Move Your Opponent: Singles Scoring in the Corners

Singles games where you score more by moving your opponent to the corners than by hitting hard. Students work on shuttle placement and reading open space.

How to play

1. Put a hoop in each corner of the court as a target zone (2 min).
2. Cooperative play: both players try to get the shuttle to all four corners in one rally (5 min).
3. Game to 11: a normal point is worth 1; a shuttle landing in a hoop is worth 2; if the opponent had to reach two corners in the same rally, 3 (10 min).
4. Switch opponents and play a shorter game to 7 (6 min).
5. Each pair says which corner was hardest to cover (2 min).

Rules

• The player who loses the point declares how many corners they had to cover.
• Collect shuttles between rallies, never during play.
• Honest scoring: if in doubt, replay the point.

Variations

Adaptations

• Low vision: bright hoops and a smaller court.
• Limited mobility: the more mobile player covers the full court and the other a half court.
• Beginners: allow one bounce before hitting.

Learning goals

• Place the shuttle away from the opponent.
• Defend by returning to center.
• Keep score honestly.

Equipment for a class of 25

• badminton rackets: 28
• shuttlecocks: 15
• badminton nets: 5
• hoops: 20

Teacher tip

This game rewards brains over power, so it evens out pairs with strength differences. With no hoops, use 1 x 1 m tape squares.

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