Find the singles boundaries during a rally
Identify the correct side lines, keep the full court length and explain why a shuttle on a boundary is in.
Find the court before playing
Use an empty, standard badminton court marked for both singles and doubles. Put the rackets aside and check that you can move without entering another game. If several sports share the floor, ask someone familiar with the hall to identify the badminton markings first.
Face the net. On each side, find the inner side line: these two lines mark the singles width. At the back, use the furthest back boundary line, not the parallel line a little in front of it. Point out the two back corners of your singles half-court to a partner. This page concerns the usual singles court; adapted layouts need their own explanation.
A boundary belongs to its area
For the shuttle's landing, a boundary line is part of the area it marks. A shuttle whose first floor contact is on the relevant singles boundary is in. If that contact is clearly beyond the boundary, it is out.
Look at the actual first floor contact, not where the shuttle slides or comes to rest. Do not announce a landing while the shuttle is still flying. This page only deals with where it lands; another fault can decide a rally earlier. It also does not describe where the server's or receiver's feet may stand.
Explain three imaginary landings
Keep this a discussion on an empty court, without hitting or throwing shuttles. One person points to each place and describes an imaginary first floor contact. The other says “in” or “out” and identifies the boundary used. All three cases happen after the service has been returned, with no earlier fault.
- On the inner side line: in, because this is the singles boundary and the line belongs to the court.
- Clearly between the inner and outer side lines, touching neither: out in singles, because this strip is beyond its side boundary.
- Between the net and the short service line, well inside the singles side lines: in during this rally. The short service line is not a front landing limit after the service has been returned.
Change roles and explain the same three cases. Take time to find the lines; this is not a race or a points contest. If you disagree, check the stated situation and the markings together before continuing.
Keep one clear distinction
The service has its own landing area. Do not use these rally examples to decide whether a service was legal. Equally, do not treat every painted line inside the court as an outside boundary.
Finish by showing the singles side line and back boundary without help, then explaining the difference between landing on a boundary and beyond it. Practising these examples helps you recognise the court; it does not qualify you to officiate or establish what happened in a disputed real rally.
General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.