Research work in

Physical Fitness and

Self- testing activities
 Scrabble

History
It's a "mockable emblem of Eisenhower-era family values, a stand-in for geekiness, a pasttime so
decidely unhip that it's hip," former Wall Street Journal reporter Stefan Fatsis once wrote about
the best-selling board game Scrabble, which turned 60 on Tuesday. Fatsis would know: while
researching Word Freak, his bestselling 2001 book about the game's most fanatical players, he
became a self-proclaimed word freak himself, and he's not alone. More than 150 million
Scrabble sets have been sold in 121 countries since its creation in 1931.

Madonna and Martha Stewart love it, as do Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Keanu
Reeves and "Junk Bond King" Michael Milken, who organized a Scrabble tournament in the
early 1990s at the white-collar prison where he was serving time for securities fraud. Even
Queen Elizabeth II is a fan, perhaps in part because her first son was born the very same year that
"Scrabble" became a trademark. (That coincidence did not go unnoticed in Britain. An artist
commemorated the 60th birthday of Prince Charles and the board game by creating a portrait of
the Prince entirely composed of Scrabble tiles.) In countries like Senegal, Scrabble is an official
sport. In fact, when Senegal hosted the French Scrabble World championship this summer, its
government commissioned a special Scrabble song to mark the occasion. (See the 50 best
inventions of 2008.)

Scrabble was conceived during the Great Depression by an unemployed New York architect
named Alfred Mosher Butts, who figured Americans could use a bit of distraction during the
bleak economic times. After determining what he believed were the most enduring games in
history — board games, numbers games like dice or cards and letter games like crossword
puzzles — he combined all three. He then chose the frequency and the distribution of the tiles by
counting letters on the pages of the New York Times, the New York Herald Tribune and The
Saturday Evening Post. For more than a decade he tweaked and tinkered with the rules while
trying — and continually failing — to attract a corporate sponsor. The Patent Office rejected his
application not once, but twice, and on top of that, he couldn't settle on a name. At first he simply
called his creation "it" before switching to "Lexiko," then "Criss-Cross Words."

When a New Yorker named James Brunot contacted Butts about mass-producing the game, he
readily handed the operation over. Brunot's contributions were significant: he came up with the
iconic color scheme (pastel pink, baby-blue, indigo and bright red), devised the 50-point bonus
for using all seven tiles to make a word, and conceived the name "Scrabble." The first Scrabble
factory was an abandoned schoolhouse in rural Connecticut, where Brunot and several gracious
friends manufactured 12 games an hour. When the chairman of Macy's discovered the game on
vacation and decided to stock his shelves with it, the game exploded. By 1952, Brunot's
homegrown assembly line was churning out more than 2,000 sets a week. Nearly 4 million
Scrabble sets were sold in 1954 alone.

In 1971, Brunot and Butts sold the game's rights to a company called Selchow & Righter. Butts
received a total of $265,000 in royalties; Brunot got nearly $1.5 million. Coleco Industries Inc.
took over after Selchow collapsed in the 1980s and when Coleco went bankrupt, Hasbro Inc.
swooped in. In 1994, scandal rocked the Scrabblesphere when Hasbro announced plans to
remove nearly 200 words deemed too offensive for the official Scrabble dictionary. The list of
words ranged from ethnic slurs to playground phrases like "turd," "fart" and "fatso." Hasbro
eventually compromised and published two officially sanctioned dictionaries — one for
"recreational and school play" and the other for official tournaments and clubs; the latter contains
a total of 120,302 words, dirty ones included.

Scrabble has been translated into 22 languages, from Arabic to Afrikaans. Oddly, the game is
sold outside the U.S. by Hasbro's rival, Mattel Inc. By the early 1990s, thanks to its acquisitions
of Milton Bradley (maker of Life, Yahtzee and Candy Land) and Parker Brothers (Monopoly,
Risk and Trivial Pursuit), Hasbro owned more than half of the $1.1 billion U.S. games market.
But in 1993, Mattel outbid Hasbro, paying $90 million for the international rights to the game.
Hence the game's weirdly bifurcated homepage at Scrabble.com.

The Scrabble soap opera went viral earlier this year when both Hasbro and Mattel filed lawsuits
against two brothers from Calcutta for launching "Scrabulous," their own online version of the
popular word game. Created in 2006 to waste time and wage distant linguistic battles, Scrabulous
eventually became the most popular application on Facebook, attracting more than 500,000
players each day to the social-networking site. But the brothers, Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla, had
a quick and clever response to the accusations of copyright infringement. Their newly dubbed
"WordScraper" now features a malleable board that, if one feels so inclined, can be rearranged to
form the original Scrabble board.

Even so, Facebook users were distraught, as evidenced by community groups like "Please God, I
Have So Little: Don't Take Scrabulous Too." But last week, perhaps as an early birthday gift,
Hasbro Inc. announced it had dropped its half of the lawsuits against the Agarwalla brothers. For
players in the U.S. and Canada, at least, things are looking ... well, Scrabulous.

