History of badminton

A badminton-like game was known in ancient Greece and Egypt - a game called battledore and shuttlecock - in which
two players hit a feathered shuttlecock back and forth with tiny rackets.

The game was played in India during the 18th Century, at which time it was called "Poona" . In the 1860s it was adopted
by British Army officers stationed in India. The officers took the game back to England, where it became a success at a
party given by the Duke of Beaufort in 1873 at his estate called "Badminton" in Gloucestershire.

A variation of Badminton which has been developed only recently, Speed Badminton or Speedminton, is played without
a net, and is gaining popularity, especially in Germany.

Facilities and Equipment

Racket

The badminton racket is one of the most important tools a player has in the game. Badminton rackets are much lighter
than most other sports rackets because they are made from materials such as carbon fiber or lighter metals such as
aluminum. Parts of the racket include the head, throat, shaft and handle with a maximum length of 27.77 inches and a
width of 9 inches. It Strings that are stretched across the opening of the racket in a checkerboard pattern, which acts as
the hitting surface. Badminton rackets can vary widely in cost depending on whether they are purchased as part of a
basic backyard set or as more expensive professional models.

Shuttlecock

The badminton shuttlecock, also referred to as a shuttle or birdie, acts similarly to a ball in other racket sports. However,
the design of the birdie creates more drag as it is propelled through the air due to its feathered shape. The shuttlecock is
made up of a cone shape with a hard cork at its tip. Shuttlecocks can be made from a variety of materials -- more
expensive models are actually made from feathers, and less expensive models are made from plastic feathers. The
shuttle has 16 feathers attached to the base and the length of the feathers range between 2.44 and 2.75 inches.

Net

A mesh net divides the badminton court into two sides. A badminton net is placed lower than a volleyball net at five feet
and one inch high on the sides and five feet high in the center. The length may vary depending on whether doubles or
singles are playing, with singles reaching 17 feet and doubles reaching 22 feet. The net is 30 inches wide with a 3-inch
white tape doubled over the top.

Facilities

The badminton court should be 44 feet long by 22 feet wide if playing doubles, and 44 feet long by 17 feet wide for
singles. If the facility is indoors, there needs to be enough height for the shuttlecock to be able to float across the net
without hitting the ceiling. This height will vary depending on the strength of the players.

Basic Skills

1. The Ready Stance

Always having the right stance when playing makes it a lot easier to minimize the movements you need to make to hit a
shot. The ready stance done by putting your non-racquet leg a step forward and about shoulder width away from your
racquet leg. Slightly bend both knees with your weight balanced between both legs. Slightly bend forward from the hip,
keeping your back straight, and lift your racquet up with your racquet-hand in front of you slightly above your shoulder
and the head of the racquet to be right above your forehead. Raise your non-racquet arm to help improve your balance.
2. Forehand and Backhand Grip

Badminton Forehand

Having the right grip is crucial in helping new players control their shots better and protects from possible injury from
putting too much pressure on the wrist. The simplest way to grip your badminton racquet is by imitating a handshake.
Your thumb should press against the handle while the rest of your hand and four fingers wrap around the racquet. This
handshake should be a friendly one. Don’t grip too tightly because you need to retain flexibility in your wrist. It is
recommended that you opt to put a wrap around your grip to make it more comfortable and less slippery.

This grip applies to both forehand and backhand grips used for both forehand and backhand shots. The variations lie in
that for the forehand grip, it’s better to fold your thumb a bit and let your index finger control the racquet on the stroke,
while for the backhand grip, the thumb pressing against the racquet will control the stroke. Having a loose grip and
being able to quickly switch between grips is an advanced skill that allows pros to shift from forehand to backhand
easily.

