early photographs show Englishmen adding a net to
the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock. Being particularly popular in the British
garrison town Poona (now Pune), the game also came to be known as Poona. Initially, balls of wool
refereed as ball badminton were preferred by the upper classes in windy or wet conditions, but
ultimately the shuttlecock stuck. This game was taken by retired officers back to England where it
developed and rules were set out.

As early as 1860, Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, Badminton Battledore -

The new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by
the Duke of Beaufort. During that time, the game was referred to as "The Game of Badminton," and the
game's official name became Badminton.

Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in British India. The
Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic
regulations were drawn up in 1887.[5] In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first
set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today's rules, and officially launched badminton in
a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year. They
also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the
world, in 1899.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation) was
established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand,
Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs
international badminton and develops the sport globally.

While set out in England, competitive badminton in Europe has traditionally been dominated by
Denmark. Indonesia, South Korea, China and Malaysia are among the nations that have consistently
produced world-class players in the past few decades and dominated competitions on the international
level, with China being the most dominant in recent years.

LAWS
The following information is a simplified summary of the Laws, not a complete reproduction.
The definitive source of the Laws is the BWF Statutes publication,[7] although the digital distribution of
the Laws contains poor reproductions of the diagrams.

COURT DIMENSION
 The court is rectangular and divided into halves by a net. Courts are usually marked for both
singles and doubles play, although the laws permit a court to be marked for singles only. The doubles
court is wider than the singles court, but both are the same length. The exception, which often causes
confusion to newer players, is that the doubles court has a shorter serve-length dimension.

The full width of the court is 6.1 metres (20 ft), and in singles this width is reduced to
5.18 metres (17 ft). The full length of the court is 13.4 metres (44 ft). The service courts are marked by a
centre line dividing the width of the court, by a short service line at a distance of 1.98 metres (6 ft
6 inch) from the net, and by the outer side and back boundaries. In doubles, the service court is also
marked by a long service line, which is 0.76 metres (2 ft 6 inch) from the back boundary.

The net is 1.55 metres (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and 1.524 metres (5 ft) high in the centre.
The net posts are placed over the doubles sidelines, even when singles is played.

There is no mention in the Laws of Badminton of a minimum height for the ceiling above the court.
Nonetheless, a badminton court will not be suitable if the ceiling is likely to be hit on a high serve.

The basics

Each game is played to 21 points, with players scoring a point whenever they win a rally
regardless of whether they served [7] (this differs from the old system where players could only win a
point on their serve and each game was played to 15 points). A match is the best of three games.

At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand in diagonally opposite service
courts (see court dimensions). The server hits the shuttlecock so that it would land in the receiver's
service court. This is similar to tennis, except that a badminton serve must be hit below waist height and
with the racquet shaft pointing downwards, the shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce and in badminton,
the players stand inside their service courts unlike tennis.

When the serving side loses a rally, the serve immediately passes to their opponent(s) (this
differs from the old system where sometimes the serve passes to the doubles partner for what is known
as a "second serve").

In singles, the server stands in her/his right service court when her/his score is even, and in
her/his left service court when her/his score is odd.

In doubles, if the serving side wins a rally, the same player continues to serve, but s/he changes
service courts so that s/he serves to a different opponent each time. If the opponents win the rally and
their new score is even, the player in the right service court serves; if odd, the player in the left service
court serves. The players' service courts are determined by their positions at the start of the previous
rally, not by where they were standing at the end of the rally. A consequence of this system is that, each
time a side regains the service, the server will be the player who did not serve last time.
Details

When the server serves, the shuttlecock must pass over the short service line on the opponents'
court or it will count as a fault.

If the score reaches 20-all, then the game continues until one side gains a two point lead (such
as 24-22), up to a maximum of 30 points (30-29 is a winning score).

At the start of a match, the shuttlecock is cast and where ever the shuttlecock is pointing that
side begins or a coin is tossed. The winners of the coin toss may choose whether to serve or receive first,
or they may choose which end of the court they wish to occupy. Their opponents make the remaining
choice. In less formal settings, the coin toss is often replaced by hitting a shuttlecock into the air:
whichever side the corked end points will be the side that serves first.

