🏛️Official — BWF
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Racquet Sports
1 players
both
racket, birdie
10 essential rules
Badminton is governed internationally by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The rules of badminton are codified in the BWF Laws of Badminton, the current edition of which took effect in 2023 and applies through the 2025–2026 season. All BWF sanctioned e...
All players competing at BWF-sanctioned events are subject to the BWF Anti-Doping Regulations, which conform to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code. Testing may be conducted in-competition or out-of-competition.
Play shall be continuous from the first service until the match is concluded, subject only to the intervals provided under Law 16. A player must not delay play deliberately.
Floor surface: Courts shall have non-slip surfaces. Wet or slippery courts must be dried or treated before play commences. Players may request a delay if they consider the court surface unsafe, and the umpire shall consult the referee.; Lighting: Adequate and uniform lighting is required across t...
The court dimensions are specified in Law 1 of the BWF Laws of Badminton. The court shall be a rectangle marked out with lines 40 mm (1.57 in) wide.
The BWF does not mandate a specific court surface material; however, international and major tournaments are played on wooden (parquet) or synthetic sport surfaces approved by the BWF. The playing area must be free from obstructions.
The BWF publishes and maintains an approved list of shuttlecocks for use in BWF-sanctioned tournaments. Rackets used in play must conform to the specifications in Law 3.
Rackets found to be broken, cracked, or structurally compromised must be replaced before the next rally. Players are responsible for maintaining their equipment in a safe condition.; Shoes worn on court must be appropriate badminton footwear providing adequate lateral support and grip for the cou...
A "fault" is a violation of the Laws of Badminton. When a fault is committed, the rally ends immediately and the non-offending side wins the rally and a point.
The fundamental objective during play is to keep the shuttlecock in play (a rally) by striking it over the net so that it lands within the opponent's court, or to force the opponent to commit a fault. The shuttle may only be struck once by a playe...
BWF Tournament Regulations include guidelines for play in high-temperature or high-humidity environments. If indoor venue temperatures exceed recommended thresholds, the tournament director and medical officer may invoke heat policy provisions, in...
Give genuinely doubtful line calls to the opponent
In matches without line judges — recreational, club, and many amateur tournaments — players call their own lines. On any genuinely uncertain call, the convention is to award the point to the opponent. Taking an ambiguous call in your own favor is a significant breach of trust and widely condemned.
Applies where no independent officiating exists. BWF-sanctioned elite events use officials and Hawk-Eye review.
Call your own service faults in recreational and club play
In social and club matches without service judges, a player who knows their own serve was illegal — shuttle too high at contact, racket head above wrist, feet not grounded — is expected to call the fault. Badminton's complex service rules make self-policing a meaningful honesty test; hiding known faults is considered cheating.
Less applicable at BWF elite level where dedicated service judges and electronic review are standard.
Do not make distracting sounds or movements during an opponent's stroke
Intentionally coughing, shouting, making sudden movements, or otherwise attempting to break an opponent's concentration at the moment of play is broadly condemned as gamesmanship. The unwritten rule extends beyond BWF's written prohibition on deliberate hindrance to cover any behavior clearly intended to unsettle an opponent's shot.
Distinct from natural exertion sounds during stroke production. The target behavior is deliberate distraction timed to an opponent's swing.
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