Last checked: August 2026 · Written by the player-led team at Badminton House
Quick answer: split twelve players into two active groups
Choose two badminton warm-up games, divide twelve players into groups of six and run both games for five minutes before swapping. With two courts, use one game per court. With one court, keep one group on court and the other in a separate, venue-approved no-net area. Ten active minutes is enough to use one pair of games; the list below is a menu, not one giant warm-up.
These are group games with scores, roles or shared targets. They are not a mobility sequence, a stretching routine or eight isolated beginner keep-up drills. If you need a progressive movement routine for a cold hall, use the separate cold-gym badminton warm-up.
The game bases come from Norges Badmintonforbund’s Gøy med badminton coaching guide and current federation session plans. Original values are identified below. Compact layouts, round structures and mixed-age changes labelled “Badminton House” are our programming.
Programming boundary: Badminton House’s 5-minute swaps, lane dimensions, activity targets, safety modifications, one-court pairings and mixed-age options are practical starting choices. They are not official federation standards, optimal warm-up doses, staffing ratios or validated progression thresholds.
Set up two games for twelve players
Map the floor before naming teams. Racket games need separated swing lanes; tag games need a boundary with no racket swings; wall games need an approved solid wall without glass, doors, equipment or passing traffic. No travel route should cross a live game.
The BWF Shuttle Time teachers’ manual tells leaders to account for loose shuttles, swing spacing, handedness, player and team counts, activity length, available space and adaptations for age and ability.
| Space available | Badminton House layout for 12 | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Two courts | Six players on each court. Run one game per court, then exchange groups. Half-court games use two groups of three or one group of four to six as stated below. | Five minutes, 60-second water and explanation change, five minutes. |
| One court plus approved side area | Six play an on-court game. Six use Circle Rally, Head Shuttle, Racket-Balance Relay or Juggle Levels in a separately cleared no-net area. Swap on one signal. | Five minutes, stop both areas, 60-second change, five minutes. |
| One court only | Use two safely separated half-court games only when their rules do not send players or shuttles across the centre line. Otherwise run one six-player group while the other waits outside the activity area and swap more frequently. | Two minutes 30 seconds per group, four swaps. This reduces continuous activity and is the fallback, not the preferred layout. |
Badminton House whole-room stop rule
When a loose shuttle enters another lane, a player falls, a wall lane loses clearance or a group cannot hear the leader, stop every game before retrieving equipment or moving groups. Players collect shuttles only after all rackets are down.
Eight badminton warm-up games
1. Empty the Court
Warm-up emphasis: repeated controlled reaches, underarm throws or short racket swings, plus quick visual decisions about which shuttle to clear next.
Source-derived original: 12-minute activity slot; teams of three or four; 20–30 shuttles on each half; one-minute round; throw or hit shuttles over the net; the team with fewer shuttles left wins.
Badminton House low-shuttle setup: two teams of three use one court with 8–12 shuttles per half. Play three 60-second rounds with 45 seconds for a complete stop, count and reset. The reduced quantity and three-round format are house choices.
Target: the source target is the fewest shuttles remaining when the minute ends. Count only after every racket is down.
Safety rule: walking and controlled reaching only—no running through loose shuttles. Stop the round if a shuttle is under a player’s foot or a swing enters another player’s space.
Mixed-age scaling: newer or younger players use gentle underarm throws; ready players use compact underarm racket contacts. The source permits both delivery methods; matching methods to players is a house adaptation.
2. Circle Rally
Warm-up emphasis: hand-eye tracking, grip awareness, light shoulder movement and communication around a shared target.
Source-derived original: a 12-minute circle game with rackets and one shuttle; players send it to another person, count the longest rally and may use forehand-only, backhand-only or different circle sizes.
Badminton House setup and dose: four to six players in a 3–4 metre-diameter circle; use four 90-second rounds with 30 seconds to change the rule.
House target: reach 12 group contacts. A miss restarts the count but does not remove a player.
House progression: round one is free choice, round two forehand-side only, round three backhand-side only and round four names the receiver before contact.
Mixed-age scaling: newer players use a smaller circle and may catch then underarm-toss the shuttle once per rally; ready players use racket contacts throughout. The catch option is house programming.
3. Line Tag With Chasse Steps
Warm-up emphasis: ankles, calves, sideways movement and controlled changes of direction along badminton court lines.
Source-derived base: the current NBF Level 2 plan uses four to six players on a half court, one tagger and sideways chasse movement within a 15-minute warm-up block.
Badminton House dose: one group of four to six per half court; run six 45-second rounds with 30 seconds to change tagger and direction. The tagger carries a shuttle overhead so the role is visible but tags with the free hand.
House target: the tagger tries for three controlled shoulder or upper-arm tags in a round. A player who leaves the lines returns to the nearest intersection; nobody is eliminated.
Safety rule: no rackets, no diving and no crossing feet at maximum speed. Change direction under control at intersections.
Mixed-age scaling: newer or older players walk sideways; ready players chasse at a pace that still allows a two-step stop. Speed groups share the court only when the leader can separate them by line.
4. Head Shuttle Balance
Warm-up emphasis: upright posture, balance, careful walking and awareness of other players.
Source-derived original: a 12-minute game in which every player balances a shuttle on the head, tries to remove other players’ shuttles without touching their bodies and wins by being the last balanced player.