Rules and Regulations

Game Play

According to Scrabble rules, all tiles should be placed in a letter pouch or placed face down on
the table beside the board. Ensure that letters are well mixed, and that players do not know which
letter is in what spot. To determine who goes first, each player draws a letter – the player with
the letter closest to “A” goes first. The ‘blank’ tile automatically goes first. Ensure you
thoroughly remix the tiles before drawing letters. Each player draws 7 letters and places them on
his or her letter rack.

According to scrabble rules, there are three main steps to a turn:

1) Play a Word
2) Total the Score for that Word
3) Draw Tiles to Replace the Tiles Played
The first player must play his or her first word on the center square of the board, the spot that has
a ‘star’ on it. All words must be two or more letters long. Words are played either vertically or
horizontally. Diagonal word play is not permitted.

Play always moves clockwise (to the left). Each player must play off of words already present on
the board. This may involve changing existing words (for example, making the word ‘play’ into
‘player’) or by incorporating a letter into the word you are playing. You may only place letters in
a straight line horizontally or vertically. You can place letters in both directions on a single turn.
The letters placed must form complete words. Anytime two or more letters touch, they must
form valid, legal words. For example, if you add an ‘s’ to an existing word to make it a plural
and then build a separate word from that ‘s’ in the opposite direction, you would get full credit
for both words. No tile can be moved or shifted once it is played (baring a successful challenge).

Whenever a word is played, other players may challenge the word if they do not believe it is a
real word or it is spelled wrong. According to Scrabble rules, players should agree before the
game begins on the dictionary they will use. All words in that dictionary that are labeled as parts
of speech, including foreign origin, obsolete, and slang words, are permitted. The only words
present in a dictionary that are not legal are as follows: abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes
standing alone, words that require a hyphen or apostrophe, and words requiring capitalization.
Many Scrabble players opt to buy an Official Scrabble Player’s Dictionary. There is also a free
online Scrabble dictionary available for use.

If you want to challenge an opponent’s word, you must challenge it before play moves on to the
next player. If the challenged word is not legal, those tiles return to the player’s hand and that
player loses the turn. If a word is challenged and it is legal, the challenger loses his or her next
turn. If multiple words are made in a turn, all words are challenged when one word is challenged.
If any of the words are not legal, all tiles are returned to their owner’s hand and that player loses
his or her turn. The dictionary should only be consulted if a word is actually challenged, and
should never be used before a word is played for verification purposes.

Score Keeping

One player should be elected as the score keeper. The scorekeeper should double-check the tally
for each word. Each letter tile has the value of that letter. Unless the tile is on a Premium Letter
Square, these should be counted at face value and totaled for the word.

According to scrabble rules, there are two types of premium squares: Premium Letter and
Premium Word Squares. A light blue square is a Premium Letter Square and it doubles the score
of the letter placed on it. A dark blue square is a Premium Letter Square and it triples the score of
the letter placed on it. A pink square is a Premium Word Square and if any letter from a word is
placed on this square, the value of the entire word is doubled. A red square is a Premium Word
Square and if any letter from a word is placed on this square, the value of the entire word is
tripled. When calculating the value of a word that is on a Premium Word Square, Premium Letter
Squares should be factored into the word total first. Premium squares only count on the first turn
they are used on. If a subsequent turn uses a letter that was previously placed on a premium
square, the tile on that square is only worth it’s face value. The only time a premium square is
active for more than one word is if more than one word is created with a letter on a premium
square on a single turn. Only use premium squares that are under tiles used in a given word when
calculating point totals for each word created in a turn. For example, if you create ‘jobs’ and
‘cakes’ by adding the ‘S’ tile to the end of the existing word ‘job’, and the ‘K’ tile is on a red
square, you would count ‘jobs’ for it’s face value (13) but you would triple the value of ‘cakes’
(30) and your total for the turn would be 43 points.

According to scrabble rules, if a player is able to play all 7 tiles in a single turn, in addition to the
score for that word, that player is awarded 50 points.

Winning the Game

When one player plays his or her last tile, and no more tiles are available to draw, the game is
over per scrabble rules. Any remaining tiles should be subtracted from that player’s score. The
player with the highest score wins the game. You may opt to allow each player one turn to
attempt to play as many of his or her remaining tiles as possible.
 Boggle
History:
Boggle is a great game to play to have some fun with words. First published in 1972 by Parker
Brothers, the original game of Boggle continues to be a quick choice of players for some fast and
furious word play. It is amazing at how many different words can be found within a three
minute time limit and from within the Boggle Grid!

The Boggle Grid is a 4×4 square tray that allows cubes to settle inside of it. The cubes have
various letters printed on them. So, at the start of every game, the Boggle Grid is covered and
shaken to provide a new mixture of sixteen cubed letters each time the game is played!

