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All Badminton Faults Explained (with Videos)

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In this guide, we briefly explain what a Badminton fault is, then we’re going to breakdown and explain all the Badminton faults in the Badminton rules. You’ll understand what the rules are and how to avoid being faulted.

Faults can be broken down into three categories; service faults, receiver faults and rally faults. Click on the titles to jump to that section.

Here’s the full list of service faults;

The full list of receiver faults;

The full list of rally faults;

As you can see, that’s quite a big list. If you want clarity on particular Badminton faults then keep on reading.

What is a fault in Badminton?

A Badminton fault is simply an act or an event that ends the rally. A fault awards a point against the player/pair that committed the fault.

A fault is decisive and can only be called by the umpire or the service judge in a professional game. When there are no judging officials the players are responsible for knowing and adhering to the rules.

So now we know what a Badminton fault is let’s jump right into the details of service faults.

Service faults

There are a lot of technical rules to adhere to when serving in Badminton. It’s easily the most complex part of the ruleset for Badminton. Service faults are called when the server breaks one of the service rules.

Service faults are more common in doubles because there is a lot more pressure on the server in doubles then compared to singles.

Let’s look at them all one by one.

Delaying the serve after being ready

In Badminton, once both the server and receiver are ready neither player is allowed to delay service. The full rule is stated below:

9.1.1 neither side shall cause undue delay to the delivery of the service once the server and the receiver are ready for the service.

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

To make it clear, this only applies to matches which have umpires present, so it’s one for professionals only. The other thing to know is that it is not a fault immediately but only after receiving a red card.

The umpire will first provide a verbal warning to the offending player to not delay, then if they continue delaying either in the same situation or at another point during the game they will be be given a warning and a yellow card. It’s only when the umpire warns them a third time that they will be given a red card and faulted, awarding the other team/player the point.

Delaying the service motion

When you serve your first motion forwards towards the shuttlecock is considered the start of your serve. Once you bring your racquet backwards you must then start the service. The full rule is stated below:

9.1.2 on completion of the backward movement of the server’s racket head, any delay in the start of the service (Law 9.2) shall be considered to be an undue delay;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

In Badminton, the serve must be a single continuous motion. You can vary the speed at which you serve but there must never be a break in the motion of your serve. See the video below for an example.

Touching the court lines

It is a fault, whether serving or receiving, to stand on or touch any part of the lines that make up your service court. The full rule states:

9.1.3 the server and the receiver shall stand within diagonally opposite service courts (Diagram A) without touching the boundary lines of these service courts;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

Your partner or the opponents’ partner can stand on the lines. In fact they can stand wherever they like on court as long as they don’t unsight the receiving player.

If you’re the server or receiver you have to be standing inside the correct service box and not be touching the lines. This is to stop players taking advantage of stepping onto the line to get closer to the net and still be considered “inside” their service box. See an example in the video below.

Foot/feet are off the ground or moving

This fault comes from this rule in the Badminton laws:

9.1.4 some part of both feet of the server and the receiver shall remain in contact with the surface of the court in a stationary position from the start of the service (Law 9.2) until the service is delivered (Law 9.3);

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

There are two parts to this rule. The first part, you must have both feet touching the floor when you’re about to serve. It doesn’t mean the whole of your foot has to be touching the floor though, you could effectively stand on your tiptoes.

The key is that some part of both feet must be touching the ground at all times during the serve. Without this, you could effectively jump in the air to gain extra height whilst still serving below the waist or moves outside your service court to get closer to the net.

The second part of this rule is about movement. During your service, your feet must still. You can stand in whichever way you like but as you serve you must not step forward, drag or lift your foot/feet. See the video below for examples of these.

Not hitting the shuttlecock’s cork first

This seems like a strange fault when you first look at it. People think; “why would I hit the shuttle any other when serving?” and totally logical unless you know the history of this rule. The rule states:

9.1.5 the server’s racket shall initially hit the base of the shuttle;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

This rule was introduced thanks to the infamous Sidek brothers who developed a serve that meant hitting the shuttlecock using the feathers first. It was tricky and hard to return players complained and eventually the BWF considered it an unfair advantage whilst serving and implemented this rule.

