Rally scoring (or rally point scoring) awards a point to the winner of every rally, regardless of which side served. Badminton adopted it in 2006, replacing the older system where only the serving side could score (which made matches unpredictably long). Under rally scoring, badminton games go to 21 points (win by 2, capped at 30). The system makes match length far more predictable and TV-friendly, and increases the importance of every single rally. Volleyball and squash use similar rally-scoring systems.
Key points
- Point awarded on every rally
- Independent of who served
- Badminton adopted it in 2006
- Makes match length predictable