Badminton is easier to follow once you know three things: a rally earns a point, the server's score sets the service side, and a fault ends the rally. These answers cover the questions that come up most often in singles and doubles.
How does badminton scoring work?
Under the current standard rules, a match is the best of three games. Each rally gives the winning side one point. A game goes to 21, but at 20-all a side needs a two-point lead. At 29-all, the next point wins. The side that wins a game serves first in the next one. Badminton Australia's scoring guide sets out these rules.
A new best-of-three format with games to 15 points has been approved for 4 January 2027. Until then, the 21-point format remains the standard. Check your competition's rules before play, as social sessions may use shorter games.
Where do you serve in singles and doubles?
Serve diagonally into the opposite service court. At the start of a game, and whenever the serving side's score is even, serve from the right. At an odd score, serve from the left. The receiver stands in the diagonally opposite service court.
In singles, the side tramlines are out. The back boundary line is in, including on a serve. In doubles, the wider court is used, but a serve must land before the long service line for doubles. A shuttle landing on a boundary line is in. The court diagram above shows the lines; the diagram below shows the service areas.
If the serving side wins a rally, it scores and the same player serves again from the other service court. If the receiving side wins, it scores and becomes the serving side. In doubles, partners change service courts only when their side wins a point while serving. The teaching manual explains the doubles rotation.
What makes a serve legal?
Both server and receiver stand inside diagonally opposite service courts without touching their boundary lines. They keep part of both feet on the court and still until the serve is delivered. The server first strikes the shuttle's base and moves the racket forward continuously. At BWF events, the whole shuttle must be below 1.15 metres when struck. Some domestic competitions still use a waist-height rule. Check your event’s service rules.
The serve must travel upwards over the net and land inside the receiver's service court. If the server swings and misses the shuttle, the serve is delivered but is a fault. A serve that falls short of the net or lands outside the correct court is also a fault. The opponent wins the rally and serves next.
Is a serve that touches the net a let?
No. A serve can touch the net and stay in play if it passes over and lands in the correct service court. If it does not pass over, it is a fault and the receiver wins the point.
What is a let, and when is one called?
A let stops play and the rally is played again without changing the score. For example, the umpire may call a let if the server serves before the receiver is ready and the receiver has not attempted to return it. A let also applies when an unexpected event disrupts play. A shuttle caught on the net after the serve has been returned can be a let. That is different from a serve failing to cross the net.
What other faults should I know?
Hitting the shuttle out, failing to return it over the net, and touching the net with your body or racket while the shuttle is in play are faults. The other side wins the rally and a point. A shuttle that touches a player's body is also a fault.
If you want to practise these rules with others, start with badminton activities and search by sport and suburb. Ask a nearby club about beginner sessions and its scoring format. Our Sydney guide and Melbourne guide give local starting points.