Original Boggle challenges players to search out words within its 4×4 grid. The letters of the
words must be found in the correct order, and must be adjacent to each other. However, they can
be situated in the grid horizontally, vertically, or diagonally from each other.

For instance, in the tray shown below, GAME can be found by using the G and going diagonally
down to the A, horizontally to the M and diagonally back up to the E. The word GAMES is
created by continuing on to the S in the corner. Both words count as separate words.

parker brothers vintage game of boggle

After the Boggle Grid is shaken, letters settled into each a precise spot, and the lid taken off, the
timer is turned over to begin the three minute allowance. Players then race to find as many three
or more letter words as they can! They write each word they can find onto a piece of paper. As
soon as the last grain of sand falls, play stops! It is now time to see how many words a player
found counts for a point.

Each player reads off his discovered words. Any duplicate words on player’s lists are crossed
off. Only words found solely by one player will score points. Points are given for the length of a
word. The longer the word, the more points scored. For example, a three or four letter word
scores 1 point. However, finding one 7 letter word (that no one else found) would give a player
5 points!

Just for trivia……the longest words possible that could be found (worth 11 points because any
word of 8 or more letters scores 11), if the cubes fell exactly right and by using the QU cube
(making a 17 letter word), are inconsequentially, quadricentennials, and sesquicentennials
(according to Wikipedia).

Original Boggle is recommended for 1 to 8 players, and for ages 8 and up. The game can usually
be found on eBay for less than 10 dollars. It makes for a wonderful family game night of fun.

Rules and Regulations:

Boggle Gameplay
Each person must have paper and pencil. Ensure all 16 letter cubes are present in the cube grid.
Cover the grid with the dome and shake the cubes. When you are satisfied the cubes have been
mixed thoroughly, turn the grid and dome right-side up and gently shake the cubes into place,
ensure all cubes have one side face up. Start the timer at the same time the dome is removed
from the grid.

Game play should be silent, and each player should be creating his or her own words on his or
her own paper. Ensure that your paper cannot be seen by the other players.

Words should be created by using adjoining letters – the letters must touch each other – and must
be able to connect to each other in the proper sequence to spell the word correctly. The letters
may join in any direction – horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. This means that the letters can
be above or below, side by side, or touching corners. Words can be spelled in any direction,
including backwards.

You may not use a letter cube multiple times in a single word. Any word found in a standard
English dictionary is permissible, so long as it is not a proper noun (i.e.. you cannot use names of
people or places).

When the timer runs out, players must stop writing words. Players take turns reading the words
they have made, and all players cross matching words off their list. Only words that no other
player created are scored.

Scoring and Winning

No. of Letters | Points per Word

3 | 1
4 | 1
5 | 2
6 | 3
7 | 5
8+ | 11

Tips for Game Play

Multiple meanings of the same word do not earn multiple points.

Variations of spelling for a word (even if it does not change the meaning) are counted as
individual words. If you are able to create both words, ensure you write down both variations. In
the same manner, plural and singular words are separate, and should both be written and scored
if they can be created.

The “Qu” cube counts as two letters. Common words will likely be found by all players, but that
does not mean you should not write it down.

Boggle rules may seem complicated, but you’ll get the hang of it after a round.
 Chess
History:

Travel back to the 6th century where the history of chess finds its origins in an Indian strategy
game called chaturanga, “which translates as “four divisions (of the military)”: infantry, cavalry,
elephantry, and chariotry. These forms are represented by the pieces that would evolve into the
modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively.”

Elephants of War: Elephant armor (bargustavan-i-pil) from India, circa 1600

On to Persia, where it was called shāh or king—’checkmate’ is from ‘shah mat,’ or ‘the king is
helpless’—to North Africa, the Far East, and Europe, the game changed forms as it traveled.

By 1000 AD, the game had become part of courtly education. Chess was used as an allegory for
different social classes performing their proper roles, and the pieces were re-interpreted in their
new context. At the same time, the Church remained suspicious of games. Moralists cautioned
against devoting too much time to them, with chess even being briefly banned in France.

Yet the game proliferated, and the 15th century saw it cohering into the form we know today.
The relatively weak piece of advisor was recast as the more powerful queen– perhaps inspired by
the recent surge of strong female leaders. This change accelerated the game’s pace, and as other
rules were popularized, treatises analyzing common openings and endgames appeared. Chess
theory was born.

Today, it’s known as a modern game of critical thinking and problem solving. This TED-Ed
history of chess lesson by Alex Gendler, directed by Remus & Kiki, tells the game’s journey
around the globe.

Rules and Regulations:

Chess game goal

The ultimate aim in the chess game is delivering a checkmate – trapping your opponent´s king.
The term checkmate is an alteration of the Persian phrase “Shah Mat”, meaning literally, “the
King is ambushed”, and not “the King is dead”, that is a common misconception.

