Badminton Toss, Hit, and Catch

A basic badminton progression in groups of three: one student tosses the shuttle by hand, another hits it underhand, and the third catches it inside a hoop. Students practice the low-to-high hit, positioning to the shuttle, and the badminton serve.

How to play

1. Form groups of three; each group puts a hoop on the floor about 13 ft from the hitter, who stands between the tosser, about 6 ft away, and the hoop (2 min).
2. The tosser tosses the shuttle underhand, soft and high, toward the hitter's racket.
3. The hitter swings low to high toward the hoop; the catcher, standing inside the hoop, tries to catch it by hand.
4. Group scoring: a catch inside the hoop is 2 points, a catch outside is 1 point; rotate roles after 8 hits (6 min).
5. Serve phase: the hitter drops the shuttle themselves, holding it by the feathers, and hits it underhand like a serve; same scoring and rotation (7 min).

Rules

• Safety: the tosser stands off to the side of the swing path, never in front of the racket.
• Groups stay at least 10 ft apart and all hit in the same direction.
• To earn 2 points, the catcher must stay inside the hoop.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: hit from a seated position, and the catcher moves to the hoop the student chooses.
• Autism: show the three roles on numbered cards and always keep the same rotation order.
• Skill level: offer a short racket or a bigger, slower shuttle to students who need it.

Learning goals

• Hit the shuttle low to high with a racket.
• Get into the right position before hitting.
• Perform a basic badminton serve toward a target area.

Equipment for a class of 25

• rackets: 9
• shuttlecocks: 18
• hoops: 9

Teacher tip

Best in a gym or indoors without drafts, because the shuttle is so light. The usual mistake is a sideways racket face: ask students to finish with the racket face pointing at the hoop.

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