Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

BASIC VOCABULARY AND RULES

Badminton is the fastest racket sport. The shuttle reaches 260 km/h!
Badminton is one of the most played sports in the World. It is a very popular sport in Asia and some parts
of Europe like Denmark and U.K. It is played with a shuttlecock on a rectangular court where players hit a
badminton bird back and forth over a net.

Like Tennis, it is played in Individual competitions (singles) or Doubles (with one person on each side, or
two).
Men and women can play together, as there are Mixed Doubles (a man and a woman).

Basic Vocabulary:

A match: un partido A game: un juego

Shuttle: volante Court: cancha
To rally: pelotear A Rally: la duración de un punto
Forehand: envés de la mano. En bádminton se usa para el golpe “de derechas”
Backhand: de revés Even: pares
Bounds: límites Odd: impares
Smash: remate Deception: engaño
Outright: directamente To deceive: engañar
To pretend: fingir, hacer como si... To follow through: seguir el movimiento
Below: por debajo To shake hands: darse la mano

How to play badminton

Badminton features one player opposing another, or competing pairs. The game is played on a surface
called a court. The object is to hit the shuttlecock past the opponent so it lands on the court, or to get the
opposition to make a mistake and hit the shuttlecock into the net or outside the court. You score a point
when your opponent can´t return the shuttle or the shuttle he/she returns falls out bounds.

How to win

Badminton games have a 21 points rally format, which means you don´t have to be serving to score a
point. There is no "service over", you can score a point no matter who serves.

1 Margarita Simón & Juan Riveiro – IES “Salvador de Madariaga” (A Coruña)

 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

So, how do you play?

-To win a match, you have to win 2 out of 3 games. In a badminton match players aim to win the best of
three games.
-To win a game, you have to score 21 points.

-In singles, you serve on the right service court when your score is an even number and you serve on the
left service court when your score is an odd number.

-If a score becomes 20-20, the side which scores 2 consecutive points will win that game.
-If the score becomes 29-29, the side that scores the 30th point will win that game (30-29 is an acceptable
score for victory)..

The court and The serve

A badminton court is rectangular, with clearly marked white or yellow lines dividing it into different
sections. These different lines show where a long service and short service should be taken, and there are
also side lines and a centre line from one end of the court to the other.

The full width of the court is 6.1 metres, and in singles this width is reduced to 5.18 metres. The full length
of the court is 13.4 metres. The net is 1.55 metres high at the edges and 1.524 metres high in the centre.

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

Light green and grey areas are the left and right service areas & singles – doubles service areas.
You serve from there and the shuttle must fall in the equivalent areas in your opponent´s court. If it falls
out of these areas, it is a fault.

After the service, all the areas are valid. The court for:

- Singles: 13.40 x 5,18 m. - Doubles: 13.40 x 6,10 m.

3 Margarita Simón & Juan Riveiro – IES “Salvador de Madariaga” (A Coruña)

 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

The technique of the service (serve) :

When you hit the shuttle, the head of the racket must be completely below your waist. If you hit it with the
racket above the hip, it is a fault and you lose the point.
Relax your body and bend your knees slightly.
Place your non-racket leg on the front of your body. Bring your racket back and then swing it forwards.
Hold the shuttle by the feathers and let it drop slightly in front of you.
Hit it with the racket and follow through.

The tactic of the service (serve) :

This is the most important shot of your game. With a strong serve, you can win points and keep control of
the game. Vary between short and long serves to keep your opponent on his toes. Keeps the shuttlecock
low and close to the net for a short serve, forcing the opposition to move close to the net for the return.

4 Margarita Simón & Juan Riveiro – IES “Salvador de Madariaga” (A Coruña)

 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

The grip
Key: “Shake hands and pull the trigger”

Forehand Grip

Use this grip to hit shuttles 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 must be a V shape in between your thumb and
your 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 greater control
and power.
You need to learn to change grips quickly between
shots.

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

The equipment

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

Basic Skills
Basic position:

To react quickly you must have a good basic or waiting position.

Feet apart, more or less at the width of your shoulders. Bend your knees slightly. Hold the racket in front of
your body, head up. Weight on your toes. Move fast and hit the shuttle comfortably, apart from your body
with an ample movement.