General Chess Rules

White is always first to move and players take turns alternately moving one piece at a time.
Movement is required. If a player´s turn is to move, he is not in check but has no legal moves,
this situation is called “Stalemate” and it ends the game in a draw. Each type of piece has its own
method of movement. A piece may be moved to another position or may capture an opponent´s
piece, replacing on its square (en passant being the only exception). With the exception of the
knight, a piece may not move over or through any of the other pieces. When a king is threatened
with capture (but can protect himself or escape), it´s called check. If a king is in check, then the
player must make a move that eliminates the threat of capture and cannot leave the king in check.
Checkmate happens when a king is placed in check and there is no legal move to escape.
Checkmate ends the game and the side whose king was checkmated looses. Chess for kids would
be a great option to help the kid enhance his thinking capability with the chess strategies
involved. Visit our affiliate chess online lessons website for scheduling an evaluation session
with one of our experienced chess coaches.

The initial position setup

The chessboard is made up of eight rows and eight columns for a total of 64 squares of
alternating colors. Each square of the chessboard is identified with a unique pair of a letter and a
number. The vertical files are labeled a through h, from White´s left (i.e. the queenside) to White
´s right. Similarly, the horizontal ranks are numbered from 1 to 8, starting from the one nearest
White´s side of the board. Each square of the board, then, is uniquely identified by its file letter
and rank number. In the initial position setup, the light queen is positioned on a light square and
the dark queen is situated on a dark square. The diagram below shows how the pieces should be
initially situated.

chess rules clip

Chess moves
King can move exactly one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. At most once in every
game, each king is allowed to make a special move, known as castling.
Queen can move any number of vacant squares diagonally, horizontally, or vertically.
Rook can move any number of vacant squares vertically or horizontally. It also is moved while
castling.
Bishop can move any number of vacant squares in any diagonal direction.
Knight can move one square along any rank or file and then at an angle. The knight´s movement
can also be viewed as an “L” or “7″ laid out at any horizontal or vertical angle.
Pawns can move forward one square, if that square is unoccupied. If it has not yet moved, the
pawn has the option of moving two squares forward provided both squares in front of the pawn
are unoccupied. A pawn cannot move backward. Pawns are the only pieces that capture
differently from how they move. They can capture an enemy piece on either of the two spaces
adjacent to the space in front of them (i.e., the two squares diagonally in front of them) but
cannot move to these spaces if they are vacant. The pawn is also involved in the two special
moves en passant and promotion.

Castling
Castling is the only time in the chess game when more than one piece moves during a turn. This
chess move has been invented in the 1500´s to help speeding up the game and improving balance
of the offense and defense. During the castling, the king moves two squares towards the rook he
intends to castle with, and the rook moves to the square through which the king passed. Castling
is only permissible if all of the following conditions hold:

Neither king nor rook involved in castling may have moved from the original position;
There must be no pieces between the king and the rook;
The king may not currently be in check, nor may the king pass through or end up in a square that
is under attack by an enemy piece (though the rook is permitted to be under attack and to pass
over an attacked square)
En Passant
En Passant may only occur when a pawn is moved two squares on its initial movement. When
this happens, the opposing player has the option to take the moved pawn “en passant” as if it had
only moved one square. This option, though, only stays open for one move. The En Passant
move was developed after pawns were allowed to move more than one square on their initial
move. The idea behind this rule was to retain restrictions imposed by slow movement, while at
the same time speeding up the game.

Pawn promotion
If a pawn reaches the opponent´s edge of the table, it will be promoted – the pawn may be
converted to a queen, rook, bishop or knight, as the player desires. The choice is not limited to
previously captured pieces. Thus its´ theoretically possible having up to nine queens or up to ten
rooks, bishops, or knights if all pawns are promoted.
 Games Of the General

History:
At least 40 years ago, Game of the Generals game made a commotion in the world of chess
before making its way to be one of the renowned and popular board games in the Philippines. It
was controversial to most Filipino board gamers back then, especially avid Chess players,
because they thought that the game was meant to replace or "remove" chess. Chess was big and
popular during that era in the country, especially in schools and competitions.

The Game of the Generals is often shortened for GG or GOG. This game was invented by
Sofronio H. Pasola, Jr., with the inspiration of his son Ronnie Pasola.

The Pasolas first tried the Game of the Generals on a chessboard. Even then, the pieces had no
particular arrangement. There were no spies in the experimental game, but after Ronnie Pasola
remembered the James Bond movies and Mata Hari, he added the Spies. Making the pieces
hidden was the idea of the Pasolas after remembering card games.

The Game of the Generals' public introduction was on February 28, 1973. As quickly as a
steamroller offensive, GG started to outsell Chess immediately after its formal public
introduction.

Rules and Regulations:

 Pickleball is played either as doubles (two players per team) or singles; doubles is most
common
 The same size playing area and rules are used for both singles and doubles

THE SERVE

 The serve must be made underhand.

 Paddle contact with the ball must be below the server’s waist (navel level).
 The serve is initiated with at least one foot behind the baseline; neither foot may contact
the baseline or court until after the ball is struck.
 The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the
opposite diagonal court.
 Only one serve attempt is allowed, except in the event of a let (the ball touches the net on
the serve and lands on the proper service court; let serves are replayed).

