Lines on the Court

When you first look at a badminton court, you could be forgiven for thinking it has too many lines. This is mainly because the court is marked up for both singles and doubles, which use slightly different court sizes. The outermost lines form the doubles court. So in a doubles rally, the shuttle is allowed to land anywhere on the court. The singles court is slightly narrower than the doubles court. The singles side lines are not the outermost lines, but the next ones in. Taken together with the outermost (doubles) side lines, these make narrow alley shapes along the sides of the court. These alleys are often called the tramlines or side tramlines, since they look like tram or train tracks. So here’s another way to think about it: the side tramlines are in for doubles, but out for singles. All the other lines are for serving There are still three lines we haven’t discussed yet. These lines mean nothing during the main rally, and only apply when you’re serving. This is similar to how a tennis court has special lines for serving.