You have to hit the base (the cork part) of the shuttlecock first. You can follow through hitting the feathers afterwards but the initial contact must be the base. See an example of a faulty service below.

Serving the shuttlecock above the waist height

In Badminton, the waist height is not the same waist we refer to when wearing pants etc. In Badminton they define it in this rule:

9.1.6 a) the whole shuttle shall be below the server’s waist at the instant of being hit by the server’s racket. The waist shall be considered to be an imaginary line round the body, level with the lowest part of the server’s bottom rib;

— Taken from the Alternative Laws of Badminton.

The purpose of this rule to stop people serving like they do in Tennis or by smashing the shuttle at the opponent. Unless you’re 20 feet tall it means the shuttle has to travel upwards first giving the receiver a chance to attack but not an overwhelming advantage.

This rule is now officially a part of the Alternative Laws of Badminton provided by the BWF. The BWF changed the rule in March 2018 so that the maximum service height was measurable. They changed it so the whole shuttle has to be below 1.15 metres from the surface of the court. Here’s the new rule in full:

9.1.6 the whole shuttle shall be below 1.15 metres from the surface of the court at the instant of being hit by the server’s racket;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

The Alternative Laws are meant for instances where the full ruleset cannot be implemented. So in everyday Badminton, this rule still applies. See an example of a fault serve for being above waist height.

Not having your racquet head pointing downwards

This is quite a common fault for beginners. It’s quite natural when learning the backhand short serve to hold the racquet so it’s completely horizontal, however this is against the rules. The full rule states:

9.1.6 b) the shaft and the racket head of the server’s racket at the instant of hitting the shuttle shall be pointing in a downward direction

— Taken from the Alternative Laws of Badminton.

This rule is to prevent players from being able to drive the shuttle over the net completely flat. This would create an unfair advantage for the server.

It’s worth noting, this rule only applies for non-elite Badminton much like the fault we talked about previously. It’s part of the Alternative Laws of Badminton provided by the BWF. That means technically you can serve overhand in Badminton.

See the video below for an example of this service fault.

Using a stop-start motion when serving

This is a similar fault to delaying the service motion but not quite the same. This rule is about making sure that when the player serving starts the serve that they finish it in one motion. You can only have one forward swing towards the shuttle.

9.1.7 the movement of the server’s racket shall continue forwards from the start of the service (Law 9.2) until the service is delivered (Law 9.3);

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

This law is to prevent players from doing deceptive double motions and dummying their serve. This would create such a huge unfair advantage, servers could make the receiver move before they actually serve and then serve them the other way.

See the video below for an example of this double-motion fault.

The serve landing out

This is a simple one, basically, if you serve and the other player leaves it and it lands out then it’s a fault. The other player/team win the point. The full rule is:

9.1.8 the flight of the shuttle shall be upwards from the server’s racket to pass over the net so that, if not intercepted, it shall land in the receiver’s service court (i.e. on or within the boundary lines); and

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

When serving and receiving there are two service courts that the players need to stand in. The two service courts are always adjacent to each other but what’s in and out is slightly different for singles and doubles. See our guide on Badminton rules serving to see what’s in and out for singles and doubles.

Missing the shuttlecock when serving

This fault is not well known because at an elite level where every rule is enforced it doesn’t ever happen.

If the server misses the shuttlecock when they go to serve that’s considered a fault. It’s not considered a fault if the player goes to serve and drops the shuttle but doesn’t swing for it. It’s only a fault if the player swings and misses.

You don’t get a retry. Here’s the rule in full:

9.1.9 in attempting to serve, the server shall not miss the shuttle

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

For beginners, though this might happen more often, especially if they’re just mastering the serve. At non-elite levels, people play a let for this instead of calling a fault. It’s just a bit of common sense really.

The shuttlecock getting stuck in the net whilst serving

Very rare indeed, so rare I couldn’t actually find any footage of this one. If the shuttlecock gets stuck on top or in the net, either on your side or the opponent’s side, then it’s a fault. It’s a fault because the service didn’t land in the opponents’ service court.

