BALL BADMINTON RULES

Rules & Regulation of Ball Badminton game

The rules of the game are as follows :-

 

Fives and Doubles : The game shall be played by five players a side, two fronts, two backs and one centre with Ball Badminton rackets and a woolen ball upon a court. Such a game shall be called a game of 'Fives' and game consists of 29 points.

The game shall also be played by two players a side, one front and one back with Ball Badminton racket and woolen ball upon a court with half the width of the court laid in a game of 'Fives'. The length of the court and other details  remain the same as that of 'Fives'. Such a game shall be called a game of 'Doubles' and it shall consist of 29 points as in 'Fives'.

The Ball : A game of yellow colour made of wool shall not be less than 22 grams and not more than 23 grams in weight and not less than 5 cm and not more than 5.5 cm in diameter.

The Racket : A standard Ball Badminton racket usually weighs from 200 grams to 250 grams and 63 to 70 cm in total length. The gutted eliptical area of the racket shall be 20 cm to 22 cm across and 24 cm to 27 cm length wise.

The net and the posts : The net shall be made of fine cord to make 2 cm square mesh all along and shall be edged with a red tape flush a top. It shall be tricoloured (red tape, white and blue body). The net shall be 100 cm wide and 13.5 cm in length. When tied a centre pole of 183 cm and two poles of 185 cm shall be used to maintain 183 cm heigth at the centre.

Two posts each 2 m high shall be fixed at a distance not exceeding one metre outside the court on either side on the end of the net line to which the net is tied. These shall be sufficiently strong to keep the net well streched. A hook must be fixed at 1.5 m height to each pole for the convenience of tightening the net whenever necessary.

The Court : The size of the court for the 'Fives' shall be 12 m in width and 24 m. It is divided across the middle by a net line over which the net is suspended, the ends of which are attached to the tops of the two posts. One metre away from each side of the net line and parallel to it are drawn or marked the crease lines. Half way between the sevice crease line and parallel to the side line is drawn the centre line dividing the space on each side of the crease line into two equal parts called the right and the left courts.

The play : The act of servicing shall consist of striking the ball from the right court or the left court of one side to the diagonally opposite court of the other side. Each server shall commence over the right court and change over to the left court for every point made. Any one of the recieving team shall send the ball to the serving team in a single stroke.

(a) In each game immediately after the first 8th, 15th and 22nd point the team shall change the sides and the server shall serve from the right court or the left court as he would have done in normal course if the side was not changed. This is to say, if the server had served from the right court obtaining a point necessiting the change, he shall serve from the left court after change of site.

(b) The ball shall be served by the player underhand and below the waist; it shall go clear over the net and beyond the serving crease line on the other side of the net.

(c) The ball shall be returned before it touches the ground by any one of the players standing in the court served to.

(d) No player shall strike the ball more than once consecutively.

(e) The server shall not serve until the other side is ready. If any of the players of the other side attempts to return the service, it shall be considered to be ready.

(f) During the progress of the game a player must not leave the court except when he does so in the act of playing or when he meets with an accident or for any good reasons with the permission of the umpire.

NOTE: Changing a racket, tieing a shoe lace, tightening the belt, etc cannot be considered as leaving the court. But players shall involve in any of these activity only after getting the permission of the referee. Referee shall normally acceed to request of the player for such activities when the ball is not in rally. However the referee has the final right to refuse if he is convinced that such activities are purposeful delaying tactics.

(g) In case of five tournaments the team consists of seven players whose names are furnished before the commencement of the tournament and any five of them shall play while the other two shall be physically present in the predescribed playing uniform with the team manager outside the court. In the case of 'Doubles' tournament it shall be a team of five players, the stipulations remaining the same.

During the course of a match of two or three games, one substitution of a player shall be allowed in each game if required by the captain/manager of the team as per the above rule. The substitution can be made at any time during the game.

(h) No change of ball shall be allowed in a match during the set of three games.

NOTE: In the event of a ball gettind deformed or unfit for use during the course of a game, a change may be allowed by the umpire at his discrition in the matter.

 (i) If a fault is made by the serving team serving hand shall be down and the next player shall serve. If five hands are over, the recieving team shall get a chance to serve. But if a fault is made by the recieving team, the recieving team shall get a point and the sma e hand continues.

