Consider adding badminton to your backyard play regime to encourage friendly competition and outdoor fun. Badminton is much like tennis, but it is much more backyard-friendly because it uses a lightweight shuttlecock (birdie) instead of a tennis ball, so you don’t have to worry about the game piece hitting objects or people with force. So, what is badminton? Keep reading to learn all there is to know about this fun backyard past time.

What Is Badminton & Who Created It?

Badminton is a sport played on a court or lawn using rackets, a net, and a shuttlecock (also called a birdie). Players use their rackets to serve the shuttlecock and send it over the net to the player on the opposing side. The goal is to use your rackets to keep the shuttlecock from landing on the ground on your side (lest your opponent should score a point) and to finesse your racket so that the shuttlecock lands in-bounds on your opponent's side (scoring you a point). The lightweight composition of the shuttlecock makes badminton a fun, fast-moving game, enjoyed in backyards, recreational spaces, and even at professional tournaments.

However, the history of badminton goes back long before its days as a professional and recreational pastime. Technically, badminton has been around for more than 1000 years, originating in countries like China, Greece, and India. During Britain's time in India, officers were introduced to the game. Flash-forward to 1873, when officers demonstrated the game on the Duke of Beaufort's estate, which was named Badminton, in Gloucestershire, England. And thus, the sport was given the name “badminton”.

Fun Fact!

The original shuttlecock consisted of a shaped piece of cork and goose feathers.

How Does Badminton Differ From Other Racket Sports?

When playing badminton, the use of a shuttlecock – also called a birdie – (pictured above) is what really sets it apart from other racket sports like tennis or pickleball, which both use traditional spherical-shaped game balls. Unlike tennis or pickleball, badminton rackets have longer handles and shafts along with smaller racket heads and thinner frames. Badminton nets are typically shorter in width than tennis court nets (42' wide) and pickleball nets (22' wide) at 20' wide. However, they do have a higher net height with the top of the net being around 5' off the ground as opposed to around 3' off the ground for tennis or pickleball nets.

Badminton and other racket sports like tennis and pickleball have different variations of scoring systems. However each sport typically has three sets, with the best two out of three (or a specific point score reached) used to declare a winner. More on playing rules for badminton further down in the guide.

Tip!

Curious about pickleball? Check out our pickleball guide to learn more about this racket sport.

How to Play Badminton

With a better understanding of what badminton is, it's time to get your game on! Typical badminton games last about 40 minutes and consist of three sets. Review this section to ensure you have the right game pieces, number of players, and a good understanding of the game rules/scoring system.

1. Pick Your Players

Traditional badminton matches consist of two to four players. Two players mean one player on each side of the court (also called singles), while four players mean two players on each side of the court (also called doubles). Make sure you have the right number of rackets to accommodate your players.

2. Set Up the Court

Most badminton nets are easy to set up and come with frames that anchor into the ground. Once you have the net set up where you want it, the court size is really up to you. You can keep it as relaxed or realistic as you'd like. Traditional badminton court dimensions vary in terms of width depending on the size of the net (which determines the court’s width), and whether you want to play singles or doubles. Courts designed for singles usually have a width of 17' and courts designed for doubles have a width of 20'. No matter what, the length of the badminton court (including both sides and the net) is 44' long. For the most flexibility, we recommend opting for a 20' badminton net/court width so you can have more space to spread out or invite more players.

Regardless, we recommend measuring out a space to establish even court dimensions on either side of the net. This ensures a fair playing field. You can also use tape or other markers to determine in-bounds vs. out-of-bounds.

3. Play by the Rules

The rules of badminton can vary depending on the rules of an individual league or depending on the single- or double-player sequence. As a general rule, each game of badminton consists of three sets – these aren't timed; instead, each set reaches completion by whichever player or team gets 21 points first. Whichever team or player wins two-out-of-three sets wins the game.

Serves

The basic premise for serving in badminton is to serve the shuttlecock below waist-level. The head of the badminton racket should be angled at the ground, and the rounded point of the shuttlecock should be what you hit your racket with when you serve.

When you serve, you need to be in-bounds. To start the game's serves, you can flip a coin to designate a player. The first serve is always made from the right side of the service court. Once the first serve is made and the set begins, the determining factor for who serves and where comes down to who scores a point and odd vs. even numbers. If you score an even point, start from the right side of the service court. If you score an odd point, start from the left side of the service court.

Playing doubles with two players on one side of the court? Simply swap places with your teammate to serve on the side that reflects your even/odd score.

If the shuttlecock hits the net upon serving, this is called a "let serve", and you'll need to serve again. If this were to happen during a normal back-and-forth exchange, it is still playable.

Point Systems

As mentioned, traditional badminton sets require one player to earn 21 points to win. Each time you hit the shuttlecock into your opponent's side of the court (within bounds) and they fail to hit it back over with their racket, you earn one point, and vice versa. Similarly, if you hit the shuttlecock out of bounds, hit an opponent, or hit the net and the shuttlecock stays on your side, then your opponent gets one point, and vice versa. If a shuttlecock lands right on the court line, you still get a point as it is technically still in-bounds.

Ties

If a set reaches a 20-20 tie, then players/teams must now try to earn two additional points (instead of 1 more point to reach the average of 21 total).The first player or team to gain the two extra points wins the set. Should both sides reach 21, the same process occurs, where you need to get an additional two points ahead of your opponent to declare victory. If for whatever reason you or your opponent fail to earn two consecutive points before the other scores a point, you keep going. If you reach a 29-29 tie, then it's whoever scores the next point – making the winning score 30.

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