Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" with one player per side and "doubles" with two players per side.
Badminton is often played as a casual outdoor activity in a yard or on a beach ; professional games are played on a rectangular indoor court.
Points are scored by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it within the other team's half of the court, within the set boundaries.
Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. Play ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor or ground, or if a fault has been called by the umpire , service judge, or in their absence the opposing side.
The shuttlecock is a feathered or in informal matches plastic projectile that flies differently from the balls used in many other sports. In particular, the feathers create much higher drag , causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly.
