BADMINTON DEFINITION AND HISTORY

Badminton, court or lawn game played with lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock.
Historically, the shuttlecock (also known as a “bird” or “birdie”) was a small cork hemisphere
with 16 goose feathers attached and weighing about 0.17 ounce (5 grams). These types of
shuttles may still be used in modern play, but shuttles made from synthetic materials are also
allowed by the Badminton World Federation. The game is named for Badminton, the country
estate of the dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England, where it was first played about
1873. The roots of the sport can be traced to ancient Greece, China, and India, and it is
closely related to the old children’s game battledore and shuttlecock. Badminton is derived
directly from poona, which was played by British army officers stationed in India in the 1860s.
The first unofficial all-England badminton championships for men were held in 1899, and the
first badminton tournament for women was arranged the next year.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF; originally the International Badminton Federation),
the world governing body of the sport, was formed in 1934. Badminton is also popular in
Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Denmark. The BWF’s first world championships were held in
1977. A number of regional, national, and zonal badminton tournaments are held in several
countries. The best-known of these is the All-England Championships. Other well-known
international tournaments include the Thomas Cup (donated 1939) for men’s team
competition and the Uber Cup (donated 1956) for women’s team competition.
Badminton first appeared in the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1972 and as an
exhibition sport in 1988. At the 1992 Games it became a full-medal Olympic sport, with
competition for men’s and women’s singles (one against one) and doubles (two against two).
Mixed doubles was introduced at the 1996 Games.
Competitive badminton is usually played indoors because even light winds affect the course
of the shuttlecock. (Recreational badminton, on the other hand, is a popular outdoor
summertime activity.) The rectangular court is 44 feet (13.4 metres) long and 17 feet (5.2
metres) wide for singles, 20 feet (6.1 metres) wide for doubles. A net 5 feet (1.5 metres) high
stretches across the width of the court at its centre. A clear space of 4 feet (1.3 metres)
around the court is needed. Play consists entirely of volleying—hitting the shuttlecock back
and forth across the net without letting it touch the floor or ground within the boundaries of
the court.
In international play, athletes compete in best-of-three-games matches. A game is played to
21 points, provided that the winner has at least a 2-point advantage. If a 2-point advantage is
never reached, the first player or team to score 30 points wins. Points were only awarded to
the serving side until 2006, when the BWF adopted the “rally scoring” system, under which
either side can score at any time.
MECHANICS
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. 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.

BADMINTON 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
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.
4. Strokes
 Overhead Forehand – this is the most common stroke and most beginners are very
more comfortable using this especially for stronger strokes. 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- 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.
 Underarm Forehand–. 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–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
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.

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.

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.

COURT DIMENSIONS
Overall Court Dimensions-The overall dimensions of a badminton court is 20 feet by 44
feet. The lines along these measurements mark 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.
Short Service Line- The short service line is marked 6 feet 6 inches (some are marked 7
feet) 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.
The Badminton Net- The badminton net measures 5 feet tall in the center.

PARTS OF A BADMINTON RACKET

Materials-Traditionally, badminton frames have been made out of

wood. Although still available, wood rackets have largely been
abandoned due to the availability of lighter, more durable
synthetic materials such as carbon fiber, lightweight metal alloys and ceramics. These are
used in most modern badminton rackets today.
Frame-The body of the racket itself is called the frame. It consists of the head, the stringed
area, the throat, the shaft and the handle. According to BWF laws, the length of the frame
should be no longer than 680 millimeters or wider than 230 millimeters. The weight of a fully
strung frame should be within 80 and 100 grams. Frames can come in different shapes, with
larger or smaller sweet spots, and can be more or less flexible, depending on the materials
used and their construction.
Head- The head of the racket is the ring of material that holds the strings in place. It can be
oval or more rounded, and has holes in its perimeter though which the strings are laced.
Stringed Area- The stringed area is made up of nylon or carbon fiber string that is
interwoven to form the face of the racket. Its dimensions, according to BWF rules, must not
exceed 280 millimeters in length or 220 millimeters in width.
Throat- The throat connects the head to the shaft. It may be a separate triangular piece at
the base of the head, or may actually be integrated into the head itself.
Shaft- The shaft is the long rod between the throat and handle. Often made of a composite
material such as graphite, the shaft can be stiffer or more flexible based on the needs of the
player.
Handle-The handle connects to the shaft and is used to hold the racket. The handle is
covered with a material called the grip. There are two types of grips: towel grips are good for
absorbing moisture, but may need to be changed frequently; synthetic grips are less
absorbent but more durable.