A Brief 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.

Badminton is a sport for two or four people. The game is either one player against one player
or a team of two players against another team of two players. The players use rackets to hit a
shuttlecock over a net.

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.

In 1877, the newly formed Bath Badminton Club arranged the first set of written rules. In 1899,
the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world,
was held. Since 1992, Badminton has been an Olympic sport. The first was in the 1992 Summer
Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Although badminton originated in England, it is mainly played in countries of Asia such as

China, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea that now dominates this sport.

Badminton Facilities

Badminton Court Dimensions

The overall dimension is 20 feet by 44 feet, marking the sidelines for doubles play and long
service lines for singles play.

The Net Line

The net line marks the middle of the court where the net is placed, creating a 22 feet by 20 feet
area on each side of the net.

The Badminton Net

The top of the badminton net is hung 5 feet above in the center net line.

Short Service Line

The short service line is marked 6 feet 6 inches from the center line. The area inside the short
service line is also called the Non Volley Zone.

Center Line
The Center Line is the line that divides the court from the Short Service Line to the Back
Boundary Line. This delineates the Left from Right Service Court.

Side Line for Singles Play

The Singles Side Line is marked 1 1/2 feet from the edge of the outer boundary (doubles side
line)

Back Boundary Line and Long Service Line for Singles

The back boundary line is the same for singles and doubles play it is the outermost back line on
the court.

Long Service Line for Doubles

The Long Service line for Doubles is marked 2 1/2 feet inside the Back Boundary Line.
Badminton Equipment & Accessories

racket – used to hit the bird, the racket is shaped like a tennis racket and has strings, but
weighs much less. The frame of the racket, including the handle, is not to exceed 680 mm
(26.75 inches) in overall length, and 230 mm (9 inches) in overall width. Theoverall length of the
head is not to exceed 290 mm. Most rackets are made from light man-made materials such as
aluminum or graphite, and are strung with synthetic material such as nylon.

Shuttle, Shuttlecock, Bird, Birdie - whatever it is called, it is badminton's version of a tennis

ball. It has a small ball at the front to give it speed, and feathers protruding from it to help it float
when it is hit high into the air. An official shuttlecock must have 14-16 feathers and are usually
made from a goose or duck and from the left wing of the bird only.

Shoes – special court shoes are worn to allow players to move quickly across the court, and to
give them traction for quick movements around the court.

Object of the Game

The object of badminton is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and have it land in the designated
court areas. If your opponent manages to return the shuttlecock then a rally occurs. If you win
this rally i.e. force your opponent to hit the shuttlecock out or into the net then you win a point.
You are required to win 21 points to win a set with most matches being best of 3 sets. Points
can be won on either serve.

Players & Equipment

There are two forms of badminton, singles and doubles (it’s also possible to play mixed
doubles). Each player is allowed to use a stringed racket (similar to a tennis racket but with the
head being smaller) and a shuttlecock. The shuttlecock is made up of half round ball at the
bottom and a feather like material surrounding the top. You can only really hit the bottom of the
shuttlecock and as gravity comes into play will always revert the ball side facing down. You may
only hit the shuttlecock once before it either hits the ground or goes over the net.
The court measures 6.1m wide and 13.4m long. Across the middle of the rectangular court is a
net which runs at 1.55m. Running along each side of the court are two tram lines. The inside
lines are used as the parameter for singles match whilst the outside line is used for a doubles
match.

Scoring
A point is scored when you successfully hit the shuttlecock over the net and land it in your
opponent’s court before they hit it. A point can also be gained when your opponent hits the
shuttlecock into either the net or outside the parameters.

Winning the Game

To win a game you must reach 21 points before your opponent. If you do so then you will have
won that set. If the scores are tied at 20-20 then it comes down to whichever player manages to
get two clear points ahead. If the points are still tied at 29-29 then the next point will decide the
winner of the set. Winning the overall game will require you to win 2 out of the 3 sets played.

Rules of Badminton
 A game can take place with either two (singles) or four (doubles) players.
 An official match has to be played indoors on the proper court dimensions. The
dimensions are 6.1m by 13.4m, The net is situated through the middle of the court and is
set at 1.55m.
 To score a point the shuttlecock must hit within the parameters of the opponents court.
 If the shuttlecock hits the net or lands out then a point is awarded to your opponent.
 Players must serve diagonally across the net to their opponent. As points are won then
serving stations move from one side to the other. There are no second serves so if your
first serve goes out then your opponent wins the point.
 A serve must be hit underarm and below the servers waist. No overarm serves are
allowed.
 Each game will start with a toss to determine which player will serve first and which side
of the court the opponent would like to start from.
 Once the shuttlecock is ‘live’ then a player may move around the court as they wish.
They are permitted to hit the shuttlecock from out of the playing area.
 If a player touches the net with any part of their body or racket then it is deemed a fault
and their opponent receives the point.
 A fault is also called if a player deliberately distracts their opponent, the shuttlecock is
caught in the racket then flung, the shuttlecock is hit twice or if the player continues to
infract with the laws of badminton.
 Each game is umpired by a referee on a high chair who overlooks the game. There are
also line judges who monitor if the shuttlecock lands in or not. The referee has overriding
calls on infringements and faults.
 Let may be called by the referee if an unforeseen or accidental circumstance arose.
These may include the shuttlecock getting stuck in the bet, server serving out of turn,
one player was not ready or a decision which is too close to call.
 The game has only two rest periods coming the form of a 90 second rest after the first
game and a 5 minute rest period after the second game.
 If the laws are continuously broken by a player then the referee holds the power to dock
that player of points with persisting fouls receiving a forfeit of the set or even the match.

