Badminton Handicap: Half Court vs. Full Court
A deliberately uneven singles game: one player defends the whole singles court and the other only one lengthwise half, marked with cones. Students work on hitting to open space as the attacker and on covering and recovering as the defender.
How to play
- Form pairs and mark the lengthwise center line on one side of each court with cones (2 min).
- The full-court player serves; the half-court player can only be attacked in their half, but they may hit the shuttle anywhere on the opposite court.
- Game to 11 with rally scoring; when someone reaches 11, players swap roles and play another game (8 min per pair).
- Compare both scores: the player who scored more points while playing the full court wins the round.
- Rotation: the round winner moves up a court and the other moves down; play a second round (8 min).
- Wrap-up: each player explains which areas they targeted when attacking the full court (2 min).
Rules
- A shuttle that lands outside the half-court player's half is a point for them.
- The full-court player may use any shot.
- The cone line counts as in.
- Safety: place the cones outside the court lines so nobody steps on them while recovering.
Variations
Easier
The full-court defender plays a shorter doubles-width court without the back area.
Standard
Full singles court versus a lengthwise half court, game to 11.
Harder
The half-court player can only win the point with shots to the front court.
Adaptations
- For students with limited mobility, they always play the half court while their opponent covers the full court.
- For students with visual impairments, use tall, high-contrast cones to mark the half.
- To balance pairs of different levels, the stronger player covers the full court the entire time.
Learning goals
- Hit the shuttle to open space to move the opponent.
- Recover to the center to cover the whole court.
- Accept the handicap as a way to make the game fair.
Equipment for a class of 25
- rackets: 26
- shuttlecocks: 30
- nets: 4
- cones: 24
Teacher tip
This is a great tool for matching up students of different levels without singling anyone out. Remind the defender to return to the center after every shot instead of standing and watching.
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