Image via Nintendo

All sports terms in Nintendo Switch Sports, explained

What even is a “birdie,” anyway?

Tom Griffin

Published: May 2, 2022 09:14 pm

For the uninitiated, the six sports of Nintendo Switch Sports virtually represent real-life athletic events, each with complex techniques and even more complex jargon. This article aims to serve as a glossary for any players confused as to what certain aspects of each sport mean.

Volleyball

Serve — The server hits the ball overhead toward their opponent’s half of the court, placing the ball in play at the start of every rally.
Ace — When a serve lands fair in the receiving team’s court without its players responding to it, the server’s team is awarded points.
Bump — The first hit on the ball made by the receiving team after the serve or a spike, redirecting the ball upward such that the receiving team can regroup under it.
Set — A vertical hit following the bump that positions the ball near the net, allowing the spiker to follow up with an offensive play.
Spike — A downward hit over the net that follows the set, often characterized by the spiker jumping to meet the ball in mid-air.
Block — When a player on the receiving team jumps up toward the net to meet the spike and deny the ball from passing to their side
Block out — A blocker blocks the ball out of bounds, rewarding the offending team with points.

Soccer

Kickoff — When the ball is placed into play at center-field.
Pass — One teammate gently kicking the ball to another teammate, giving possession of the ball to the recipient.
Shot — Kicking the ball toward the goal, with the intent of scoring.
Goal — Successfully kicking a ball through a team’s goal and into the back of the net, rewarding the other team a point.
Assist — Pass between teammates that leads to the recipient scoring a goal.
Save — Defensive play made by a goalie to stop a shot from entering the goal.

Bowling

Strike — Knocking down all 10 pins with the ball on the first throw, granting the player responsible the maximum amount of points.
Spare — Knocking down all pins by the second throw, depending on how many pins remain standing after the first throw.
Double — Two back-to-back strikes.
Turkey — Three uninterrupted strikes.
X-Bagger — An alternative of the bowling term “badger,” signifying consecutive strikes higher than three (with a four-bagger signifying four straight strikes and so on).

Tennis

Serve — Similarly to volleyball, the server hits the ball overhead and diagonally across the court to initiate play.
Ace — If a ball is served and not successfully returned by the receiving team, the serving team is awarded points.
Fault — Issued to the serving team if a serve does not clear the net, or does not land in the proper area of play.
Double Fault — Grants the receiving team points if the serving team faults twice in a row.
X-all — Both teams are tied at a certain score (three-all indicates a three-three tie).
Deuce — When the game’s score ties at four-all, the game enters a state in which one team needs to score twice consecutively over the other to win.
Advantage — The team to temporarily break the tie and take a lead in a deuce scenario.

Badminton

Birdie — The “ball” adorned with plastic feathers that is used in badminton play.
Serve — Birdie put into play with an overhand hit over the net.
Kill — Downward swing similar to a spike that cannot be counter-played by the receiving team.
Smash — Powerful downward swing that catches the birdie at the apex of its travel ark.
Double hit — If a receiving team cannot return the ball in a single hit, and tries to hit the same birdie twice, the opposing team is awarded points.

Chambara

Strike — A player landing a successful slashing hit on an opponent with their sword.
Guard — The act of blocking an opponent’s incoming strike with their own sword.
Thrust — A forward-lunging strike that, if landing on an opponent, knocks them further back than a standard strike.

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Author

Tom Griffin