History of Table Tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is the second most popular game in the world as well as
the newest of the world’s major sports. Ping-pong ball is the official name for the sport in China.
Table tennis includes both individual and team events. Depending on sex, table tennis has
singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team disciplines. In the Olympic Games, table tennis
includes four disciplines: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, and women’s
doubles.

THE BASIC RULES OF TABLE TENNIS

The aim of the game is simple; hit the ball over the net onto your opponent’s side. A point is won
by you if your opponent is unable to return the ball to your side of the table (e.g. they miss the
ball, they hit the ball but it misses your side of the table, or the ball hits the net), or if they hit the
ball before it bounces on their side of the table.

SCORING
The winner of a game is the first to 11 points. There must be a gap of at least two points
between opponents at the end of the game though, so if the score is 10-10, the game goes in to
extra play until one of the players has gained a lead of 2 points. The point goes to the player
who successfully ends a rally, regardless of who has served.

The Table
The upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, shall be rectangular, 2.74m long
and 1.525m wide, and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76cm above the floor. The playing surface
shall not include the vertical sides of the tabletop. The playing surface may be of any material
and shall yield a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a standard ball is dropped on to it from a
height of 30cm. The playing surface shall be uniformly dark coloured and matte, but with a white
side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m
edge. The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel
with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court. For doubles,
each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white centre line, 3mm wide, running
parallel with the side lines; the centre line shall be regarded as part of each right half-court.

The Net Assembly

The net assembly shall consist of the net, its suspension and the supporting posts, including the
clamps attaching them to the table. The net shall be suspended by a cord attached at each end
to an upright post 15.25cm high, the outside limits of the post being 15.25cm outside the side
line. The top of the net, along its whole length, shall be 15.25cm above the playing surface. The
bottom of the net, along its whole length, shall be as close as possible to the playing surface
and the ends of the net shall be attached to the supporting posts from top to bottom.

The Ball
The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm. The ball shall weigh 2.7g. The ball shall be
made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt.

The Racket
The racket can be any size, shape or weight but the blade shall be flat and rigid.
The surface covering material shall be matt and bright red on one side and black on the other.
At least 85% of the blade thickness shall be of natural wood.

Definitions
A rally is the period which the ball is in play.
A let is a rally of which the result is not scored.
A point is a rally of which the result is scored.
The server is the player due to strike the ball first in the rally.
The receiver is the player due to strike the ball second in a rally.
The ball shall be regarded as passing over or around the net assembly if it passes anywhere
other then between the net and the net post or between the net and the playing surface.

The Service
Service shall start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of the server's stationary free
hand. The server shall then project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so
that it rises at least 16cm after leaving the palm of the free hand and then falls without touching
anything before being struck. As the ball is falling the server shall strike it so that it touches first
his or her court and then, after passing over or around the net assembly, touches directly the
receiver's court; in doubles, the ball shall touch successively the right half court of server and
receiver. From the start of service until it is struck, the ball shall be above the level of the playing
surface and behind the server's end line, and it shall not be hidden from the receiver by the
server or his or her doubles partner or by anything they wear or carry. As soon as the ball has
been projected, the server’s free arm and hand shall be removed from the space between the
ball and the net.

The space between the ball and the net is defined by the ball, the net and its indefinite upward
extension. It is the responsibility of the player to serve so that the umpire or the assistant umpire
can be satisfied that he or she complies with the requirements of the Laws, and either may
decide that a service is incorrect. If either the umpire or the assistant umpire is not sure about
the legality of a service he or she may, on the first occasion in a match, interrupt play and warn
the server; but any subsequent service by that player or his or her doubles partner which is not
clearly legal shall be considered incorrect. Exceptionally, the umpire may relax the requirements
for a correct service where he or she is satisfied that compliance is prevented by physical
disability.

The Return
The ball, having been served or returned shall be struck so that it passes over or around the net
assembly and touches the opponents court, either directly or after touching the net assembly.

The Order of Play

In singles the server shall make a first service and the receiver shall make a return and
thereafter alternately shall each make a return.
In doubles, the server shall first make a service, the receiver shall then make a return, the
partner of the server shall then make a return, the partner of the receiver shall then make a
return and thereafter each player in turn in that sequence shall make a return.