Badminton Rules - The Basics of Scoring

OK So for all you guys out there who love to have a good game of Badminton yet always find yourself not sure exactly what you are doing or why you are doing it, here is lesson 1 – The Basic Rules of Badminton Scoring

Scoring:-

This must be the first thing you guys are unsure about when it comes to Badminton. How on earth you score points and more importantly record them. Well there are 2 current methods in operation and I explain in brief below:-

Method 1

This method is now considered the “old” method of Badminton scoring however, is still in use in many clubs and leagues across the world.

Both pairs / singles will start at 0-0 (Love All). The shuttlecock must be tossed in the air and able to land cleanly on the ground. Once the shuttlecock has finished spinning the direction in which the cork end is pointing will serve first. (If the shuttlecock lay straight, repeat above process)

The team who won the serve will start. They will serve from the right hand box of the court, over the net (hopefully) and must land in the opposite diagonal box on the other side of the net. Continue to play this point, hitting the shuttle back and forth over the net, until the shuttle hits the floor:-

If the shuttlecock hits the floor on the non – serving team’s side then the serving team will gain a point. This would be 1-0. The same person who served first must now serve from the left hand box of the court again aiming at the opposite diagonal box. Once served play the point as above

If the shuttlecock hits the floor on the serving team’s side then that team will lose the serve. Pass the shuttlecock to the opposing team who will serve as above. The score will remain at 0-0.

Once the first round of serving is out of the way, (its complicated I know), we can let the badminton game flow. There are several points to remember when playing badminton:-

The serve will always pass around clockwise
You can only score points when you have served
If the shuttle hits the floor on your side after you have served, the serve must pass to
the next clockwise person
If you win the point on your serve, you must move to the next clockwise box and serve from there

Please use the above method and remember, the badminton game must be played to 15 points. If the score becomes 14-14, the non serving team has a choice:-

Play 1 point, whoever wins, wins the badminton match
Play 3 points, first to three wins the badminton match

The Choice Is Yours


Method 2

This badminton scoring method is the “new” method and has only been in action for a few years. This was developed to make games more interesting, and yes you have guessed it more entertaining for TV.

Well you will be pleased to know that there are no changes to the above method apart from you can score points on every point, it does not just have to be your serve.

With this new “accelerated” badminton game in place, you now must play the game up to 21 points


Right – I will be back in the next few days with my next article explaining the Badminton court and the Badminton racket and how to use them properly and to your advantage

I hope you enjoy