SERVICE SEQUENCE

 Both players on the serving doubles team have the opportunity to serve and score points
until they commit a fault *(except for the first service sequence of each new game).
 The first serve of each side-out is made from the right-hand court.
  If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the server initiates the next serve from
the left-hand court.
 As subsequent points are scored, the server continues switching back and forth until a
fault is committed and the first server loses the serve.
 When the first server loses the serve the partner then serves from their correct side of the
court (except for the first service sequence of the game*).
 The second server continues serving until his team commits a fault and loses the serve to
the opposing team.
 Once the service goes to the opposition (at side out), the first serve is from the right-hand
court and both players on that team have the opportunity to serve and score points until
their team commits two faults.
 In singles the server serves from the right-hand court when his or her score is even and
from the left when the score is odd.

*At the beginning of each new game only one partner on the serving team has the opportunity to
serve before faulting, after which the service passes to the receiving team.
SCORING

 Points are scored only by the serving team.

 Games are normally played to 11 points, win by 2.
 Tournament games may be to 15 or 21, win by 2.
 When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) the player who was the first
server in the game for that team will be in the right-side court when serving or receiving;
when odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that player will be in the left-side court when serving or
receiving.

DOUBLE-BOUNCE RULE

 When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then
the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces.
 After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the
ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).
 The double bounce rule eliminates the serve and volley advantage and extends rallies.

NON-VOLLEY ZONE

 The non-volley zone is the court area within 7 feet on both sides of the net.
 Volleying is prohibited within the non-volley zone. This rule prevents players from
executing smashes from a position within the zone.
 It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone, including
the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them or anything they are wearing or
carrying to touch the non-volley zone including the associated lines.
 It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-
volley zone, even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens.
 A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a ball.
  The non-volley zone is commonly referred to as “the kitchen.”

LINE CALLS

 A ball contacting any line, except the non-volley zone line on a serve, is considered “in.”
 A serve contacting the non-volley zone line is short and a fault.

FAULTS

 A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation.

 A fault by the receiving team results in a point for the serving team.
 A fault by the serving team results in the server’s loss of serve or side out.

A fault occurs when:

 A serve does not land within the confines of the receiving court
 The ball is hit into the net on the serve or any return
 The ball is volleyed before a bounce has occurred on each side
 The ball is hit out of bounds
 A ball is volleyed from the non-volley zone
 A ball bounces twice before being struck by the receiver
 A player, player’s clothing, or any part of a player’s paddle touches the net or the net post
when the ball is in play
 There is a violation of a service rule
 A ball in play strikes a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying
 A ball in play strikes any permanent object before bouncing on the court

DETERMINING SERVING TEAM

Players use a coin toss to determine who will serve first. The winner of the coin toss will have
the option to choose side or to serve or receive.
 Badminton

The origins of the game of badminton date back at least 2,000 years to the game of battledore
and shuttlecock played in ancient Greece, China, and India.

A very long history for one of the Olympics newest sports! Badminton took its name from
Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the ancestral home of the Duke of Beaufort, where the
sport was played in the last century. Gloucestershire is now the base for the International
Badminton Federation.

The IBF was formed in 1934 with nine members: Canada, Denmark, France, Netherlands,
England, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The United States joined four years later.
Membership increased steadily over the next few years with a surge in new members after the
Olympic Games debut at Barcelona.

The first big IBF tournament was the Thomas Cup (men’s world team championships) in 1948.
Since then, the number of world events has increased to seven, with the addition of the Uber Cup
(ladies’ team), World Championships, Sudirman Cup (mixed team), World Juniors, World Grand
Prix Finals, and the World Cup.

The World Cup invitational event started in 1981 and is organized by the International
Management Group (IMG). The World Cup series is due to end in 1997, and the IBF is
considering organizing exhibition matches featuring the world’s top players to replace the World
Cup.

For the recent Thomas and Uber Cups in Hong Kong, the sale of commercial and television
rights was a multimillion dollar contract. And it’s not just in Asia. In Europe also, there’s a
growing number of companies bidding for rights. Television companies worldwide are already
buying exclusive rights to the 1997 World Championships to be held in Glasgow, Scotland.

A turning point in badminton’s growth was the $20 million tripartite contract in 1994 for
sponsorship of the World Grand Prix Finals. Under the terms of the deal between the IBF, IMG,
and STAR TV, STAR injects the monies into the promotion and development of badminton. In
return, STAR gains total exclusivity for the exploitation of the commercial and television rights
to the WGP Finals. “The deal was good for both main parties,” said David Shaw, IBF’s
executive director, who was brought into the organization with a brief to grow the sport. “We
needed a strong partner in television, and the broadcaster had identified badminton as a vehicle
which would attract audiences across Asia to its prime sports channel.”
The next phase in the rise and rise of international badminton has been to retake the USA. The
U.S. was an early member of the IBF and initially one of the most successful. When the Uber
Cup was introduced in 1956, Americans won the first three events. But then interest waned.