 (j) The serving team shall always have five hands to serve even at the commencement of every game and each player shall serve in succession till all hands are down.

Faults : It is a fault

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp (a) If the players are not stationary while serving.

NOTE: A srever shall be considered to be stationary only if both his feet touch the ground at the time of serving. It is suufficient that any portion of each of the foot touches the ground at the time of service. Foot fault shall be declared only if feet is raised above the ground and held in suspension while in the act of service. ACT OF SERVICE MEANS PREACTION, STRIKING THE BALL AND FOLLOW UP ACTION.

 (b) If the server misses the stroke in serving.

 (c) If the ball is served overhand.

 (d) If the service is delivered from the wrong court.

(e) If the ball is not returned before it touches the ground.

(f) If the ball served drops -

 (i) in the wrong court or

 (ii) on any line (including centre, serving crease, side and boundry lines) or

 (iii) between the net and serving crease lines.

 (g) If a player serves out ofhis turn. (A player is said to serve out of his turn if he serves before the previous server is out.) In such a case the hand of the previous server shall be treated as down and the present server shall be asked to re-serve irrespective of the server wins or loses a point.

 (h) If any portion of the server's body or racket crosses any of the lines when serving (even a foot on line is out of court)

 (i) If it is 'double touch'. That means a player while making a stroke hits the ball more then once.

 (j) If it is a 'tip'. That is the ball is touched by two rackets at the same team successively.

 (k) If it is a 'clash'. That means the rackets of two or more players clash in playing the ball either before, during or after striking the ball.

 (l) If the player or his racket crosses the net line during the course of play i.e. during the rally.

 (m) If a ball is sent out of bounds. The player is at liberty to take a ball going out of bounds but if he attempts and misses it is a fault.

 (n) If the ball touches any player or his dress whether inside or outside the court.

(o) If the player in the act of serving crosses his racket either over the net or touches the net.

(p) If the ball fails to clear the net either in serving or in returning.

 (q) If the ball touches the top of the net.

 (r) If the serving ball balls on any line. But a ball in rally becomes a fault only if it falls on the boundry lines; it can fall on the centre and crease lines.

 (t) If delay is caused in serving by passing on the ball from one player to other after the umpire asked to serve.

The match :

 (a) The match shall consist of three games. The team that takes the best of three games shall be declared as winners. The team that first scores the 29^th shall win the game. Teams shall always start each game from a different side than the side they started the previous game.

 (b) There shall be an interval of 2 minutes between the end of the first game and the commencement of the second game and 5 minutes between the second and the third games. This time interval should not be altered.

 (c) The choice of sides and the right of first service shall be decided by toss at commencement of a match. If the team winning the toss choses the right of service, the team shall have the choice of side and vice-versa.

 (d) At the commencement of a amtch the umpire shall allow two trials, one from each side and after the trials are over the umpire shall call 'play' with due imitation to the scorer and line referees and from that time regular play commences.

 (e) One umpire, two or more line referees and a scorer shall be nominated for each match.

 (f) When the umpire calls 'play' the side refusing to play the match shall lose the match.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp (g) The umpire shall be the sole judge of fair or unfair play and of the fitness of the weather and the light for play. His decision will be final.

 (h) A ball is in 'play' from the time a player attempts to serve until it touches the ground or until

(j) If an umpire erroneously calls 'fault' and at once corrects himself and calls 'play' and the striker out fails to return

(k) No umpire shall be changed without the consent of the Tournament Committee.

 (l) Each of the two or more line referees shall be responsible for one boundry line and one half of the side line opposite to the umpire and other duties assigned to him by the umpire. They shall signal to the umpire by means of a code prescibed by the Federation.

 (m) The scrorer shall record the points scored and also the number of hands in the score sheet.

 (n) The ball may be replaced by the umpire if it is either lost or deformed.

 (o) A 'let' or 're-service' shall be givn by the umpire for any unforseen or accidental hindarance.

p) The umpire in addition to his other duties, shall also look after the net. He shall announce the score on behalf of the scorer whenever a point is scored or a server is out. In announcing the score, he shall first call the number of the serving hand, then the score of the serving team and then the score of the other team.

p (q) In the event of a match being suspended by the umpire for reasons of light or weather or any other reason it will be continued from the point at which it was stopped.