In subsequent games, the winners of the previous game serve first. These can also be called
rubbers. If one team wins a game they play once more and if they win again they win that match, but if
they lose they play one more match to find the winning team. For the first rally of any doubles game, the
serving pair may decide who serves and the receiving pair may decide who receives. The players change
ends at the start of the second game; if the match reaches a third game, they change ends both at the
start of the game and when the leading pair's score reaches 11 points.

The server and receiver must remain within their service courts, without touching the boundary
lines, until the server strikes the shuttlecock. The other two players may stand wherever they wish, so
long as they do not insight the opposing server or receiver.
Lets

If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to the score. Lets may occur
because of some unexpected disturbance such as a shuttlecock landing on court (having been hit there
by players on an adjacent court) or in small halls the shuttle may touch an overhead rail which can be
classed as a let.

If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let shall be called; yet, if the receiver
attempts to return the shuttlecock, he shall be judged to have been ready.

There is no let if the shuttlecock hits the tape (even on service).

EQUIPMENTS
Racquets

Badminton racquets are light, with top quality racquets weighing between 75 and 95 grams (2.6 to 3.3
ounces) including the strings They are composed of many different materials ranging from carbon fibre
composite (graphite reinforced plastic) to solid steel, which may be augmented by a variety of
materials. Carbon fibre has an excellent strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives excellent kinetic
energy transfer. Before the adoption of carbon fibre composite, racquets were made of light metals
such as aluminum. Earlier still, racquets were made of wood. Cheap racquets are still often made of
metals such as steel, but wooden racquets are no longer manufactured for the ordinary market, because
of their excessive mass and cost. Nowadays, nanomaterials such as fullerene and carbon nanotubes are
added to rackets giving them greater durability.

There is a wide variety of racquet designs, although the laws limit the racquet size and shape. Different
racquets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players. The traditional oval head shape is
still available, but an isometric head shape is increasingly common in new racquets.
Strings

Badminton strings are thin, high performing strings in the range of about 0.62 to 0.73 mm
thickness. Thicker strings are more durable, but many players prefer the feel of thinner strings. String
tension is normally in the range of 80 to 160 N (18 to 36 lbf). Recreational players generally string at
lower tensions than professionals, typically between 18 and 25 lbf (110 N). Professionals string between
about 25 and 36 lbf (160 N).

It is often argued that high string tensions improve control, whereas low string tensions increase
power.  The arguments for this generally rely on crude mechanical reasoning, such as claiming that a
lower tension string bed is more bouncy and therefore provides more power. This is in fact incorrect, for
a higher string tension can cause the shuttle to slide off the racquet and hence make it harder to hit a
shot accurately. An alternative view suggests that the optimum tension for power depends on the
player: the faster and more accurately a player can swing their racquet, the higher the tension for
maximum power. Neither view has been subjected to a rigorous mechanical analysis, nor is there clear
evidence in favour of one or the other. The most effective way for a player to find a good string tension
is to experiment.
Grip

The choice of grip allows a player to increase the thickness of his racquet handle and choose a
comfortable surface to hold. A player may build up the handle with one or several grips before applying
the final layer.

Players may choose between a variety of grip materials. The most common choices
are PU synthetic grips or towelling grips. Grip choice is a matter of personal preference. Players often
find that sweat becomes a problem; in this case, a drying agent may be applied to the grip or hands,
sweatbands may be used, the player may choose another grip material or change his grip more
frequently.

There are two main types of grip: replacement grips and overgrips. Replacement grips are
thicker, and are often used to increase the size of the handle. Overgrips are thinner (less than 1 mm),
and are often used as the final layer. Many players, however, prefer to use replacement grips as the final
layer. Toweling grips are always replacement grips. Replacement grips have an adhesive backing,
whereas over grips have only a small patch of adhesive at the start of the tape and must be applied
under tension; over grips are more convenient for players who change grips frequently, because they
may be removed more rapidly without damaging the underlying material.

Shuttlecock

A shuttlecock (often abbreviated to shuttle and also commonly known as a bird or birdie ) is a

Synthetic shuttles are often used by recreational players to reduce their costs as feathered
shuttles break easily. These nylon shuttles may be constructed with either natural cork or synthetic foam
base, and a plastic skirt.

