25 badminton goals, from a first 20 shot rally to a club tournament

Badminton goals for beginners

Beginner goals are about keeping the shuttle in the air and getting it over the net on purpose.

• Keep a rally going for 20 shots with a partner before the shuttle touches the floor.
• Hit 15 legal short serves out of 20.
• Learn the scoring and play 3 full games to the end.
• Play twice a week for 8 weeks.
• Hit 10 high clears in a row that reach the back third of the court.

Badminton footwork and fitness goals

Getting to the shuttle early is reaction time and quick feet, the same thing a fielder trains in softball goals.

• Do 6 sets of shadow footwork to the 6 corners, 3 times a week, for 6 weeks.
• Come back to the middle of the court after every shot, for one whole game.
• Do 30 lunges to the net and back at every session for 4 weeks.
• Skip rope for 5 minutes before every session for 2 months.
• Play a full best of three match once a week for a month.

Badminton shot goals: clear, drop, smash and net

Shot goals pick one shot and one target, so you know after ten tries if it worked.

• Land 8 clears out of 10 behind the doubles long service line.
• Land 7 drop shots out of 10 in front of the short service line.
• Hit 20 smashes in a row that land inside the court.
• Keep a net rally of 15 shots going with a partner.
• Get 5 backhand clears out of 10 past the middle of the court.

Badminton serve and return goals

The serve is the one shot where nobody else moves first, so it rewards the calm, repeated motion that archery goals train too.

• Hit 20 short serves in a row that are legal and land in the box.
• Serve 50 times at the start of every session for a month.
• Land 7 long singles serves out of 10 near the back line.
• Put a towel in the front corner of the box and touch it with 3 serves out of 10.
• Answer 8 short serves out of 10 with a net shot or a push, not a lift.

Badminton match, doubles and club goals

Match goals are about what you do in the game, not the score at the end. Many of them carry over to the other big racket sport, and tennis goals cover it.

• Play 30 matches this season.
• Enter your first club tournament.
• Play 10 doubles matches with the same partner.
• Keep service faults under 2 a game for 5 games.
• Write down one thing that worked after each of 20 matches.

What is a good badminton goal?

A good badminton goal is a count of something you do, not a result against someone else. A review of 27 studies of goal setting in sport found that process goals, the ones about how you carry out a skill, had by far the largest effect on performance (1.36). Goals about your own results came next (0.44), and goals about winning had almost none (0.09). "15 legal short serves out of 20" is yours. "Beat the club champion" depends on the champion.

Count serves and rallies rather than points, because the points are changing. A match is the best of three games. Until the end of 2026, a game goes to 21 points, with a two point lead needed from 20-all. From 4 January 2027, the Laws of Badminton make it 15 points, with a two point lead from 14-all and the 21st point winning at 20-all. A serve count means the same thing under both rules.

Once a week, look at your counts and pick the one thing to work on next. That is all a weekly review is, and it keeps a season of practice pointed somewhere.

How to track badminton goals

Write your counts down before you leave the hall. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

Sessions and matches are a day count. Serves, clears and footwork sets are amounts that add up. A month of footwork before every session is one of the simplest 30 day challenge ideas there is.

A ranking moves slowly. Your serve count moves every time you play. A picture that fills with every session shows the part you can change this week.

Frequently asked questions

What are good badminton goals for beginners?

Keep a rally going for 20 shots, hit 15 legal short serves out of 20, and play twice a week for 8 weeks. When those are easy, aim your clears at the back of the court.

How many points is a game of badminton?

Until the end of 2026, a game goes to 21 points and a match is the best of three games. From 4 January 2027, a game goes to 15 points, with a two point lead from 14-all and a cap at 21.

How do I improve my badminton footwork?

Do shadow footwork: move to the 6 corners of the court with no shuttle, in sets, 3 times a week. In games, come back to the middle after every shot. Count the sets, not the feeling.