Badminton court
A rectangular indoor court, divided by a high net, on which badminton is played as singles or doubles.
Overview
A badminton court is a rectangular indoor court split by a net set higher than head height. Lines mark separate singles and doubles boundaries, along with short and long service lines that define the service area.
Play is kept indoors because the light shuttlecock is easily blown off course by even a gentle draught.
Good to know
- The doubles court is wider than the singles court, which is instead longer at the service end.
- Serves must be hit diagonally into the correct service box beyond the short service line.
- The net is set higher than a player’s head, so shots are played over rather than around it.
- Because a shuttlecock is so light, badminton is almost always played indoors.
Where it’s used
Sports that use badminton court:
How it connects
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Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- Badminton racketBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
- ShuttlecockBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
- Sports hallBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
- WoodBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
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Equipment
- Badminton racketA lightweight strung racket used to hit the shuttlecock in badminton, built for quick, whippy swings rather than heavy power.
- ShuttlecockA lightweight, feathered or plastic projectile hit back and forth in badminton.
- The tennis net, posts and singles sticksThe net's two heights and the hardware that holds them — post height and position, the singles sticks that convert a doubles net, and the strap and band that finish it.
- The padel netThe net that divides a padel court — its two different heights, the maximum post height, the white strip that tops it, and why the posts sit at the lateral limits.
- The goal and the creaseThe net a hockey team defends and the protected area in front of it — the exact goal dimensions, what the crease area includes, and why goaltender contact so often disallows a goal.
Playing surfaces
Techniques
Beginner guides
- Your First Badminton SessionA warm, honest look at what your first time on a badminton court actually feels like — how a beginner session runs, what surprises newcomers about the shuttlecock, and how to enjoy it without worrying about keeping score.
- Your First Padel SessionA warm, honest look at what your very first padel session actually involves — the doubles court, the walls, and the easygoing rallying that makes it so welcoming to newcomers.
Rules
- Badminton serve rulesThe rules for how a badminton serve must be delivered and where it must land.
- Touching the netA net-play rule that penalises a player for contacting the net during a rally in net-divided sports.
- The padel servePadel's underarm serve, set out exactly — the bounce before the strike, the waist-height limit, where the server's feet must be, and the wire-mesh fault that has no tennis equivalent.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Facility
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-12
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