Shoes

Badminton shoes are lightweight with soles of rubber or similar high-grip, non-marking

Compared to running shoes, badminton shoes have little lateral support. High levels of lateral
support are useful for activities where lateral motion is undesirable and unexpected. Badminton,
however, requires powerful lateral movements. A highly built-up lateral support will not be able to
protect the foot in badminton; instead, it will encourage catastrophic collapse at the point where the
shoe's support fails, and the player's ankles are not ready for the sudden loading, which can cause
sprains. For this reason, players should choose badminton shoes rather than general trainers or running
shoes, because proper badminton shoes will have a very thin sole, lower a person's centre of gravity,
and therefore result in fewer injuries. Players should also ensure that they learn safe and proper
footwork, with the knee and foot in alignment on all lunges. This is not only a safety concern, as proper
footwork is critical in order to move effectively around the court.

STROKES
Forehand and backhand

Badminton offers a wide variety of basic strokes, and players require a high level of skill to
perform all of them effectively. All strokes can be played eitherforehand or backhand. A player's
forehand side is the same side as his playing hand: for a right-handed player, the forehand side is his
right side and the backhand side is his left side. Forehand strokes are hit with the front of the hand
leading (like hitting with the palm), whereas backhand strokes are hit with the back of the hand leading
(like hitting with the knuckles). Players frequently play certain strokes on the forehand side with a
backhand hitting action, and vice versa.

In the forecourt and midcourt, most strokes can be played equally effectively on either the
forehand or backhand side; but in the rearcourt, players will attempt to play as many strokes as possible
on their forehands, often preferring to play a round-the-head forehand overhead (a forehand "on the
backhand side") rather than attempt a backhand overhead. Playing a backhand overhead has two main
disadvantages. First, the player must turn his back to his opponents, restricting his view of them and the
court. Second, backhand overheads cannot be hit with as much power as forehands: the hitting action is
limited by the shoulder joint, which permits a much greater range of movement for a forehand
overhead than for a backhand. The backhand clear is considered by most players and coaches to be the
most difficult basic stroke in the game, since precise technique is needed in order to muster enough
power for the shuttlecock to travel the full length of the court. For the same reason, backhand
smashes tend to be weak.
Position of the shuttlecock and receiving player

The choice of stroke depends on how near the shuttlecock is to the net, whether it is above net
height, and where an opponent is currently positioned: players have much better attacking options if
they can reach the shuttlecock well above net height, especially if it is also close to the net. In the
forecourt, a high shuttlecock will be met with a net kill, hitting it steeply downwards and attempting to
win the rally immediately. This is why it is best to drop the shuttlecock just over the net in this
situation. In the midcourt, a high shuttlecock will usually be met with a powerful smash, also hitting
downwards and hoping for an outright winner or a weak reply. Athletic jump smashes, where players
jump upwards for a steeper smash angle, are a common and spectacular element of elite men's doubles
play. In the rearcourt, players strive to hit the shuttlecock while it is still above them, rather than
allowing it to drop lower. This overhead hitting allows them to play smashes, clears (hitting the
shuttlecock high and to the back of the opponents' court), and dropshots (hitting the shuttlecock so that
it falls softly downwards into the opponents' forecourt). If the shuttlecock has dropped lower, then a
smash is impossible and a full-length, high clear is difficult.

Vertical position of the shuttlecock

When the shuttlecock is well below net height, players have no choice but to hit upwards. Lifts,
where the shuttlecock is hit upwards to the back of the opponents' court, can be played from all parts of
the court. If a player does not lift, his only remaining option is to push the shuttlecock softly back to the
net: in the forecourt this is called a netshot; in the midcourt or rearcourt, it is often called
a push or block.
 When the shuttlecock is near to net height, players can hit drives, which travel flat and rapidly
over the net into the opponents' rear midcourt and rearcourt. Pushes may also be hit flatter, placing the
shuttlecock into the front midcourt. Drives and pushes may be played from the midcourt or forecourt,
and are most often used in doubles: they are an attempt to regain the attack, rather than choosing to lift
the shuttlecock and defend against smashes. After a successful drive or push, the opponents will often
be forced to lift the shuttlecock.
Other factors

When defending against a smash, players have three basic options: lift, block, or drive. In
singles, a block to the net is the most common reply. In doubles, a lift is the safest option but it usually
allows the opponents to continue smashing; blocks and drives are counter-attacking strokes, but may be
intercepted by the smasher's partner. Many players use a backhand hitting action for returning smashes
on both the forehand and backhand sides, because backhands are more effective than forehands at
covering smashes directed to the body. It is very good tool to play hard shots which are directed
towards your body.