Badminton is a well liked and familiar sport in the USA but, predominantly, is usually played as
a fun game in the backyard or on the beach. We know that once Americans see the other
badminton—international badminton, the world’s fastest racket sport—they will want to see and
play more. The Atlanta Olympics started to raise the sport’s profile in the U.S. The event was a
sell-out and became one of the “must-see” sports. Ex-President Jimmy Carter, Chelsea Clinton,
Paul Newman, and Princess Anne were among the celebrities who came to watch. David Broder
of the Washington Post reported “seeing one of the supreme athletic spectacles of my life.”

The year 1996 was a landmark in USA badminton. It’s not only the Atlanta Olympic Games that
started to generate tremendous interest in the U.S. market. In December 1995, the IBF introduced
a new concept tournament in California, the Hong Ta Shan Cup, a men’s invitation tournament
with the best players and big prize money. There are now plans to add a women’s event and to
increase the prize money. The Hong Ta Shan Group has gone on to sponsor the U.S. Open,
increasing the prize money to $200,000. This makes the event the most valuable World Grand
Prix event in the series and gives it six-star status.

The degree of change is increasing. Badminton’s debut as an Olympic Games sport has
manifestly boosted interest internationally. The STAR TV agreement has increased the sport’s
coverage dramatically. Sponsors and television companies are being attracted to a sport which
gives them access to the Asian economies. And spectators are increasingly attracted to the
exciting mix of angles, tactics, touch, reaction, and fitness that would exhaust a squash
champion.

Rules and Regulations:

The Laws of Badminton

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.
 Table Tennis
History:

Like many other sports, Table Tennis began as a mild social diversion. It was probably played
with improvised equipment in England, during the last quarter of the 19th century. Though Table
Tennis evolved, along with Badminton and Lawn Tennis, from the ancient game of Tennis (also
known as Jeu de Paume, Real tennis, Court Tennis or Royal Tennis), the game was developed
after Lawn Tennis became popular in the 1880s.

Ancient woodcut showing jeu de paume game, published in 1576. ITTF Museum

The earliest surviving action game of Tennis on a table is a set made by David Foster, patented
in England in 1890 (No.11037): Parlour Table Games, which included table versions of Lawn
Tennis, Cricket and Football. The Lawn Tennis game featured strung rackets, a 30mm cloth
covered rubber ball, a wooden fence set up around the perimeter of the table, and large side nets
extending along both sides.

Lithograph segment, earliest known action game of tennis on a table: David Foster (ENG) 1890.
One of 2 known examples.

Foster’s rules, found at Cambridge University by Steve Grant (USA). The rules are very brief
(unlike those for the companion games of table cricket and football). Note rule 3, which
mentions ‘Table Tennis’. Steve also discovered that Foster patented his game compendium in
Canada.

Game manufacturers tried many experiments to market an indoor version of Lawn Tennis,
including board and dice games, Tiddledy Winks variations, card games, racket and balloon
games and others.

Lawn Tennis board game by Singer (USA), another indication that the sport was very popular in
the 1880s ITTF Museum.

Renowned researcher Alan Duke (ENG) recently discovered an English patent by Ralph
Slazenger, No. 3156, dated 26 June 1883 (and likely months developing the idea before filing the
Application), for improved nets for games. The patent describes net post mechanisms, with this
important statement:

“This arrangement is adapted for ordinary lawn tennis, and for a modified game to be played
indoors, say upon a billiard or dining table. In the latter case the poles are supported in brackets
clamped to the table and the ends of the cord may be clamped by the cam arrangement, or
fastenend under the table, or weighted.”

Duke correctly concludes that this “quite possibly is now the earliest known reference to a table
version of tennis (and, importantly, accurately dated).” However, no evidence has been found
that such a game was developed at that time.

Steve Grant (Ping Pong Fever, 2012, USA) found mention of one James Devonshire (ENG), who
John Jaques claimed invented Table Tennis in a 1901 interview published in The Echo.
Subsequently Alan Duke found in The Official Journal of the Patent Office that:

Devonshire applied for a Patent on October 9, 1885 for his “Table Tennis”.
The Nov. 24, 1885 issue of the Journal shows Provisional Specifications were accepted
In January 1887 the Application is listed as Abandoned. Once again no evidence of Devonshire’s
game, nor advertisement has been found; quite likely it was never put into production.One
feasible scenario is that Jaques paid Devonshire for his idea, ultimately becoming the basis for
Jaques’ Gossima, released in 1891. However, the lengthy time factor is a concern, as mentioned
by renowned Jaques authority Michael Thomson (SCO).The 1887 catalog of George S. Parker
(USA) includes an entry for “Table Tennis: This game is laid out like a Lawn Tennis court,
played and counted just the same, all the rules being observed.” However, this was a board and
dice game by J.H. Singer (NY), whose name also appears on the catalog.

