If you are wondering what is a net in badminton, you are in the right place. In this post, I am going to explain what a net is in badminton.
So, a net in badminton is the element that divides the court into two equal parts and over which all shuttles must pass to continue a rally.
Let’s have a closer look at what a net is, and also at how to install one, its general measurements and what they are usually made of.
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What is a net in badminton? The in-depth answer
So, as I said before, a net is a rectangular piece of material made from string, used to separate the two sides of the court in badminton.
In addition to separating the two sides, the net provides a height barrier, so all the shuttles must pass over the net for the rally to go on. This makes the game more interesting because it is more difficult to score a point.
By defining the court and the game in this way, the net becomes one of the most important and essential elements for a badminton game.
What are the main measurements of a badminton net?
But only having a net is not enough. You also need the net to have the right measurements in order to make sure you make the most out of the game. What are the right measurements for a badminton net?
Quick tip: If you want a complete overview, you can check our Badminton Net Dimensions post, where we explain everything in detail. For a summary of this, you can continue reading on.
How long is a badminton net?
The length of a badminton net is 20 feet or 6.1 meters. This is the same width as the doubles court, which means that the end of the net needs to be in line with the outside of the line defining the doubles court.
In the image below you can see the dimensions of a badminton net in feet.
How high is a badminton net?
The height of a badminton net, meaning how high the top of the net is at, is 5 feet and 1 inch (1.55 meters) at the post and 5 feet (1.524 meters) at the center of the court. In addition to that, the net itself has a height of 2 feet and 6 inches (0.76 meters).
In the image below you can see the dimensions of a badminton net in meters.
What is a badminton net made of?
Now that we know what a net in badminton is and what are the most important measurements, it is a good moment to have a look at the materials usually used to produce a badminton net.
Quick tip: If you want to know everything about what a badminton net is made of, you can check our post “What Is a Badminton Net Made Of?“, where I go in detail on all the variations of a badminton net. For the summary, just read on.
In general, the most common material for the badminton net is nylon. In some cases, the whole net will be made using only this material. However, there are some exceptions.
The mesh of the badminton net is the only part that, in most cases, is made of nylon. The difference here is in the ply number, which varies depending on the quality of the net itself.
For the top cord or cable, the two most common materials are nylon and steel. In general, steel is used for the highest quality nets and nylon is the second to best choice.
For the white tape covering the top cord or cable, either nylon or cloth is used for the highest quality nets.
What types of shots can you do when near the net?
In addition to the measurements and the materiality, you might be wondering about the types of shots you can do when near the net. Well, basically there are four types of shots you can do when near the net.
- Net shot
- Net lift shot
- Net kill shot
- Net brush shot
Net shot
A net shot in badminton is a shot that is performed from the front of the court, near the net, to the front of the court of your opponent.
This type of shot is considered mildly offensive. It can be a winner and it usually brings the rally to a situation where it can finish very fast. However, it is also used as part of the in-between face, where players are just looking for a crack in order to start the attack.
If you want a bit more information about this shot, including the different types and how to perform them, be sure to check our Badminton Net Shot post, where we explain everything about this shot in much more detail.
Net lift shot
A net lift shot is a shot that is performed from the front of the court and directed to the back of the court. It is a defensive shot and it has an upward trajectory.
With a net lift shot, you are usually looking for a bit of room to breath, but it can also be used to move your opponent around. Even though it is mostly a defensive shot, it can also finish points as we will see below.
If you want a bit more information about this shot, including the different types and how to perform them, be sure to check our Badminton Net Lift Shot post, where we explain everything about this shot in much more detail.
Net kill shot
A net kill shot is an offensive shot that is performed on the net and in which the shuttle has a fully downwards trajectory. The shuttle has the same trajectory as a smash, but because of your location on the court, the movement you need to perform is different.
Like the standard smash, this is a very offensive shot and you should only attempt it if you are confident that you can finish the rally with it.
If you want a bit more information about this shot, including the different types and how to perform them, be sure to check our What Is a Net Kill in Badminton? where we explain everything about this shot in much more detail.
Net brush shot
A net brush shot is a shot that is performed from the front of the court and directed towards the center of the court. It is an offensive shot and has a flat or downwards trajectory.
With a net brush shot, you are trying to attack the shuttle as much as possible. However, due to the proximity of the shuttle to the net, doing a net kill will probably end up with the racket hitting the net and the umpire calling a fault against you. With the net brush, that is avoided while still keeping an offensive intend.
If you want a bit more information about this shot, including the different types and how to perform them, be sure to check our Badminton Net Brush Shot post, where we explain everything about this shot in much more detail.
A few questions related to rules and net
If you are very new to badminton and are reading this article, you might not be familiar with the rules of badminton. Below I will answer the most common questions people have as far as rules and net are concerned.
Can a badminton serve hit the net?
Yes, a badminton serve can hit the net. As long as the shuttle then lands inside the limits of the service court, the serve will be valid.
Badminton is not like tennis in the sense that if the shuttle hits the net in a serve, a let would be called. In badminton, the rally proceeds as normal.
If you want to know a bit more about this, you can check our post “Can You Hit the Net in Badminton?“, where this question is answered in more detail.
What happens if someone touches the net in badminton?
If someone touches the net in badminton while the rally is at play, a fault will be called and the player or team that has touched the net will lose the point. The rules in badminton are quite strict in this matter. Not only can’t you touch the net, neither can your dress or racket.
In addition that, it is also forbidden to go over or under the net with either your body or your racket, with the only exception of a follow-through of a stroke that was hit on the striker’s side of the court.
If you want to know a bit more about this, you can check our post “Can You Hit the Net in Badminton?“, where these questions is answered in more detail.
Final words
And with this, we have arrived at the end of this post. If you have any additional questions about what a net in badminton is, let me know in the comments below.
Licence for featured image
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons license “Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International”.
Attribution: Ian Patterson, Flickr, CC BY-SA 4.0
