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Badminton
TERMINOLOGIES
Alley - Extension of the court by l 1/2 feet on both sides for doubles play.
Attack - Usually means smashing everything and forcing your opponent to make
mistakes.
Back alley - Area between the back boundary line and the long service line for
doubles.
Backcourt - Back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.
Backhand - Usually hit on the other side of your forehand. Some players think they
can get away without having to play backhand shots. The backhand was invented
precisely for such players.

Baseline - Back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.
Carry - An illegal tactic, also called a sling or throw, in which the shuttle is caught
and held on the racquet and then slung during the execution of a stroke.
Center or base position - Location in the center of the court to which a singles
player tries to return after each shot.
Center line - Line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service
courts.
Clear - A shot hit deep to the opponent's back boundary line. The high clear is a
defensive shot, while the flatter attacking clear is used offensively.
Deception and disguise - Deception is usually preceded by disguise. If you cannot
tell whether the other guy is going to execute a clear, smash or drop, he has good
deception.
Defend - Usually means lifting and returning smashes and drops.
Drive - A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.
Drop - A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net on the
opponent's side.
Fault - A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play.
Feather - Goose feather. Makes great shuttle.
Flick - A quick wrist and forearm rotation that surprises an opponent by changing an
apparently soft shot into a faster passing one; used primarily on the serve and at the
net.
Footwork - The way you move about on court is called footwork. Good footwork
makes you look graceful and allows you to get to shots with the least amount of
movement, and that equates to efficiency.
Fluke - Shot that is hit by the racquet frame and end up winning a point
inadvertently. Also called a lucky shot.
Forecourt - Front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.
Forehand - The forehand was invented for those who don't have a backhand. See
backhand.
Grip - The way you hold a racguet is called grip. There are different grips for
PE 103 |I n d i v i d u a l a n d D u a l S p o r t s
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different strokes. Grip is also what you use to wrap your handle with. Grip is also
what's felt when you are moving back and forth on the court. Some surfaces provide
better grip than others.
Hairpin net shot - Shot made from below and very close to the net with the shuttle
rising, just clearing the net, and then dropping sharply down the other side. The
shuttle's flight approximates the shape of a hairpin.
Halfcourt shot - A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles against
the front-and-back formation.
Half smash - A half smash is not a half-hearted shot. It is a deliberate toned down
smash, usually executed with a slice of the racquet to slow down the speed of the
shuttle, causing it to fall quickly short of the short service line..
Let - A legitimate cessation of play to allow a rally to be replayed.
Long service line - In singles, the back boundary line. In doubles a line 2 l/2 feet
inside the back boundary line. The serve may not go past this line.
Match - A series of games to determine a winner.
Midcourt - The middle third of the court, halfway between the net and the back
boundary line.
Mine - Similar to I got it.
Net shot - Shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.
Power - Power is measured in how hard and fast you can smash a shuttle. 100 to
150 mph - you're okay. 150 to 200mph - you're pretty powerful. 200 to 250 mph - you
should consider training for the Grand Prix tourneys.
Push shot - Gentle shot played by pushing the shuttle with little wrist motion, usually
from net or midcourt to the opponent's midcourt.
Racquet - Instrument used by player to hit shuttle thingy. Weight: About 3 ounces.
Length: about 27 inches. Made of: Ceramic, graphite, or boron frame; sheep-gut or
synthetic string.
Rally - Exchange of shots while the shuttle is in play.
Rubber - A rubber set is the third and deciding set of a 3 set match.
Serve or service - Stroke used to put shuttle thingy into play at the start of each
rally.
Service court - Area into which the serve must be delivered. Different for singles
and doubles play.
Service over - Means exactly that. Your service is over, and it's now your opponent
to serve.
Short service line - The line 6 l/2 feet from the net which a serve must reach to be
legal.
Smash - Hard-hit overhead shot that forces the shuttle sharply downward.
Badminton's primary attacking stroke.
Speed and stamina - Training is about speed and stamina. The reason for speed
and stamina is so that you can hit powerful shots faster, and more of them than your
opponent without keeling over to puke after each rally.
Straight sets - When you win in straight sets, it means you have beaten your
opponent in 2 sets, straight.

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Tendinitis - An inflammatory joint condition that all badminton players suffer from,
sooner or later.
Tram lines - The area between the doubles side boundary lines and the singles side
boundary lines.
Warm up - Other than the conventional stretching or moving about to get the blood
flowing, warming up also consists of hitting the shuttle in various ways with a partner
or opponent for a few minutes before actual play begins.
Wood shot - Shot that results when the frame of the racquet hits the base of the
shuttle. Once illegal, this shot was ruled acceptable by the International Badminton
Federation in 1963.
Walk over - When a player is unable to play or did not show up for a match, it's a
walk over.
Wrist - A necessary anatomical part if you want to excel in badminton.

PE 103 |I n d i v i d u a l a n d D u a l S p o r t s