The Clear: Overhead Shot (Key: “Overhead racket extension at contact”)

You can do forehand and backhand clears too.

You must hit the shuttle when it is over your head.
The clear makes the shuttle 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.

This is a very useful shot to regain positional control. Keep your elbow high and hit the shuttlecock when it
is still rising towards you in the air, and strike it hard towards the back of your opposition’s court space.
This takes some practice, to ensure you do not overshoot and hit the shuttlecock out, clearing the back line.

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

The smash: Overhead Shot (Key: “Overhead racket extension at contact”)

It is the strongest of all badminton shots. There are forehand and backhand smashes.

To do a good smash, hit the shuttle further in front of your body than the clear.

The angle of the shuttle's trajectory makes it difficult for your opponent to return.

This shot can be almost unreturnable when executed accurately and with sufficient force. The smash is
used to end the point, and to assert your control over the game. Hit the shuttlecock hard and fast, when it is
approaching you high in the air.

The Drop: Overhead Shot (Key: “Overhead racket extension at contact”)

Badminton drop shots are delicate badminton shots that can win you points outright if executed well with
deception.
There are forehand and backhand drops.
Drop shots are usually disguised to make the opponent expect a smash or clear; you can use it pretending
to execute a smash,or a clear so your opponent moves to the back of the court A good drop shot can be
very deceptive, and can cause the opponent to reach the shuttle late and play a poor lift (giving an
opportunity to attack).

Slow your arm at the last minute and hit the shuttle slowly, so your opponent does not have time to run
to the front of the court.

Drop shots are played from your rearcourt. You hit the shuttle softly downwards to land in your opponent’s
forecourt area.

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

The Lift or Lob: Underhand Shot (Key: “Hit out in front”)

Lifts are a badminton shot played from the midcourt or net area. A lift involves hitting the shuttle upwards
towards the back of your opponent’s court.

Lifts and clears are different shots:

- Lifts are played from the midcourt or net; clears are played from the rearcourt.

- Lifts use an underarm hitting action; clears use an overhead/overarm hitting action.

The terminology is often used inconsistently. Sometimes you will hear people call lifts "underarm clears",
in an attempt to avoid confusion.

The Net Shots: Underhand Shot (Key: “Lunge to the net, like a fencer”)

Net shots are delicate and sensitive. You don’t need any power, but you do need exquisite "touch" — the
ability to control the shuttle precisely.

Your fingertips are the most sensitive part of your hand. For net shots, therefore, you should hold the racket
in your fingertips, with a larger gap in your palm than for other shots.

Your racket should be well in front of you. You should be at full relaxed reach: you’re reaching forwards,
but there’s still a slight bend at your elbow. The racket frame should be oriented horizontally. Imagine you
are going to post the racket into a letterbox!

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

Some Basic Rules

It shall be a ‘fault’:

1) If a service is not correct

2) If, in service, the shuttle:

2-1) is caught on the net and remains suspended on its top;

2-2) after passing over the net, is caught in the net; or

2-3) is hit by the receiver’s partner;

3) If in play, the shuttle:

3-1) lands outside the boundaries of the court (i. e. not on or within the boundary lines);

3-2) passes through or under the net;

3-3) fails to pass over the net;

3-4 touches the ceiling or side walls;

3-5) touches the person or dress of a player;

3-6) touches any other object or person outside the court;

3-7) is caught and held on the racket and then slung during the execution of a stroke;

3-8) is hit twice in succession by the same player. However, a shuttle hitting the head and the stringed area
of the racket in one stroke shall not be a ‘fault’;

3-9) is hit by a player and the player’s partner successively; or

3-10) touches a player’s racket and does not travel towards the opponent’s court

4) If, in play, a player:

4-1) touches the net or its supports with racket, person or dress;

4-2) invades an opponent’s court over the net with racket or person except that the striker may follow the
shuttle over the net with the racket in the course of a stroke after the initial point of contact with the shuttle
is on the striker’s side of the net;

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

4-3) invades an opponent’s court under the net with racket or person such that an opponent is obstructed
or distracted; or

4-4) obstructs an opponent, i.e. prevents an opponent from making a legal stroke where the shuttle is
followed over the net;

4-5) deliberately distracts an opponent by any action such as shouting or making gestures;

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 Bilingual Section – Physical Education – 2nd ESO

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