Badminton Terms

Badminton, a sport played with rackets and shuttlecocks, is a popular game today. Due to its increasing popularity, the game has been included as an Olympic sport in 1992. The game involves two or four players, depending on whether you are playing singles or doubles and the game aims at hitting shuttlecock and scoring points.

Badminton Terms and Definitions
The following part of this article is devoted to the information which can easily help you out with the reply to the question that is often asked. What are the common terms of badminton?

Racket
Racket is an equipment used by badminton players to hit a shuttlecock. It weighs about 3 ounces and is 27 inches long. Nowadays, it's frame is usually made of boron, graphite or ceramic. The strings are made of beef-gut and is an essential component of any racket.

Shuttlecock
It is that object which is used for the sport and is made up of rubber or cork and has a crown of feathers on it. It is open and conical in shape.

Bird or Birdie
These are other names which are given to the shuttlecock.

Serve or Service
When a player hits the shuttlecock directed at a opponent, over the net into the opponent's playing area, then it is called serve.

Service Court
Service area is that part of the court wherein, the serve must reach and this area is different for doubles and singles play.

Short Service Line
The line which is 6½ feet away from the net is the short service line. It is the line wherein, a player when he or she serves, the shuttlecock must reach so as to be a legal serve.

Match
Match is nothing but a number of games played to decide a winner.

Court
Court is the area where the game is played and is defined by the outer boundary lines.

Center Line
It is that line which runs perpendicular to the net. It is also a line that divides the right and left service courts.

Long Service Line
At the end of the court there are two lines in each half. In doubles, the line on the outside determines the end of the court i.e. long service line. In singles, out of these two lines the one on the inside of the court determines the end of the court i.e. long service line. This means the court length for the single is shorter than that of the doubles by is 2.5 feet inside the back boundary line.

Forecourt
Forecourt is the front one-third of a badminton court, the area between the net and the short service line.

Mid court
Mid court is that section of the badminton court which is at the middle and is halfway between the boundary line at the back and the net.

Alley
The area between the parallel lines on either side of a badminton court is known as alley. This area is comes into play when you play doubles.

Back Alley
The alley present at the back of the court parallel to and on either side of the net is known as back alley. This area comes in to play only during a doubles match.

Clear
Clear is a shot which is struck in such a way that it goes deep to the back court of the opponent.

Drive
When the player hits the shuttle low and fast so that, it goes horizontally just over the net, it is called drive.

Drop
It's a shot wherein the player hits the shuttle so softly and in such a way that it falls close to the net on the opponent's side.

Flick
A flick is a shot mainly used to return the shuttle back to the opponent after a serve. In this, the wrist and forearm rotation is so quick that it surprises an opponent. A flick shot changes a soft serve into a fast one.

Hairpin Net Shot
A hairpin net shot is one where a player serves from close to the net so that the bird rises, moves over the net and then drops down sharply on the opponents half. The shot gets its name as the trajectory of the cock is similar to that of a hairpin.

Halfcourt Shot
A half court shot is one wherein a player who serves, hits and directs the shuttlecock so that it goes towards the middle of the court. This shot is effectively used during a doubles game.

Net Shot
A net shot is one wherein a serving player hits the shuttle from the forecourt in such a way that after just clearing the net it drops sharply.

Push Shot
A push shot is one wherein a serving player gently pushes the shuttle with slight wrist movement. This shot is usually played from the mid court or the net to the mid court of the opponent.

Rally
When players hit the shuttlecock back and forth a number of times before one of the players scores a point, is called rally.

Rules of Badminton

The Court Area
The area of a badminton court is 13.4 meter long and 6.1 meter wide, and is rectangular in shape. While playing doubles, the complete court width is used, but while playing singles the width is reduced to 5.18m. The service area is indicated by the horizontal lines near the net which are present on both sides of the court. At the center most point of this horizontal line, a vertical line starts, which ends at the back of the court. As a result the service area is split into two blocks.

There are two horizontal lines at the back of the court and it is within these lines that you have to serve. The line which is closer, points to the service area during a doubles match whereas the line which is furthest points to the serving area during a singles match. The net is hung at a height of 1.55 meter at center of the court and is attached to two poles on either side of the court.

The Scoring Pattern
In a game of badminton, the aim of the players is to win a fixed number of games, usually it's a best of three match. Each game is played, till a side reaches 21 points first. Each time a rally is won by a particular side, points are scored and they get the right to serve. The side which reaches 21 points wins the game.

A game must be won with a difference of two points. In case, there is a tie of the score at 20-20, it's called a duce and the game continues. A side is said to have won, if it achieves a two-point lead.

The Serving Pattern
In badminton a player while serving must strike at the base of the shuttlecock in one stroke and the racket should point downwards. The foot of neither the serving player nor the receiving player should go off the ground, till the service has been complete. While serving, the shuttlecock should be below your waist while making contact with the racket.

When you serve, you should make sure that the shuttlecock passes the service line of the receiver and at the same time stays within the boundaries of the court, or else the serve is declared as a fault. If the serve is a fault, it results in not only a change of serve but also the points going to the receiver. Unlike lawn tennis there is nothing as double faults in badminton.

Thus, badminton is a game that requires you to be agile and flexible and once you master the skills and techniques of the game, you will not only enjoy playing it, but also gain good health and fitness.