Badminton

In summer – ie. from 20th April to 30th September 4 professional badminton courts are available.

Badminton Court

We have to distinguish the court for singles and doubles plays. The dimensions for singles is 5.18 m (17 feet) wide and 13.40 m (44 feet) long. The court for doubles play is of the same dimensions in length but the width is different it is 3 feet wider – 6.10 m (20 feet). The court is a rectangle and is laid out with lines of 40 mm wide. The lines must be easily distinguishable, preferably in white or yellow colour. All the lines form part of the area which they define. The posts are 1.55 m in height from the surface of the court and remain vertical when the net is strained. The posts do not extend into the court. The net posts are placed on the doubles side lines irrespective of whether singles or doubles is being played. The net is made of fine cord of dark colour and even thickness with a mesh of not less than 15 mm and not more than 20 mm. The net is 760 mm in depth and at least 6.1m wide. The top of the net is edged with a 75 mm white tape doubled over a cord or cable running through the tape. This tape rests upon the cord or cable. The cord or cable is stretched firmly, flush with the top of the posts. The top of the net from the surface of the court is 1.524 m at the centre of the court and 1.55 m over the doubles side lines. There are not any gaps between the ends of the net and the posts. If necessary, the full depth of the net at the ends is tied up to the posts.

Game

The objective of the game is to hit the shuttle over the net so that it lands in the opponent's court not touching the opponent or his clothing. A rally is also lost if the shuttle is hit out of the court or into the net. If the shuttle lands on the line it is „in“. The situation when the shuttle touches the net and lands in the opponent´s court is allowed (even at the serve).

Service

The server stands in his service court (in his right service court when his score is even, and in his left service court when his score is odd) and hits the shuttlecock into the receiver´s service court, in doubles reduced by 0.76 m. A badminton serve must be hit below the waist height and with the racquet shaft pointing downwards. In doubles, if the serving side wins a rally, the same player continues from the opposite service court, it means he serves to another opponent. When he looses the service, the opponents serve from the same position at their last service (it means a server will be a player who didn´t serve last time). At the start of a match a coin is tossed. The winner may choose whether to serve or receive first, or which end of the court he wishes to occupy. In the next rally the winner of the previous rally serves.

Shuttlecock

Badminton is played with a shuttlecock; good quality shuttlecocks are made of real goose feathers (16 feathers are needed for one shuttlecock), the plastic shuttlecocks are more durable but with worse flying qualities. The shuttlecock must weigh from 4.74 to 5.50 g, with the plastics a variation of up to 10% is acceptable. The feathers must have a uniform length between 62 mm to 70 mm when measured from the tip to the top of the base.

Shuttlecock

Scoring System

Each game is played to 21 points and the side winning the rally adds a point to its score. It differs from the old system, where players could only win a point on its serve.A match is the best of 3 games. If the score becomes 20-all, the side which gains a two point lead first wins the game. If the score is 29-all, the side scoring 30th point wins the game. The side winning a game serves first in the next game. When the leading score reaches 11 points, a 60 sec break follows. Between 1st and 2nd, and 2nd and 3rd games there is a 2 min break. In doubles each side has only one service.

Originally badminton was played to 15 points. A match was of the best two games. The only exception was a woman´s singles played to 11 points with a match of the best two games. If the server won a rally, he gained a point. If the server lost, the opponent served and the score didn´t change. In doubles each player from the pair served. If the score was 14-all, the game was played to 17 points (in case of a woman´s singles with the score of 10-all, the game was played to 13). Between 1st and 2nd games there was a 90 sec break and before eventual 3rd game a 5 min break.

Disciplines

Badminton is an individual sport with 5 disciplines:

men´s singles
women´s singles
men´s doubles
women´s doubles
mixed doubles