Contents
One world rulebook, national categories
Unlike sports with competing sanctioning bodies, badminton has one world body: the BWF publishes the Laws, with no schism. What varies from country to country is the youth pathway: the FFBaD (MiniBad, Dispositif Jeunes, PassBad), Swiss Badminton / J+S-Kids. These federations localise the categories and adapted formats; they do not rewrite the Laws. So keep the federation category next to the Paak band, but do not expect a per-federation rule matrix: there isn’t one.
The FFBaD age categories
The FFBaD publishes seven categories, MiniBad to Senior, set by year of birth (age is assessed at the 1 January following the season).
| FFBaD category | Definition | ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| MiniBad | under 9 | U9 |
| Poussin(e) | under 11 and 9+ | U11 |
| Benjamin(e) | under 13 and 11+ | U13 |
| Minime | under 15 and 13+ | U15 |
| Cadet(te) | under 17 and 15+ | U17 |
| Junior | under 19 and 17+ | U19 |
| Senior | adult (Vétéran from ~35) | none |
International eligibility (Badminton Europe / BWF) can differ slightly from the French categories: do not assume they are identical.
The Plumes ladder (PassBad)
The FFBaD’s Dispositif Jeunes evaluates progress through the PassBad: five “feathers” (plumes) passed strictly in order, like judo belts, judged on technique, tactics and knowledge of the activity.
- White: “get ready to play”, for under-9s (optional from Benjamin on); backed by 3 MiniBad booklets.
- Yellow: “become a badminton player”.
- Green: “read the game and organise”.
- Blue: “act with intent”.
- Red: “build a tactical problem”.
At most ~2 plumes per season, and never before the previous one is passed. The four colour plumes (yellow→red) earn a diploma and a first ranking from the Benjamin category. The testing net is fixed at 1.40 m, targets at 1 m².
Net, shuttle, racket: the adapted formats
The principle behind youth formats is three moves: lower the net, slow the shuttle, shorten the racket. The MiniBad net is at 1.40 m (against 1.524 m at the centre / 1.55 m at the posts for the adult net); the shuttle is a slow nylon one: Swiss J+S colour-grades speed (rot = fast, blau = normal, grün = slow); rackets are shorter and lighter. Beyond youth, two adapted formats exist: AirBadminton (BWF’s outdoor format: court 16 × 6 m for doubles, 16 × 5 m for singles, a 2 m dead zone each side of the net, AirShuttle ~8 g), a distinct discipline with its own court, shuttle and rules; and para-badminton, which runs six sport classes (WH1, WH2, SL3, SL4, SU5, SH6) with a 1.55 m net for all.
From the 1.40 m net to the adult net: the format ladder
Lower the net, slow the shuttle, shorten the racket, then the format catches up to the adult game, category by category.
- The MiniBad net is at 1.40 m; the adult net at 1.524 m at the centre / 1.55 m at the posts (slow nylon shuttle, short racket for the youngest).
- Each Paak band straddles two FFBaD categories (e.g. u13 = Poussin + Benjamin): it is an inference, never an official category. Keep the federation category next to the band.
Source: FFBaD, Guide du Badminton ch. 02 (age categories) and Dispositif Jeunes / PassBad (5 plumes; 1.40 m net; 1 m² targets) · BWF, Laws of Badminton, Law 2 (adult net 1.524 m / 1.55 m) · Paak corpus 02. The Paak-band ↔ FFBaD-category mapping is a Paak derivation, published by no federation.
Paak’s bands: a derivation, not a federation rule
Paak sorts categories into four bands: u9, u13, u17, sen. None maps onto a single FFBaD category: each band straddles two categories, and this mapping is a Paak derivation (an inference), published by no federation. Always keep the exact FFBaD category next to the band, never instead of it.
| Paak band | ≈ age | ≈ FFBaD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| u9 | <9 | MiniBad | 1.40 m net, slow shuttle, short racket; white plume |
| u13 | 9–12 | Poussin + Benjamin | straddles two categories; yellow→green; first ranking from Benjamin |
| u17 | 13–16 | Minime + Cadet | green→red; power strokes arrive by readiness |
| sen | 17+ | Junior + Senior | full curriculum; the recreational band where Achilles-rupture risk peaks |
Load and development, band by band
The development order is the same everywhere: movement literacy and coordination first, technique on adapted equipment next, power and volume last.
- u9 (MiniBad): motor development, coordination, adapted format; power strokes (the jump smash) and full doubles rotation are not introduced.
- u13: stroke foundations and the first doubles positioning; decision games; keep high-intensity volume modest during growth.
- u17: power strokes and full doubles rotation by readiness; the jump smash and Achilles-protective landing arrive here.
- sen: full curriculum, mixed doubles included; this is the recreational age band where Achilles rupture peaks. Prevention matters most here.
Frequently asked
From what age does badminton competition start?
What net height for children?
Are the u9/u13/u17/sen bands official categories?
Sources
FFBaD, Guide du Badminton ch. 02 (age categories) · FFBaD, Dispositif Jeunes + PassBad brochure (5 plumes; 1.40 m net; 1 m² targets) · Swiss Badminton / J+S-Kids (OFSPO-BASPO), Rückschlagspiele mit Kindern (shuttle speeds, ages ~5–10, reconfirm on mobilesport.ch) · BWF, Shuttle Time and Laws of Badminton (adult net 1.524 m / 1.55 m; AirBadminton; para-badminton, six classes). The band↔FFBaD-category mappings are a Paak derivation (an inference), published by no federation. Content verified August 2026.