3. Footwork

Footwork is basic badminton skill that a lot of new players often overlook. But having the right footwork makes the
game so much easier as it allows you to cover more ground around the court while using less time and energy. Lateral
steps are the best way to move around the badminton court as it allows you to cover a lot of ground and change
direction fast, while putting less strain on your knees. By practicing the right footwork, you’ll feel that it is easier to
recover to hit shuttles that are flying towards the other side of the court. Some basic drill

4. Strokes

There are 4 basic strokes that every beginner needs to learn. By knowing these, beginners can create good badminton
stroke habits, which they can use in the future for more advanced shots like drops, smashes and drives. These are:

Overhead Forehand – this is the most common stroke and most beginners are very more comfortable using this
especially for stronger strokes. Make sure to have a forehand grip, lift your racket arm up with the racket slightly above
your head, and tilt your body to the side of your racket arm with your racket arm behind you. Widen your chest and use
your non-racket hand to point at the shuttlecock to aim. Straighten out your racket arm then swing it towards the
shuttle in a downward motion while slightly rotating your waist towards the front. Swing the racket until it’s pointing
slightly downwards.

Overhead Backhand- the overhead backhand is slightly more difficult for beginners as you’ll have to face your body
backward to use this effectively. This is a slightly advanced shot that is hard to master at first but doing so will set good
foundations to how you play badminton. To start, turn your body to the back in the direction of your non-racket arm,
with your racket arm raised in front of you and pointing towards the back. Keep your racket-arm close to your body,
bent such that your elbow is pointing down. As the shuttle approaches above your head level, slightly tilt your arm
downward to gain momentum then swing up and flick your wrist upward until the racket is pointing up and your arm is
straightened out. Remember to immediately go back to your ready stance once you’ve hit the shot.

Underarm Forehand– the underarm forehand allows you to hit low shots with a lot of strength, but it is quite challenging
to aim at first. To do this, from your ready stance, lunge forward with your racket-leg and keep your racket arm slightly
bent with the top of the racket’s head slightly below shoulder level. Straighten your arm out to make the racket tilt
backwards then flick your wrist, followed by your arm, to swing forward when hitting the shuttle. Bend your body
forward slightly to keep your balance.

Underarm Backhand– the underarm backhand is actually easier to do than the overhead counterpart since you won’t
need to turn backwards. Lunging towards your backhand area, Bend your racket arm downward with the racket handle
parallel to the floor and the racket head parallel to your body. Flick your wrist upward, followed by your arm until your
arm is extended straight and aligned with your shoulder.

5. Underarm Backhand Serve

The underarm backhand serve is the most basic badminton serve that you can practice as a beginner because it gives
you easier control in terms of how strong you’ll hit the shuttle and where you will make the shuttle go in terms of height
or placement on the court. By learning how to utilize this serve, you can already start to strategize where you place your
serve depending on your opponent. To start, have a ready stance with your backhand leg slightly forward with both feet
pointing forward. Lift your racket up to so it is parallel to the floor, with the head parallel to the net and aligned with
your shoulder. Using your non-racket hand, hold the shuttle cock by the feather about 5-6 inches in front of the center
of the racket’s face. Bend the wrist of your racket hand downward to generate momentum and flick upwards with
varying strength depending on how far or how high you want the shuttle cock to travel. Try to play around with how
strong you hit the shuttle and how high you follow through. Try to aim for different spots in the court with this serve and
you’ll immediately have the upper hand against your opponents.

Terminologies

Glossary of Badminton Terms

Alley - Extension of the court by l 1/2 feet on both sides for doubles play.

Back Alley - Area between the back boundary line and the long service line for doubles.

Backcourt - Back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.

Balk - Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the service; often called a "feint."

Baseline - Back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.

Carry - An illegal tactic, also called a sling or throw, in which the shuttle is caught and held on the racquet and then slung
during the execution of a stroke.

Center or Base Position - Location in the center of the court to which a singles player tries to return after each shot.

Center Line - Line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.

Clear - A shot hit deep to the opponent’s back boundar>Nine. The high clear is a defensive shot, while the flatter
attacking clear is used offensively.

Court - Area of play, as defined by the outer boundary lines.

Drive - A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.

Drop - A shot hit sohly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net on the opponent’s side

Fault - A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play (see common faults listed below).