Rare board & dice game, “Table Tennis” by J.H.Singer 1887. Earliest production use of the
name Table Tennis. ITTF Museum

One year later famous game makers Jaques of London released their GOSSIMA game. This
game borrowed the drum style battledores from the Shuttlecock game, and used a 50mm webbed
wrapped cork ball, with an amazing 30cm high net that was secured by a belt-like strap under the
table. Only 2 examples are known to have survived.

Jaques (ENG) GOSSIMA, 1891, with 50mm ball, 30cm high net, vellum drum rackets. The
white belt was used to secure the large wood net fixtures to the table. ITTF Museum

Neither of these action games were successful, due to the ineffective ball: the rubber ball had too
wild a bounce, while the cork ball had too poor a bounce. Jaques continued to advertise Gossima
throughout the 1890s, but it was not until c.1900, when the celluloid ball was introduced to the
game, that the concept of tennis on a table became successful. Steve Grant has traced the name
Ping Pong to an 1884 song by Harry Dacre. The distinct sound of the celluloid ball bouncing off
the drum rackets quickly led to the use of the same name. This can still be demonstrated today
using the antique rackets! As the name Ping Pong caught on, Jaques changed the name of his
game to “Gossima or Ping Pong” and soon afterward, to “Ping Pong or Gossima”. Ultimately the
name Gossima was dropped.

The game quickly caught on with the public, marketed under many different names:

 Ping Pong or Gossima

 Ping Pong
 Table Tennis
 Whiff Waff
 Parlour Tennis
 Indoor Tennis
 Pom-Pom
 Pim-Pam
 Netto
 Clip-Clap
 Royal Game
 Tennis de Salon
 and others.

Gradually the two most popular names prevailed: Ping Pong, and Table Tennis. However, these
competing names caused some problems, as two associations were formed, and with different
rules for the game some confusion resulted. Ping Pong was trademarked in 1900 by Hamley
Brothers in England, and soon afterwards Hamleys became “jointly concerned” with Jaques.
They rigorously enforced the Ping Pong trademark, requiring use of their Ping Pong equipment
in Ping Pong tournaments and clubs. Parker Brothers, who acquired the American rights to the
name Ping Pong, similarly enforced the trademark. Eventually it became clear that for the sport
to move forward, the commercial ties had to be severed.

Rules and Regulations:

Scoring and Games
- Games are played to 11 points
- Players serve two serves each, alternating. A player does not have to win specifically off their
own serve in order to win a point
- If a game ties at 10-10, a player must win by 2 points. In this situation, players serve one serve
each, alternating
- In competition, games are played best of 5 (first to win 3 games) or best of 7 (first to win 4
games). Social games can also be played best of 3 (first to win 2 games)

Legal Serving
- You must throw the ball up straight, from a flat palm, at least 6 inches (16cm)
- Your toss and service contact must be behind the table surface (not over)
- You cannot hide the ball from the ball toss to contact, with any part of your body
- If the ball hits the net during service, it is a let, the point is replayed. There is no limit or point
deductions for let serves.

Equipment Basics
- A table tennis racket must be one side black, one side (recently approved) any approved color
- The official approved ball is the 40mm+ plastic ball
- The dimensions of an approved table tennis table are: 9ft long, 5ft wide, 2.5ft high
- The approved height of a table tennis net is: 6 inches

Lawn Tennis

Origins

Some historians believe that tennis first originated in the Ancient Egypt. There is a general belief
that the word ‘racket’ derives from the Arabic word ‘rakhat’, which means a ‘palm’. However,
the most common point of view is that French monks started to play tennis in 11-12 centuries.
Tennis started to develop into a professional sport from 1872, when the first lawn tennis club
was established. Hoa Pereira, a Portuguese merchant, and doctors Wellesley Tomkins and
Frederick Haynes played a Spanish game with the ball called ‘pelota’ on lawns of the
Leamington resort. Later, the original rules for lawn tennis were secured (tennis on a lawn).

Wingfield

Although it is impossible to state a definite origin of this game, it is recognized that a British
army officer Walter Clopton Wingfield invented rules for tennis, later calling it ‘lawn tennis’ in
1873. He had noticed a significant commercial potential of lawn tennis and patented the game,
though he failed to justify its creation. Mr. Winfield said that he had borrowed the principles of
the Greek game called “Sphairistike” (Greek for playing ball). However, many researchers
believe that he just used the principles of popular English games - playing at courts, squash
rackets, playing badminton outdoors. Very first tennis players preferred to call Wingfield’s game
“tennis on the green”, because they would play tennis on a small, grassy lawn.