 (r) In the evnt of tie between two or more teams in any tournament, matches shall never be replayed. Ranks on the basis of game score and on the basis of point score if tie still persists, shall be declared.

EXPLAINATION : In a league tournament when two or more teams finally have the same number of matches won/lost to their credit it is difficult to declare which one is a better team among them and we say that the teams are tied up. A tie may be there between any number of teams. When atie arises we look at the game score of the tied teams.

Game Score : We will record for each team thenumber of games won in favour and lost to from each match played in the league. While doing so we remember each match is plated for best of three games. Therefore a team winning a match after three games will two games in favour and one game against. But if a team wins a match in straight two games will have three games in its favour and zero games against. Similarly the team which which lost will simultaneously get one game in favour and two games against or zero games in favour and three games against as the case may be. Finally the difference between total number of games in favour and against is made for each team which is known as game score. The team with the highest game score shall be declared as the best and the next highest game score shall be declared as the next ranking team among tied up team. However, if again two or more teams tied up with the game score in the league is competed.

Point Score : We tabulate the points scored in favour and lost to in each game and for the matches played in the league by the teams tied up with game score. While doing so for a team which won the match in straight two games, after recording the points scored in favour and lost to in the two games played we should also record 29 points in favour and zero points against for the third game which the opponent team could not even qualify to play even. Correspondingly we record zero points in favour and 29 points against for the defeated team. Then the difference of the total points scored in favour and lost to from all the matches will be found. At that stage the team securing the highest net points shall be declared as the best and the next highest as the second best and so on.

(t) No match is won unless played or given up except in case provided for in the sub case f.

p (u) The team that gives walk over shall not be allowed to take part further in the championship/tournament.

Discipline : In the view of the umpire, if a player misbehaves in the court that brings discredit to the referee/other players/officials lowering the image of the game, umpire shall warn the player. After the first warning the umpire shall show a yellow card at the second instance. This indicates that the player will be sent out of the match by showig a red card, at the third instance when the team has to finish the game with the remaining four players only.

NOTE: The teammanager may make substitution for that player who was shown the yellow card, provided the substitution was not availed prior to that.

Duties of the umpire :

(a) As the function of the umpire is the most important in a match, he should know throughly well the Rules of Ball Badminton.

 (b) &nbsp (i) Before the game begins, the umpire shall necessary entries in the score sheet and hand it over to the score for scoring and obtain the signature of rival captains at the conclusion of the match.

 (ii) Check the height of the net and other ground arrangements.

 (iii) Give instuction to the line referee and scorer.

 (iv) Shall give instruction to both team regarding discipline and important and the latest rules of the game in brief.

(c) The umpire should be watchful remembering the fact that his decision is final at all points of fact. (A player may appeal to referee on point of law only.)

(d) A line referees decision is final on all points of the fact on his own lines the shall not, ordinarily overrule him. If a line referee is unsighted, a umpire may give decision if he can or a 'let' should be given subject also to Rule 8 r.

p (e) All Anouncements and calling of score should be done distinctly and clearly by the umpire. The order of score should be (i) Number of hand serving, (ii) The score of the server and (iii) the score of the reciever. Should a mstake be made in the announcement, the umpire shall admit, apologize and correct it immediately.

 (f) If a decision can not be given, the umpire should say so or give a 'let'. He should not ask the players or the spectators or be influenced by their remark.

 (g) The umpire shall be responsible for all lines not covered by the line referees.

 (h) When an umpire is in doubt, whether he has been an infringment of any rules of the game, 'fault' should not be called. A 'let' should be given.

 (i) The umpire should remember that the game is for players. He should keep the players in progress without unnecesarry interuption.

 (j) In fine the umpire should control the game firmly.

Hints to the players :

 (a) A player should throughly know the rules of the game.

(b) He should be sportive both on the field and both off it bearing in mind the spectators appriciate not only his game but also his sportsmanship.

 (c) He should comfirm to the dress regulations and generally appear smart.

 (d) He should implicitly abide by the decision of the umpire. On a point of rule or allied matter, he may make a representation to the umpire or the tournament committee through his manager.

 (e) During the play, a player should not adopt delaying tactics (asking for time to drink water or to change the racket, etc); it is a bad taste. If the gut has snapped, he should seek the permission of the umpire to change racket.