Badminton for most people is a beach or country fun. Most often children play it, and the game is considered frivolous. But if you learn the rules, pull on the dividing net and practice, you can arrange a real competition with your friends.
Preparing to play
The sports version of badminton implies the organization of the site and equipment in accordance with all the rules. To do this, mark a flat area measuring 13, 4 by 5, 18 m and divide it across. Along the edges of the dividing grid, racks with a height of 1.55 m are installed, onto which a grid with cells from 15x15 mm to 20x20 mm is pulled.
In the "beach" version, the game is played without a net up to 10 or 15 points.
Also for the game they buy a shuttlecock (synthetic or made of cork, leather and feathers) and special rackets. Depending on the style of play, athletes choose rackets with different handle lengths and string tension, and their weight can be from 70 to 100 g.
Draw and service
The main task of playing badminton is to beat off the shuttlecock filed by the opponent through the net and do it so that he could not send this sports equipment back. The touch of the shuttle to the ground counts as a point.
You can play one-on-one or in teams of two. In any case, the game begins with a toss, where the halves of the court and the first server are selected. He serves diagonally, from the left or right edge of the court. The direction of the blow is from bottom to top, while the shuttlecock should be below the level of the waist. If the opponent has recaptured the shuttlecock, the rally begins until he falls on the court. If the server's opponent gets the point, then the service goes to him. If the server has won the point, he retains the right to serve. In the case of doubles, the teammates serve in turn.
Scoring
Each player receives one point if:
- the opponent did not beat off the shuttle, and he fell to the ground within the field;
- his opponent himself sent the shuttlecock out of the field;
- the second player is fouled, touches the net with a racket or body, or fails to serve.
Scoring can be done according to the old or new rules. In the first version, men play a game until one of the opponents gets 15 points, women - 11. Since 2006, all official competitions go up to 21 points in each game. If the players set a tie at 20:20, they need two more points to win. Alternatively, the winner is the one who is the first to score already 30 points.
Usually a match consists of three games.
In each game, you can take a break of up to 60 seconds, but only when one of the opponents scores 11 points. Pauses between games do not exceed 2 minutes.
Having won the previous game, the player or team gets the right to serve in the next one. At the same time, before each game, they change sides of the site, and in the third part - after 11 points.
Special provision
The referee can declare a moot point and stop the game in several cases:
- when a player made a serve, and his opponent was not ready for it;
- both opponents simultaneously violated the rules;
- the shuttlecock broke in flight or got stuck in the net, etc.
In this situation, the players start the rally again.