13.2 if, in service, the shuttle:

    13.2.1 is caught on the net and remains suspended on its top;

    13.2.2 after passing over the net, is caught in the net; or

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

It’s basically like hitting the shuttle in the net during the rally. You failed to get in over and into the necessary court area so it’s a fault.

Obstructing the opponent from seeing the shuttlecock

When serving the receiver has the right to be able to see the shuttlecock whilst the server is about to serve. If the servers’ partner stands in a spot that blocks the view of the shuttle for the receiver they can be called a fault. The rule in full:

9.5 In doubles, during the delivery of service (Law 9.2, 9.3), the partners may take up any positions within their respective courts, which do not unsight the opposing server or receiver

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

In the rules, it states only doubles but I know for a fact that if you can hide the shuttle whilst serving in singles then it would be a fault as well.

It’s not normally called a fault but it can be if the umpire has to consistently warn the players about doing it.

Receiver faults

Just as the server can be faulted for a number of reasons, the receiver also has rules to follow. This creates a balance in serving and receiving, neither side should have an overwhelming advantage due to poor rules.

Let’s look at each receiver fault and explain them fully.

Delaying receiving serve once ready

In Badminton, the speed of the match is determined by the receiver. The receiver must be ready before the opponent is allowed to serve. Having said that, the receiver has to be ready in a sensible amount of time. The full rule:

9.1.1 neither side shall cause undue delay to the delivery of the service once the server and the receiver are ready for the service.

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

Once the receiver is ready then they must be ready to receive the serve. They cannot delay any further after showing that they are ready to receive.

Standing on the court lines

The receiver has to stand inside the boundaries of their service box. They’re not allowed to step on the lines when receiving serve. The full rule:

9.1.3 the server and the receiver shall stand within diagonally opposite service courts (Diagram A) without touching the boundary lines of these service courts;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

The same goes for the server as well. This rule prevents the receiver from getting closer to the net when receiving serve. The receiver can stand anywhere inside their box as long as they don’t touch the lines.

Moving before the opponent serves

The rules state that both the server and receiver must have both feet in contact with the ground and their feet must be stationary. This goes double for the receiver as they gain a big advantage if they start moving before the serve is hit. The full rule:

9.1.4 some part of both feet of the server and the receiver shall remain in contact with the surface of the court in a stationary position from the start of the service (Law 9.2) until the service is delivered (Law 9.3);

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

It’s normally quite obvious when the receiver has moved before the serve is played. The server normally has a look of pure shock as the receiver tries to hide a cheeky grin.

Attempting to return the serve when “not ready”

As we’ve mentioned in an earlier fault, the pace of the game is determined by the receiver of the next serve. If the player receiving isn’t ready and the server plays the serve then you play a let, as long as the receiver doesn’t try to return it. The full rule:

9.4 The server shall not serve before the receiver is ready. However, the receiver shall be considered to have been ready if a return of the service is attempted.

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

If the server tries to return it then they are considered to be ready and if they miss the return or try to appeal it will be called a fault.

If you’re the receiver and you’re not ready and your opponent is trying to rush just leave it. Don’t make any attempt to return or catch it. Raise your non-racquet up and out in front of you to signal the opponent to wait.

The receiver’s partner returning the shuttle

A simple one but in doubles only the receiving player on the correct score side can return the serve. If one partner misses or goes the wrong way their partner cannot help them.

13.2 if, in service, the shuttle:

    13.2.3 is hit by the receiver’s partner;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

Not much to this one, simply put if you try to return your partners’ serve you will be faulted. One person to return serve at any time.

Rally faults

Now we’ve left the nitty-gritty of serving behind we’ll look at the faults you’ll more regularly encounter. Some of these faults are self-explanatory and some are often misinterpreted by many players.

Let’s look at every rally fault and debunk some misnomers.

