Fed up of losing to the same old players and just not getting any better? Let some of the best players in the world teach you how to play better badminton

The interest in starting to become involved in the game of badminton can often be abandoned due to the lack of easy direction provided for many beginners. Here you will find a simple and easy step by step instruction for playing badminton.

Every game of badminton involves serving, offense and defense. The game is played to score points on your opponent or opponents, depending on whether you are playing a game of singles or doubles. A singles badminton game is you against another player and a doubles game consists of you and a partner playing against two other competitors.

The first step in badminton instruction will be to decide who will get the starting serve. This is usually done with the flip of a coin or some other random selection process. After the serve is decided the team that has won the starting serve will serve the shuttlecock or "bird" across the net to the opposing team.

The beginning serve is always underhand and served from the right side of the court so you will need to situate your play to serve from this point. The serve also needs to be aimed to land diagonally from the serve point so you will want the serve to end up across the net on the left side of the opposing teams court.

After the shuttlecock is served the match will remain in play sending the shuttle over the net with one hit per opposing team. If the shuttle lands for any reason on the court of the team that did not serve a point is awarded to the serving team.

You can only score a point if you are the serving team. If the shuttle comes to rest on the court of the serving team the opponents have won the next serve and the chance to score a point by stopping play on the opposite side of the court.

As you rally the shuttle from one side of the net to the other you will want to do all possible to return it every time without a second hit or the shuttle landing on the court. Either of these will result in a point for the serving team or send the serve to the opposing team depending on which side of the net the shuttle comes to rest.

Other ways that the serving team will score points is if the non-serving team hits the shuttle out of bounds on the other side of the net. If the non-serving team or player hits the shuttle over the net and out of the marked boundaries on the court the serving team gains a point. If the serving team sends the shuttle over the net and out of the marked boundaries the rally is stopped and the serve is then given to the opposing team.

The game of badminton is usually played in these sets of rallies to the score of 15. The first team or player to reach 15 points wins the match. Most games according to official badminton instruction are played in games of three and the best two out of three games wins the match. However the International Badminton Federation has adopted a new scoring system called the Badminton 21 points scoring system.

With the new scoring system eventually all badminton games will grow to be played in the new standard. The 21 points system has changed the scoring system to the first team to reach 21 points wins the game. Every time a rally is won the rally winning team adds one point to their score.

If there is an instance where the score becomes tied 20 to 20 the side scoring the next 2 consecutive points will win the game. If the score reaches 29 to 29 with no winner which ever team wins the 30th point will win the game.