Badminton scoring, explained for beginners
Badminton uses rally scoring: every rally wins a point. First to 21 wins a game, by two. Matches are best of three games.
How does rally scoring work?
Every rally ends with a point, no matter who served. Win the rally and you score.
How do you win a game?
First to 21 wins, by two clear points. At 29–29 the next point wins the game outright — 30–29.
Who serves, and from which side?
The player who won the last rally serves. In singles you serve from the right when your score is even and the left when it's odd; doubles follows the same even/odd rule.
How many games win a match?
Best of three games — the first player to win two games takes the match.
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