Court Tennis

Lawn tennis is also known, as ‘court tennis’ was very popular in medieval France even among
the upper classes. During the same time it was also very popular in Great Britain, especially in
the times of Henry VIII. Historians hold a belief that the most of tennis terms derived from the
French vocabulary. In fact, the word ‘tennis’ comes from the word ‘tenez’ (‘tenir’ means to hold/
catch in French). When tennis players were going to hit a serve, they would scream out ‘tenez’.
The word ‘Deuce’ came from the French word ‘deux le jeu’ that means ‘equally’ - in other
words to draw a score at the present stage of the game. Calling the score 15-30-40 derived from
the euphonic French words ‘quinze’, ‘trente’ and ‘quarante’, or quarters (15-30-45, where 45 was
transformed into 40).

The Davis Cup

777.jpgIn the beginning tennis ball was made out of wool and filled with sawdust, sand and
wool. Later on a high-bound ball was invented, which allowed players to play on courts. In the
USA the game was first organized thanks to Merry Young, and the country saw its first ever
tennis match in 1874 on the courts of the cricket and baseball club on the Staten Island. The first
amateur championship was played on the courts of the global English tennis and cricket club
Wimbledon (men’s championship in 1877 and women’s championship in 1884). In 1900 was the
first lawn tennis team championship called Davis Cup and it attracted great attention of the
international tennis community. In 1963 the similar women’s championship was played called
the Fed Cup. Both of those championships helped to enhance the prestige of lawn tennis.

Tennis Association

11-2.jpgIn the 20s when tennis started to bring much bigger profits, majority of the amateur
players went professional. In the end of the 19th century tennis started to spread throughout
English colonies, first Australia, and then further around the world. In the United States the rules
for lawn tennis were constantly evolving until the 1991 when the USTA (United States Lawn
Tennis Association) was established. The association has fixed the rules for lawn tennis and
tournament procedures. Annual men’s single competitions were held in Newport under the aegis
of the association (1881). The first women’s competition was organized in Philadelphia in 1887.

20th Century

0397.jpgIn the 1968 the championship was renamed into now well-known ‘US Open’ and set to
be played in the national tennis center, NY. At the beginning of the 20th century Wimbledon and
US Open were the largest tournaments at the time. In the 1968 a new era in tennis began with
both amateur and professional players having a right to participate in large-scale competitions. In
1971 the Women’s Tennis Association – professional women’s tournament was established that
ensured the same financial support for both men and women. Lawn tennis tournaments can
easily compete with the popularity of the Olympic games, where tennis players have been
participating since 1988.

Rules and Regulations:

First of all, the rules of tennis are different (although mostly similar) for singles matches and
doubles matches. But before we go over that stuff, let’s review some of the general tennis rules
and regulations that apply to all of tennis before we learn how to play tennis for singles and
doubles.
General Rules of Tennis

 A ball must land within bounds for play to continue; if a player hits the ball outside
of bounds, this results in the loss of the point for them.
 Players/teams cannot touch the net or posts or cross onto the opponent’s side.
 Players/teams cannot carry the ball or catch it with the racquet.
 Players cannot hit the ball twice.
 Players must wait until the ball passes the net before they can return it.
 A player that does not return a live ball before it bounces twice loses the point.
 If the ball hits or touches the players, that counts as a penalty.
 If the racquet leaves the hand or verbal abuse occurs, a penalty is given.
 Any ball that bounces on the lines of boundary are considered good.
 A serve must bounce first before the receiving player can return it.
Equipment
 Racquet – A racquet is comprised of a handle, a frame, and strings that are bound in
a crisscross weaving pattern. A racquet’s frame should not exceed 32 inches in
length, with a handle no longer than 12.5 inches in width, and a surface no more
than 15.5 inches in overall length or 11.5 inches in width. There can also be no
objects or devices on the racquet except for ones that prevent vibration and wear and
tear.
 Ball – A tennis ball is white or yellow in color for tournaments, with measurements
of 2-1/2 to 2-5/8 inches in diameter and weighing anywhere from 2 to 2-1/16
ounces. The elasticity of the ball and the uniform outer surface are also determined
by approved specifications.
Scoring
 Points – Smallest unit of measurement. Points increment from Love(0)-15-30-40-
game.
 Games – Games consist of 4 points each, and is won when a player reaches 4
points with at least a 2 point advantage.
 Sets – A set consists of 6 games and is won by the player/team who reaches 6
games first with least a 2 point lead.
 Advantage Set – If a game score of 6-6 is reached and advantage set rules are
used, a player/team can only win a set with a 2 game lead.
 Matches – A match is usually played as best of 3 or best of 5 sets.
 Deuce – Occurs if a score of 40-40 is reached. In order to win the game, a
player/team must win 2 consecutive points in order to take the game. If a player
wins one point, they have advantage, but if they lose the next point, the score returns
to deuce.
 Tie-break game – If a game score of 6-6 is reached and tie-break set rules are
used, players must play a tie-break game in order to decide who wins the set. In a
tie-break game, a player/team must reach 7 points with a two point advantage to
win. For the serving format of a tie-break game, player 1 serves for the first point,
player 2 serves for the next two points, player 1 serves for the next two points after
that, etc.