King of the Court Badminton
Short singles badminton games on courts ranked from the "king court" down to the last one, with players moving up or down after each game. Students practice racket rallies, shuttle placement and handling winning and losing.
How to play
- Set up 6 courts about 10 x 20 ft with a net or rope at 5 ft and number them with cones from 1 (king court) to 6. Two players per court; an extra player waits at court 6 and enters at the first switch (3 min).
- Cooperative rally for 3 minutes with your court partner: high shots, no point-scoring.
- On the whistle, play 2-minute games with an underhand diagonal serve; each point lasts until the shuttle drops or goes out.
- When time is up, the leader moves up a court and the other player moves down; the winner stays on court 1 and the loser stays on court 6. Ties: one sudden-death point.
- Play 6 rounds (about 16 minutes with switches). Wrap up for 2 minutes: how did moving down feel, and which shot won me points?
Rules
- Serve below the waist and diagonally; a shuttle on the line is in.
- Congratulate your opponent after every game, win or lose.
- Safety: stay on your own court and don't swing your racket when someone is close.
Variations
Easier
The shuttle may hit the floor once before it's returned, and the court is shorter.
Standard
2-minute singles games with a diagonal serve.
Harder
On the king court, only points won with a shot to the back of the court count.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student plays seated on a narrower court, and the opponent hits only to the front half.
- Emotional regulation or autism: preview the system on a poster and allow the student to stay on one court.
- Skill level: mini rackets and slower shuttles on the lower courts.
Learning goals
- Keep a rally going with high forehand and backhand shots.
- Send the shuttle into open space on the opponent's side.
- Accept the result and recognize the opponent's effort.
Equipment for a class of 25
- rackets: 13
- shuttlecocks: 12
- net: 6
- cones: 12
Teacher tip
The format mixes skill levels on its own, but watch that nobody stays on the bottom court for many rounds; you can reverse the direction halfway through. Cue a handshake grip, not a fist.
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