Individual Sports and Games: Rules, Techniques and Terminology
This domain tests the rules, basic techniques and terminology of individual sports. Common choices are athletics, badminton, gymnastics, table tennis and wrestling. The safest preparation is to know one game in depth and the core rules of the others.
Badminton essentials
- A match is best of three games to 21 points, played on a rally-point system.
- At 20–20, a player must lead by two points; at 29–29, the first to 30 wins.
- Service is diagonal. The server serves from the right service court when the score is even and from the left when odd.
- The winner of a rally serves next. Faults include serving above the legal height, shuttle landing outside the lines, and touching the net.
- Terms: smash, drop shot, clear, net shot, drive, deuce, let.
Athletics essentials
- Sprint starts use blocks and commands: On your marks, Set, then the gun. A false start leads to disqualification.
- Long jump is foul if the foot crosses the take-off board. High jump allows three consecutive failures before elimination.
- Terms: lane, stagger, take-off, foul, photo finish, personal best.
Worked example
At 20–20 in badminton, player A wins the next point. The score becomes 21–20, but the match is not over because a two-point lead is required. If the score reaches 29–29, the next point wins at 30. The reasoning is that the ordinary 21-point rule is modified by the deuce and ceiling rules.
Marks-losing traps
Do not use the old 15-point badminton scoring. Do not say the server always serves from the right; it depends on score parity. Do not confuse badminton deuce with tennis. In athletics, do not call a lane violation a foul in the same way as a long-jump board foul.