Hitting the shuttle out

The easiest and the most common Badminton fault of all! Yes, hitting the shuttle out is considered a fault. You don’t hear umpires or people shout “fault” when it goes out but by definition, it’s a fault in badminton. Full rule:

13.3 if in play, the shuttle:

    13.3.1 lands outside the boundaries of the court (i.e. not on or within the boundary lines);

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

It’s a fault because hitting the shuttle out ends the rally and any fault called signals the end of the rally.

Shuttle not passing over the net

This fault has a number of situations. The simple one is when the opponent lands the shuttle in the net or isn’t able to return it. Fault, because the shuttle didn’t pass over the net. There’s another rare situation where this can come into play.

If the shuttle is drifting out of the court then there is the possibility that the opponent can hit the shuttlecock around the posts. Nobody is likely to do this as the shuttle must be travelling out to be able to hit it around the posts. The full rule:

13.3 if in play, the shuttle:

    13.3.2 fails to pass over the net;

    13.3.9 touches a player’s racket and does not travel towards the opponent’s court;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

Fun fact, in Tennis this isn’t a rule so you get awesome shots like this one from Federer where they’re able to play around the net to still hit the court.

The shuttle touching a player or the surrounding environment

Whether intentional or not, the shuttlecock is not allowed to touch the player, their clothing or anything outside the court during the rally. This is to prevent interference to the trajectory of the shuttlecock. The full rule stated:

13.3 if in play, the shuttle:

    13.3.3 touches the ceiling or side walls;

    13.3.4 touches the person or dress of a player;

    13.3.5 touches any other object or person outside the court;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

As soon as the shuttle touches you, the ceiling or the walls around the court it’s a fault. The walls should never be so close to the court that the shuttle is able to hit it without being out but that’s another matter.

See this clip below where the shuttle touches the Danish player in blue. The point should have gone to the Japanese pair, it hit the players skirt and actually changed where the shuttle landed. The perfect example of why the rule exists.

Scooping

Scooping is essentially catching the shuttle on your racquet and then slinging it off. It doesn’t happen often and, unless done intentionally, is quite hard to do. The full rule is:

13.3 if in play, the shuttle:

    13.3.6 is caught and held on the racket and then slung during the execution of a stroke;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

You need to hit the shuttle in once motion. You’ll be able to tell if you’ve scooped it because you won’t get the same sound when you hit the shuttle.

When no umpires are present then players need to be honest about this. It’s normally quite obvious when it happens but players still need to own up to it.

Double hits

A double hit is when a player manages to hit the shuttle twice before the shuttle crosses the net. A double hit also occurs in doubles when one player hits/clips the shuttle but then is hit by their partner straight after. The full rule:

13.3.7 is hit twice in succession by the same player. However, a shuttle hitting the head and the stringed area of the racket in one stroke shall not be a ‘fault’; 13.3.8 is hit by a player and the player’s partner successively; or

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

It’s more common in doubles as the first player might only clip the shuttle before it goes past them to their partner. Below is an example of a singles player that manages to hit the shuttle twice playing a net shot.

A player touching the net or posts

During the rally, players are not allowed to touch the net either with their racquet, their body or their clothing. The full rule:

13.4 if, in play, a player:

    13.4.1 touches the net or its supports with racket, person or dress;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

The most common time this happens is when players try to kill the shuttle from a tight net shot or after playing a smash and rushing forward to follow up for the kill.

It is not a fault once to touch the net once the rally is over. The rally is over when the shuttle is “dead” which simply means the shuttle is no longer in play. So if a player runs into the net after following up a smash but does so after the shuttle hits the floor then it’s not a fault.

Watch the video below for examples of this fault at the net.

Hitting the shuttle before it passes over the net

Probably the most hotly contested fault in all of Badminton. A player is not allowed to hit the shuttle before it has passed over the net to their side. The full rule:

13.4 if, in play, a player:

    13.4.2 invades an opponent’s court over the net with racket or person except that the striker may follow the shuttle over the net with the racket in the course of a stroke after the initial point of contact with the shuttle is on the striker’s side of the net;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

This is a very difficult rule to judge as situations where this happens can be very borderline fault or legal. See below an example where a player plays the shuttle before it crosses the net but isn’t faulted.

