At its core, badminton is a relatively simple game to understand and is fairly similar to tennis. Players face off either alone or with a partner with the goal of having the shuttlecock hit the ground on their opponent's side of the court. Each player is only allowed one hit to try to get shuttle over the net. Each series of hits known as a rally starts with the server hitting the shuttle diagonally across the court. Players can opt to hit it high making it easy for their opponent to return but harder for them to hit it with accuracy and power, or a riskier smash, that makes it harder for the opponent to return but also harder to control. Hanebado! shows off the rules of the game in early episodes without directly stating the rules giving you a basic understanding of what is going on.

Control, offensive, and defensive are the three main types of players commonly seen in badminton. Offensive players like Nagisa Aragaki are aggressive and are willing to use their full power even it if may result in a fault, like in Nagisa's match with Tachibana as she regains her love for badminton and starts putting everything into her smashes again. Ayano Hanesaki is the perfect example of a control type character with her incredible accuracy and shot placement, Ayano is able to participate in long rallies and hit the shuttle wherever she needs to. Defensive players rely on their returns and forcing their opponents into making mistakes. Riko Izumi falls into this category with her ability to go toe to toe with Nagisa and uses her defensive tactics and shot placement to deal with Nagisa's power.

Badminton has many advanced techniques like the smash that make the game a bit more complex. Outside of a smash, the two most used shots seen in Hanebado! have been the clear shot and the drop shot. A clear shot can be used to hit send the shuttle towards the back of your opponent's backcourt forcing them to chase after it and return it giving you more time to set up for a counter. The drop shot is the opposite of the clear shot, forcing the opponent to come closer the net to return a shuttle that passes just slightly above the net. Both of these shots have been seen in almost every match from the practice matches to the tournament matches in episode one.