Forecourt, midcourt, rearcourt: three zones to talk about the court
What coaches mean by the front, middle and back of the court, and which strokes usually belong to each zone.
Why names help
Coaches, books and our other lessons say things like "from the forecourt" or "to the rearcourt". Three simple zone names let you describe where a shot starts and where it goes, in a few words.
The three zones
- Forecourt: the area between the net and the front service line (the short service line).
- Midcourt: the middle third of the court.
- Rearcourt: the back third of the court.
The BWF coaching manual uses these as a starting structure for teaching. It adds that strokes can of course be played from other zones: for example, a drive from the rearcourt, or a lift from the midcourt. The zones are a way of organising what you learn, not a rule of the game.
Strokes that usually belong to each zone
- Forecourt: net shots, net lifts and net kills.
- Midcourt: drives and blocks.
- Rearcourt: clears, smashes and drop shots (including the pulled drop shot from the backhand corner).
Reading a shot description
When a lesson says "a drop shot goes from your rearcourt to your opponent's forecourt", it means: you hit from the back third, and the shuttle lands in the front area on the other side, just beyond or short of the front service line. A smash goes from your rearcourt to your opponent's midcourt. A net lift goes from the forecourt to the rearcourt.
A quick check
Stand on court, name aloud the zone you are in, then walk to another and name it. Ask a partner to call a zone and play a gentle shuttle there. Keep it slow and stop if anything hurts.
Limits
The manual describes the zones as thirds in simple terms and shows them with shaded diagrams that we cannot reproduce here. The exact boundary does not matter for beginners: use the names to talk about the court, not to measure it.
General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.