Flick - A quick wrist and forearm rotation that surprises an opponent by changing an apparently soft shot into a faster
passing one; used primarily on the serve and at the net.

Forecourt - Front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.

Hairpin Net Shot - Shot made from below and very close to the net with the shuttle rising, just clearing the net, and then
dropping sharply down the other side. The shuttle’s flight approximates the shape of a hairpin.

Halfcourt Shot - A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles against the up-and-back formation.
Kill - Fast, downward shot that cannot be returned; a "putaway." Let - A legitimate cessation of play to allow a rally to be
replayed. Long Service Line - In singles, the back boundary line.1n doubles a line 2 l/2 feet inside the back boundary line.
The serve may not go past this line.

Match - A series of games (at U.S. Olympic Festival-’93 it is three out of five), to determine a winner. Midcourt - The
middle third of the court, halfway between the net and the back boundary line.

Net Shot - Shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.

Push Shot - Gentle shot played by pushing the shuttle with little wrist motion, usually from net or midcourt to the
opponent’s midcourt.

Racquet - Instrument used by playerto hit shuttlecock Weight:About3 ounces. Length: 27 inches. Made of: Ceramic,
graphite, or boron frame; beef-gut string. Cost: $60-$175 (unstrung).

Rally - Exchange of shots while the shuttle is in play.

Serve or Service - Stroke used to put shuttlecock into play at the start of each rally.

Service Court - Area into which the serve must be delivered. Different for singles and doubles play.

Short Service Line - The line 6 l/2 feet from the net which a serve must reach to be legal.

Shuttlecock - Official name for the object that players hit. Also known as "birdie." Weight: .17-.l9 ounces. Made of: 16
goose feathers attached to a corktip covered with goat skin. Cost: $1.50-$2.00. Usually lasts for no more than two
games. The heavier the shuttlecock, the faster it flies. Flies faster in higher temperatures and at higher altitudes.

Smash - Hard-hit overhead shot that forces the shuttle sharply downward. Badminton’s primary attacking stroke.

Wood Shot - Shot that results when the base of the shuttle is hit by the frame of the racquet. Once illegal, this shot was
ruled acceptable by the International Badminton Federation in 1963.

Rules and Regulations

The Laws of Badminton and Competition Regulations in the BWF Statutes provide the detail on every aspect of the game
of badminton.

Below is a brief overview - simplified rules.

Scoring System

◦ A match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.

◦ Every time there is a serve – there is a point scored.

◦ The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.

◦ At 20 all, the side which gains a 2 point lead first, wins that game.

◦ At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point, wins that game.

◦ The side winning a game serves first in the next game.

Interval and Change of Ends

◦ When the leading score reaches 11 points, players have a 60 second interval.

◦ A 2 minute interval between each game is allowed.

◦ In the third game, players change ends when the leading score reaches 11 points.
Singles

◦ At the beginning of the game (0-0) and when the server’s score is even, the server serves from the right
service court. When the server’s score is odd, the server serves from the left service court.

◦ If the server wins a rally, the server scores a point and then serves again from the alternate service
court.

◦ If the receiver wins a rally, the receiver scores a point and becomes the new server. They serve from the
appropriate service court – left if their score is odd, and right if it is even.

◦ Doubles

◦ A side has only one ‘set’.

◦ The service passes consecutively to the players as shown in the diagram.

◦ At the beginning of the game and when the score is even, the server serves from the right service court.
When it is odd, the server serves from the left court.

◦ If the serving side wins a rally, the serving side scores a point and the same server serves again from the
alternate service court.

◦ If the receiving side wins a rally, the receiving side scores a point. The receiving side becomes the new
serving side.

◦ The players do not change their respective service courts until they win a point when their side is
serving.

If players commit an error in the service court, the error is corrected when the mistake is discovered.

In a doubles match between A & B against C & D. A & B won the toss and decided to serve. A to serve to C. A shall be
the initial server while C shall be the initial receiver.