Badminton is the fastest racket sport on the planet — a blur of footwork, deception and overhead violence.
Singles or doubles, players trade rallies across a 1.55m net on a 13.4m court. The shuttle can't touch the floor on your side — every rally is a sprint, a chess match and a high jump rolled into one.
Clears buy time, drops steal it, and the smash ends the argument. Master the economy of force: maximum pressure, minimum wasted motion.
Matches are best of three games to 21 points. Every rally scores a point, whoever serves. At 20–20 you need two clear — and at 29–29, next point wins at 30.
Underarm, below 1.15 metres, diagonal into the opposite service box. In doubles, serve from the right when your score is even, left when odd.
A shuttle landing on the line is in. Hit the net and drop over? Legal. Touch the net with racket or body? Point lost.
One hit per side — no carries, no double-hits (partners both swinging is a fault). Let the shuttle land out, but be sure: once you swing, you're committed.
Badminton anchors our weekly socials at David Lloyd — open ladders, rotating doubles and coaching tips from the senior players. Our Smash Open singles draw is the season's highlight, and standout players earn Syndicate sponsorship to compete at external events.