Badminton House continuous version: four to six players on a half court; use five 60-second rounds with 30 seconds to reset. A player whose shuttle falls rebalances at the sideline and returns rather than being eliminated.
House target: score one point for every complete 30 seconds balanced. Highest total after five rounds wins.
Safety change: walking only. An open hand may touch exposed shuttle feathers, never the head, face, neck or body. Any body contact stops that player’s round.
Mixed-age scaling: newer, younger or balance-limited players play personal balance only with no opponent interference; ready players use the feather-touch rule. Both use the same 30-second target.
5. Shuttle-Throwing Tag
Warm-up emphasis: underarm throwing action, visual scanning and short changes of direction.
Source-derived base: the older NBF guide includes a ten-minute all-versus-all body-shuttle game that excludes the head and hands. The current Level 1 plan includes shuttle-throwing tag on a half court within a 15-minute warm-up.
Badminton House controlled version: four to six players on a half court, one chaser and one shuttle. Run six 45-second rounds with 30 seconds to change roles. The chaser uses a gentle underarm throw from at least two metres and aims below the knee; the tagged player becomes the next chaser after the reset.
House target: complete six rounds so at least six players receive a chaser turn. Nobody is eliminated.
Safety rule: no throws above knee height, no overarm throws and no retrieving a loose shuttle until the leader stops the round.
Mixed-age scaling: newer or younger groups replace the throw with a hand tag while carrying the shuttle; ready groups retain the two-metre underarm throw. Never pair a powerful thrower against a player who cannot comfortably evade it.
6. Wall Squash to Five
Warm-up emphasis: compact racket preparation, hand-eye tracking, grip changes and repeated light shoulder movement.
Source-derived original: pairs use one racket each and one shuttle for ten minutes, hit against a wall above a visible mark and play best of three games to five.
Badminton House space rule: one pair per lane at least 2 metres wide and 3 metres deep, with every waiting player behind the rear boundary. Use an existing wall seam or padding edge rather than adding equipment. The venue must approve the wall.
Target: preserve the source score—best of three games to five—or stop after ten minutes, whichever arrives first.
House progression: begin with either player self-feeding; when both can start safely, alternate every legal wall return.
Mixed-age scaling: newer players stand closer, self-feed and receive two attempts to clear the wall line; ready players alternate contacts from behind a house-marked two-metre depth. Stop if the shuttle enters another lane.
7. Racket-Balance Relay
Warm-up emphasis: grip awareness, posture, ankles and controlled acceleration and stopping.
Source-derived original: the NBF Level 1 plan gives the relay five to ten minutes, balances a shuttle on a racket in the forehand grip, travels over three badminton courts and resumes from the drop point.
Badminton House compact version: teams of three use separate 1.5 × 6 metre lanes. Walk to the turn line and back, pass the racket, and complete three circuits in ten minutes.
House target: record two clean out-and-back legs with no shuttle drop. A drop is not a disqualification; replace the shuttle at the drop point and continue.
House progression: after two clean legs, use sideways chasse on the outward leg and walking on the return.
Mixed-age scaling: newer or older players use a 4-metre lane and walking only; ready players use 6 metres and the chasse progression. No group uses maximum-speed turns.
8. Shuttle Juggle Levels
Warm-up emphasis: hand-eye tracking, racket-face control, grip changes and light shoulder movement under a game constraint.
Source-derived original: a 12-minute individual challenge keeping a shuttle moving on the racket, then trying to sit, stand and optionally lie down while maintaining contacts.
Badminton House group game: four to six players each use a 2 × 2 metre personal box. Run four 90-second levels with 30 seconds to reset: five forehand-side contacts, five backhand-side contacts, five alternating contacts, then five contacts plus one body-level change.
House target: complete two of the four levels. A drop restarts only the current five-contact count.
House progression: use a controlled sit-down and stand-up only when the floor is clean, dry and clear and the player is comfortable with that movement. Lying down is optional, never required.
Mixed-age scaling: newer, older or mobility-limited players use a shallow knee bend or one-knee touch instead of sitting; ready players may use the source sit-and-stand challenge inside their own box.
Pair the games without creating collisions
Pair one movement-heavy game with one racket or tracking game. That keeps both groups active without putting twelve racket swings in one space. The combinations below are Badminton House scheduling examples, not federation session prescriptions.
| Pair | Group A | Group B | Space note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empty the Court | Circle Rally | Use separate courts or a court plus a cleared side area; never place the circle behind a live baseline. |
| 2 | Line Tag | Head Shuttle Balance | One half court each can work if a centre-line buffer remains and neither group crosses it. |
| 3 | Shuttle-Throwing Tag | Wall Squash | Use completely separate areas; a wall lane must not open onto the tag court. |
| 4 | Racket-Balance Relay | Shuttle Juggle Levels | Relay lanes and personal boxes need an empty racket-length buffer and separate travel paths. |
For a full practice after the warm-up, the badminton practice session plan explains how to move from preparation into a focused training block. For a much larger squad with limited courts, use the separate fixed-pod limited-court plan.
Leader’s 60-second check
- Name each group’s boundary, target and stop signal.
- Confirm that racket swings, running paths and loose shuttles cannot enter the other game.
- State the younger/newer and ready-player versions before starting.
- Stop both games before swapping groups or collecting shuttles.
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