In singles the court is thinner, with the wide, outside 'tramlines' out of bounds. In doubles the court is full width and these tramlines are now 'in'. During service in doubles, the court is short, with the rear 'tramlines'at the back of the court, being out of bounds until the serve is returned.
A point is won if the birdie (shuttlecock) hits the ground in the opponent's half of the court, including the lines.
Your shot must travel over the net, not underneath, around, or through it; and it must land inside your opponent's court (unless he hits it back). If the shuttle lands on the line , it's in. Only the first contact between the shuttle and the floor counts.
The side alley is out of bounds; the back alley is in bounds or good. The serve must carry past the short service line, which is 6.5 feet (about 2 m) from the net, and must not carry beyond the back boundary line. The lines are considered part of the court and in bounds.
Back boundary line-The line similar to the baseline In tennis that designates the end or back of the badminton playing area. backcourt-Approximately the last 11 feet (3.35 m) of the court on either side of the net or midcourt to the back boundary line.
The lines marking out the court are easily distinguishable and coloured white or yellow. The lines are 40mm wide. A court may be marked out for singles only. The back boundary lines also become the long service lines and the posts or the strips of material representing them are placed on the side lines.
The outer sidelines are sometimes referred to as “outer tramlines” or “doubles sidelines”. On a regulation badminton court, the outer sidelines will run the full 13.41m /44.00ft length of the court. The outer sidelines are marked 5.18m (17.00ft) apart and run parallel to one another.
The lines surrounding the court is called the BOUNDARY LINE. When the shuttlecock hits out of the line, the point is given to the receiver. There are 2 types of boundary line; the serving line,and the boundary line. The point is given to the hitter if the shuttlecock lands right at the line.
On a regulation badminton court, the outer sidelines will run the full 13.41m /44.00ft length of the court. The outer sidelines are marked 5.18m (17.00ft) apart and run parallel to one another. Any shot that lands inside the doubles sideline is considered “in” or valid for doubles matches.
If the shuttlecock lands out of bounds the line judge must loudly and quickly shout “Out” so that both players and spectators hear, and will stretch their arms out to the side level with each other while looking at the umpire with a fixed stare to ensure the umpire is clear about the decision.