The service is restricted by the Laws and presents its own array of stroke choices. Unlike in
tennis, the server’s racket must be pointing in a downward direction to deliver the serve so normally
the shuttle must be hit upwards to pass over the net. The server can choose a low serve into the
forecourt (like a push), or a lift to the back of the service court, or a flat drive serve. Lifted serves may be
either high serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted so high that it falls almost vertically at the back of the
court, or flick serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted to a lesser height but falls sooner.
Deception

Once players have mastered these basic strokes, they can hit the shuttlecock from and to any
part of the court, powerfully and softly as required. Beyond the basics, however, badminton offers rich
potential for advanced stroke skills that provide a competitive advantage. Because badminton players
have to cover a short distance as quickly as possible, the purpose of many advanced strokes is to deceive
the opponent, so that either he is tricked into believing that a different stroke is being played, or he is
forced to delay his movement until he actually sees the shuttle's direction. "Deception" in badminton is
often used in both of these senses. When a player is genuinely deceived, he will often lose the point
immediately because he cannot change his direction quickly enough to reach the shuttlecock.
Experienced players will be aware of the trick and cautious not to move too early, but the attempted
deception is still useful because it forces the opponent to delay his movement slightly. Against weaker
players whose intended strokes are obvious, an experienced player will move before the shuttlecock has
been hit, anticipating the stroke to gain an advantage.

Slicing and using a shortened hitting action are the two main technical devices that facilitate deception.
Slicing involves hitting the shuttlecock with an angled racquet face, causing it to travel in a different
direction than suggested by the body or arm movement. Slicing also causes the shuttlecock to travel
much slower than the arm movement suggests. For example, a good crosscourt sliced dropshot will use
a hitting action that suggests a straight clear or smash, deceiving the opponent about both the power
and direction of the shuttlecock. A more sophisticated slicing action involves brushing the strings around
the shuttlecock during the hit, in order to make the shuttlecock spin. This can be used to improve the
shuttle's trajectory, by making it dip more rapidly as it passes the net; for example, a sliced low serve can
travel slightly faster than a normal low serve, yet land on the same spot. Spinning the shuttlecock is also
used to create spinning netshots (also called tumbling netshots), in which the shuttlecock turns over
itself several times (tumbles) before stabilizing; sometimes the shuttlecock remains inverted instead of
tumbling. The main advantage of a spinning netshot is that the opponent will be unwilling to address the
shuttlecock until it has stopped tumbling, since hitting the feathers will result in an unpredictable stroke.
Spinning netshots are especially important for high level singles players.

The lightness of modern racquets allows players to use a very short hitting action for many
strokes, thereby maintaining the option to hit a powerful or a soft stroke until the last possible moment.
For example, a singles player may hold his racquet ready for a netshot, but then flick the shuttlecock to
the back instead with a shallow lift. This makes the opponent's task of covering the whole court much
more difficult than if the lift was hit with a bigger, obvious swing. A short hitting action is not only useful
for deception: it also allows the player to hit powerful strokes when he has no time for a big arm swing.
The use of grip tightening is crucial to these techniques, and is often described as finger power. Elite
players develop finger power to the extent that they can hit some power strokes, such as net kills, with
less than a 10 cm (4 in) racquet swing.

It is also possible to reverse this style of deception, by suggesting a powerful stroke before
slowing down the hitting action to play a soft stroke. In general, this latter style of deception is more
common in the rearcourt (for example, dropshots disguised as smashes), whereas the former style is
more common in the forecourt and midcourt (for example, lifts disguised as netshots).

Deception is not limited to slicing and short hitting actions. Players may also use double motion,
where they make an initial racquet movement in one direction before withdrawing the racquet to hit in
another direction. This is typically used to suggest a crosscourt angle but then play the stroke straight, or
vice versa. Triple motion is also possible, but this is very rare in actual play. An alternative to double
motion is to use a racquet head fake, where the initial motion is continued but the racquet is turned
during the hit. This produces a smaller change in direction, but does not require as much time.