As you can see it’s very, very close and at full speed is very difficult to see whether the shuttle has crossed over yet or not.

People often make the mistake that this rule also means your racquet cannot pass over the net at all, that it is not true. The rule makes the exception that if you’re playing a shot and as you play the shot your racquet passes over the net then that is not a fault.

As long as you hit the shuttle after it has passed the net then it is legal for your racquet to go over the net.

Invading the opponents’ court

This is another fault that’s misinterpreted. Invading your opponents’ court simply means having yourself or your racquet crossing under the net onto their side. It’s only a fault however if you impeded the other player. The full rule:

13.4 if, in play, a player:

    13.4.3 invades an opponent’s court under the net with racket or person such that an opponent is obstructed or distracted; or

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

So people don’t often realise that having your foot or legs pass under the net is fine, as long as you don’t hit, obstruct or distract the other player.

Obstructing the opponents shot

It’s a fault to obstruct the other player from playing their next shot. Obstruction tends to happen when one player tries to kill the shuttle at the net and the other raises their racquet to defend themselves and block the shot. The full rule:

13.4 if, in play, a player:

    13.4.4 obstructs an opponent, i.e. prevents an opponent from making a legal stroke where the shuttle is followed over the net;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

In the video below are two examples of this fault in action. The first is called a fault but the second is not. This is because in the first one the players do not clash racquets so technically the other player was not impeded.

In the second example, the umpire believed the player in yellow either hit the other players racquet whilst blocking the shot or the shuttle hadn’t passed over the net yet. That would be a fault.

Distracting the opponent

You’re not allowed to sing, shout or make gestures that might distract the opponent. This could be shouting as they’re about a hit the shuttle or making crude gestures at them.

Anything that would otherwise distract the other player from making their shot is a fault.

13.4 if, in play, a player:

    13.4.5 deliberately distracts an opponent by any action such as shouting or making gestures;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

Although not an example of a distraction fault the clip below shows a Lin Dan try to throw his racquet to try and get the shuttle back. Obviously a small gag but had the other player missed his shot he could have been called for distracting the other player.

Gross misconduct

Gross misconduct comes from repeated offenses or single examples of totally unacceptable behaviour. If things go too far umpires can disqualify players and award the opponents the match.

13.4 if, in play, a player:

    13.5 if a player is guilty of flagrant, repeated or persistent offences under Law 16.

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

This rule refers to section 16 of the rules which is quite long but the only section we need to worry about is section 16.6:

16.6 A player shall not:

    16.6.1 deliberately cause delay in, or suspension of, play;

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

Basically, if you consistently delay play either getting ready to serve or receive serve then the umpire will eventually give you a warning with a yellow card and eventually a red card which is a fault and a point to the other player.

The video below shows the sequence of going from a warning to faulting the player for misconduct.

Red cards don’t happen often but when players take things too far umpires have no choice but to enforce the rules. Below’s a compilation of some examples of red cards being given.

16.6 A player shall not:

    16.6.2 deliberately modify or damage the shuttle in order to change its speed or its flight;

    16.6.3 behave in an offensive or inappropriate manner; or

    16.6.4 be guilty of misconduct not otherwise covered by the Laws of Badminton.

— Taken from the BWF Laws of Badminton rulebook.

Damaging the shuttle deliberately is a big no-no. Even at low-level play people will call other players out if they see them do this. It’s wasteful and cheating.

Offensive and inappropriate behaviour are self-explanatory. No swearing, threatening or being abusive to any other players or officials. Just be a decent person basically.

Badminton rules and where to go from here

Bookmark this page and you’ll now have a fully comprehensive guide on Badminton faults. Detailing every fault in an easy to understand way. From here it would be worth looking at our article on Badminton rules which covers everything you need to know to get started playing Badminton.

If you found this article helpful return the favour and share it with a friend. If you feel I’ve missed anything out or have other advice, please leave feedback and share your help with others below. Thanks again for reading.

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Written by Liam Walsh who lives in Manchester, England. Working as a Software Engineer but moonlighting as a dad, Badminton player/coach and creator of BadmintonsBest.

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