Guide
Getting started with RallyMixer
From opening the app to playing your first round — here's how to set up a badminton pickup session in under a minute.
What you need
RallyMixer is built for single-court pickup sessions. Before you open the app, you need:
- At least 4 players (the minimum to form two doubles teams)
- Up to 20 players — the app handles the rotation for any group size in that range
- One court — the rotation algorithm assumes one game is played at a time
You don't need an account. RallyMixer runs entirely in the browser and saves your recent player list locally so you don't have to retype names each session.
Step 1 — Enter your players
Open RallyMixer and type your players' names into the Players field. You can enter them one per line or comma-separated — either format works.
For example: Alex, Bianca, Carlos, Dana, Eli, Fatima
Names are for display only. They're saved in your browser for next time, so you can tap a name from the recent list rather than retyping it.
Tip: Short names or nicknames work best. They fit better on round cards, especially on a phone screen.
Step 2 — Set rounds and target score
Two fields control the session:
- Rounds — how many games to generate. The default is 15. For a typical 6–8 player session lasting about 90 minutes, 15–20 rounds is a reasonable starting point.
- Target score — what score each game plays to. The default is 21, which matches standard BWF rally-point scoring. Set it lower (11 or 15) for shorter games.
Both can be changed before generating. You can regenerate with new settings at any time — just be aware that regenerating resets all recorded scores.
Step 3 — Generate rounds
Tap Generate rounds. The app builds the full schedule instantly — every round, every pairing, every rest assignment — and shows it as a list of round cards in the right panel.
Each card shows the two teams, who's resting, and who's keeping score for that round. On desktop, cards on the left side are read-only thumbnails; the active round expands on the right.
Step 4 — Share to everyone's phone (optional)
Once you've generated rounds, sharing is immediate — no separate setup needed. Find the Live Room section in the left panel and tap Share link to copy a join URL to your clipboard, or share the 6-character room code directly. Anyone who opens the link or enters the code sees the same schedule and scores in real time.
Step 5 — Play and track scores
Open the current round card and tap + to add points. The app tracks the score, shows who's serving, and detects game point automatically. When a team reaches the target score, the round is marked complete and the next round becomes active.
You can also mark a round complete manually if you're not using the in-app scorekeeping — for example, if someone else is calling score out loud.
Rounds overview: Tap the Rounds overview button to see a full summary table — who's played whom, current scores, and how many rounds each player has completed. On mobile it appears inline above the round cards.
Regenerating mid-session
The current version generates a fixed schedule upfront. If a player leaves or a new person arrives, the simplest option is to regenerate with the updated list. This resets all scores and gives you a fresh schedule tailored to the new group size.
If you're mid-session and don't want to lose recorded scores, complete the current round first, then regenerate from the next round onward — treat the new schedule as the continuation.