STRATEGY

To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of strokes in the right situations.
These range from powerful jumping smashes to delicate tumbling net returns. Often rallies finish with a
smash, but setting up the smash requires subtler strokes. For example, a netshot can force the opponent
to lift the shuttlecock, which gives an opportunity to smash. If the netshot is tight and tumbling, then the
opponent's lift will not reach the back of the court, which makes the subsequent smash much harder to
return.

Deception is also important. Expert players prepare for many different strokes that look
identical, and use slicing to deceive their opponents about the speed or direction of the stroke. If an
opponent tries to anticipate the stroke, he may move in the wrong direction and may be unable to
change his body momentum in time to reach the shuttlecock.

Doubles

Both pairs will try to gain and maintain the attack, smashing downwards when possible.
Whenever possible, a pair will adopt an ideal attacking formation with one player hitting down from the
rearcourt, and his partner in the midcourt intercepting all smash returns except the lift. If the rearcourt
attacker plays a dropshot, his partner will move into the forecourt to threaten the net reply. If a pair
cannot hit downwards, they will use flat strokes in an attempt to gain the attack. If a pair is forced to lift
or clear the shuttlecock, then they must defend: they will adopt a side-by-side position in the rear
midcourt, to cover the full width of their court against the opponents' smashes. In doubles, players
generally smash to the middle ground between two players in order to take advantage of confusion and
clashes.

At high levels of play, the backhand serve has become popular to the extent that forehand
serves almost never appear in professional games. The straight low serve is used most frequently, in an
attempt to prevent the opponents gaining the attack immediately. Flick serves are used to prevent the
opponent from anticipating the low serve and attacking it decisively.

At high levels of play, doubles rallies are extremely fast. Men's doubles is the most aggressive
form of badminton, with a high proportion of powerful jump smashes.

GOVERNING BODIES

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the internationally recognized governing body of the
sport. Five regional confederations are associated with the BWF:

 Asia: Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)

The singles court is narrower than the doubles court, but the same length. Since one person
needs to cover the entire court, singles tactics are based on forcing the opponent to move as much as
possible; this means that singles strokes are normally directed to the corners of the court. Players
exploit the length of the court by combining lifts and clears with drop shots and net shots. Smashing is
less prominent in singles than in doubles because players are rarely in the ideal position to execute a
smash, and smashing often leaves the smasher vulnerable if the smash is returned.

In singles, players will often start the rally with a forehand high serve. Low serves are also used
frequently, either forehand or backhand. Flick serves are less common, and drive serves are rare.

At high levels of play, singles demands extraordinary fitness. Singles is a game of patient
positional manoeuvring, unlike the all-out aggression of doubles.

Mixed doubles

In mixed doubles, both pairs try to maintain an attacking formation with the woman at the front
and the man at the back. This is because the male players are substantially stronger, and can therefore
produce smashes that are more powerful. As a result, mixed doubles requires greater tactical awareness
and subtler positional play. Clever opponents will try to reverse the ideal position, by forcing the woman
towards the back or the man towards the front. In order to protect against this danger, mixed players
must be careful and systematic in their shot selection.[11]

At high levels of play, the formations will generally be more flexible: the top women players are
capable of playing powerfully from the rearcourt, and will happily do so if required. When the
opportunity arises, however, the pair will switch back to the standard mixed attacking position, with the
woman in front.

COMPETITIONS

The BWF organizes several international competitions, including the Thomas Cup, the premier
men's international team event first held in1948–1949, and the Uber Cup, the women's equivalent first
held in 1956–1957. The competitions take place once every two years. More than 50 national teams
compete in qualifying tournaments within continental confederations for a place in the finals. The final
tournament involves 12 teams, following an increase from eight teams in 2004.

The Sudirman Cup, a gender-mixed international team event held once every two years, began
in 1989. Teams are divided into seven levels based on the performance of each country. To win the
tournament, a country must perform well across all five disciplines (men's doubles and singles, women's
doubles and singles, and mixed doubles). Like association football (soccer), it features a promotion and
relegation system in every level.
 Badminton was a demonstration event in the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics. It became an
official Summer Olympic sport at theBarcelona Olympics in 1992 and its gold medals now generally rate
as the sport's most coveted prizes for individual players.

In the BWF World Championships, first held in 1977, only the highest ranked 64 players in the
world, and a maximum of three from each country, can participate in any category. In both the Olympic
and BWF World competitions restrictions on the number of participants from any one country have
caused some controversy because they sometimes result in excluding elite world level players from the
strongest badminton powers such as China. The Thomas, Uber, and Sudirman Cups, the Olympics, and
the BWF World (and World Junior Championships), are all categorized as level one tournaments.

At the start of 2007, the BWF introduced a new tournament structure for the highest level
tournaments aside from those in level one: the BWF Super Series. This level two tournament series, a
tour for the world's elite players, stages twelve open tournaments around the world with 32 players
(half the previous limit). The players collect points that determine whether they can play in Super Series
Final held at the year end. Among the tournaments in this series is the venerable All-England
Championships, first held in 1900, which was once considered the unofficial world championships of the
sport.

Level three tournaments consist of Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix event. Top players can collect
the world ranking points and enable them to play in the BWF Super Series open tournaments. These
include the regional competitions in Asia (Badminton Asia Championships) and Europe (European
Badminton Championships), which produce the world's best players as well as the Pan America
Badminton Championships.

The level four tournaments, known as International Challenge, International Series and Future
Series, encourage participation by junior players.

TERMINOLOGIES:

 Alley - extension of the court by 1-1/2 feet on both sides for doubles play
 Back Alley- Area between the back boundary line and the long service line for doubles.
 Backcourt- Back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.
 Balk (Feint)- Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the
service.
 Baseline- Back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.
 Carry- An illegal tactic, also called a sling or a throw, in which the shuttle is caught and held on
the racquet and then slung during the execution of a stroke.
 Center or Base Position- Location in the center of the court to which a singles player tries to
return after each shot.
 Center Line- Line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.
 Clear- A shot hit deep to the opponents back boundary line. The high clear is a defensive shot,
while the flatter attacking clear is used offensively.
 Court- Area of play, as defined by the outer boundary lines.
 Drive- A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.
 Drop- A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net on the opponent's
side.
 Fault- A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play.
 Feint (Balk)- Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the
service.
 Flick- A quick wrist and forearm rotation that surprises an opponent by changing an apparently
soft shot into a faster passing one; used primarily on the serve and at the net.
 Forecourt- Front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.
 Hairpin Net Shot- Shot made from below and very close to the net with the shuttle rising, just
clearing the net, and then dropping sharply down the other side. The shuttle's flight
approximates the shape of a hairpin.
 Halfcourt Shot- A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles against the up-and-
back formation.
 Kill- fast downward shot that cannot be returned; a "putaway".
 Let- A legitimate cessation of play to allow a rally to be replayed.
 Long Service Line- In singles, the back boundary line. In doubles a line 2-1/2 feet inside the back
boundary line. The serve may not go past this line.
 Match- A series of games to determine a winner.
 Midcourt- The middle third of the court, halfway between the net and the back boundary line.
 Net Shot- Shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and then falls rapidly.
 Push Shot- Gentle shot played by pushing the shuttle with little wrist motion, usually from the
net or midcourt to the opponent's midcourt.
 Racquet (Racket)- Instrument used by the player to hit the shuttlecock. Weight about 90 grams
(3 oz). Length 680 mm (27 in). Made from metal alloys (steel/aluminum) or from ceramic,
graphite or boron composites. Generally strung with synthetic strings or natural gut.
 Rally- Exchange of shots while the shuttle is in play.
 Serve (Service)- Stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of a rally.
 Service Court- Area into which the serve must be delivered. Different for singles and doubles
play.
 Short Service Line- The line 6-1/2 feet from the net which a serve must reach to be legal.
 Shuttlecock (Shuttle)- Official name for the object that the players must hit. Composed of 16
goose feathers attached to a cork base covered with leather. Synthetic shuttles are also used by
some.
 Smash- Hard-hit overhead shot that forces the shuttle sharply downward. Badminton's primary
attacking stroke.
 Wood Shot- Shot that results when the base of the shuttle is hit by the frame of the racket. Once
illegal, this shot was ruled acceptable by the International Badminton.