1.

INTRODUCTION
Badminton is a sport that, thanks to its simple nature, can be played as a
leisure activity or equally as a competitive sport at a high level. When played as a
leisure activity, the game can easily be adapted to smaller spaces, either outside or
in. The game can be learnt quickly so that within a short amount of time everyone can
enjoy playing it.

2. HISTORY OF ORIGIN
It is difficult to know the exact origins of badminton, but it is currently
believed that it derives from the Indian game poona. In 1873 in Badminton House
England, the idea to play poona was proposed. They improvised using tennis rackets
and champagne corks that they attached feathers to. The first rules were published
in 1877, and in 1893 the English Badminton Association was created. Little by little,
badminton continued to grow in popularity and the IFB (International Federation of
Badminton) was created in 1934. People started playing badminton in Spain in the
1960´s, in the towns of Coruna and Vigo. This led to the creation of the A. Gallego de
Badminton, although it wasn´t officially considered a sport by the Consejo superior
de deportes (C.S.D.) as it was not sufficiently popular in Spain. Thanks to the support
of the College of Physical Education with Jose Luis Hernandez as President,
badminton was revived with great enthusiasm, organizing the Primeras jornadas de
badminton. At the end of 1984 the C.S.D. passed the statutes of the Spanish
Federation and after the regulation four years the sport was considered federated.
The final recognition of badminton came when it was announced as an Olympic sport
and was part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

3. FACILITIES AND NECESSARY EQUIPMENT

3.1 PLAYING AREA

Playing area:
- The dimensions of the badminton court are 13.40m x 6.10m, and it is separated
into two equal parts by the central net, which is 1.55m high.
Singles: In singles matches the playing area is marked by the interior lateral lines and
the back exterior line.
Doubles: In doubles the playing area is marked by all exterior lines.

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 Left service Doubles
area sideline
Right service Singles
area sideline

Short service
line

Net

THE NET

3.2 THE RACKET

It is the most important element of the game. There is a variety of material
used to make this tool: wood, metal, graphite, carbon fibre...
THE PARTS OF THE BADMINTON RACKET ARE:

GRIP SHAFT

HEAD

3.3 THE SHUTTLE AND FEATHERS

This is the object we hit with the racket. It can reach a velocity of 200km/h in
a shot or smash.

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Consists of two parts:
- The feathers (which can be real or plastic)
- The cork base which is covered in white leather and to which the feathers are
attached.

4. TECHNIQUES
The technique of badminton is characterized by great precision in the
execution of technical movements. In order to enjoy badminton, as with other sports,
it is necessary to know and learn the basic movements.
When explaining the technique of badminton, we need to study various elements:
4.1. GRIPPING THE RACKET:
In order to hold the racket correctly we have to hold the racket so that the
strings are perpendicular to the floor. In this position we hold the racket by wrapping
our fingers around the handle, trying to support the widest part in the palm of the
hand and keeping the thumb between the index and other fingers. This is known as
the universal or western grip, which we need to use for forehand or drive shots. For
forehand shots, you have to turn the wrist so that the thumb acts as a support point
for the handle of the racket.

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Wrist play:
Unlike tennis, which is played with a blocked arm and wrist, badminton uses
complete wrist mobility. The racket and the shuttle, being light, allow the player to
“whip” whilst they are hitting. This movement is obtained by a brusque movement of
the wrist coupled with a quick arm movement, which gives speed to the shuttle.

4.2 BASIC GAME STANCE

Player in game stance
The badminton player needs to adopt a position that
allows them to enter into action in the best possible way.
During the game, the player needs to make sure they get
back to the middle of the court after each action. They
will need to have their legs apart at shoulder width, with
the attacking foot (the one which corresponds to the
racket hand i.e. whether you are left or right handed)
slightly forward with respect to the other, and the body
weight equally distributed between both feet. The torso is
inclined slightly forward and arms are half bent.

Player in receiving stance before the serve

In singles, the receiving player should be in the
middle of the service court, with their non-dominant leg
forward, bearing all their weight, and with the racket in
front and above their head. In doubles the player’s position
is similar, except that the player positions themselves
closer to the service line. The racket will still be out in
front and above their head.

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Movements
Movements should be made taking into
account three main premises in order for
them to be successful from a technical
point of view:
1) Making as few steps as possible.
2) Guide the movement with the
attacking leg.
3) The movement should be made so
that the racket can make contact
with the shuttle. There is no need to
be in the exact spot where the
shuttle falls.

4. 3 SERVES
In badminton the serve is a defensive act, due to the fact that you have to hit
the shuttle at waist height. Therefore, the principle is to avoid direct mistakes.
There are two ways to execute a serve. Either a drive or forehand serve, or a
backhand serve. Depending on their trajectory, they can be long, short, or taut.
The forehand serve is typically used in singles matches, and can be both high
and short.

A backhand serve, as its name indicates, is done by hitting the shuttle with the
other flat side of the racket and with the back of the hand facing forward. It's a
serve that is only used when playing doubles.

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 Backhand serve

Short
High serve
serve

When playing singles it is preferable to serve long, whereas in doubles it is

predominantly short serves and behind the net. The player that serves places
themselves within the service area.
The arm movement is from back to front in a continuous movement; the impact
of the shuttle against the racket happens between the knee and the hip. At the
moment of impact with the racket, the head is perpendicular to the ground or lightly
inclined forward. From the beginning to the end of the movement there is a transfer
of weight from back to front.

Service Courts
Doubles and mixed service and
receiving court

Singles service and

receiving court

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4.4 Basic Shots
From the very beginning of a shot we can differentiate between a drive, forehand
(with the palm of the hand facing towards the direction we send the shuttle), and
backhand (with the back of the hand facing towards the directions we send the
shuttle).

Based on the purpose of a shot we can distinguish between:

Offensive shots
Their objective is to force the opponent to make an
error. They are usually high (above the head). The clear,
drop-shot, and smash are offensive shots.

Defensive shots
Their objective is to protect from an attack from the
opponent. They are usually low shots (below the head).
The drive, drop-shot, and lob are defensive shots.

We can differentiate between the different types of badminton shots by analysing

their trajectory. These are the fundamentals:

1. Drop-Shot: Shot intended to let the shuttle fall right next to the net.

2. Drive: Shot with a long and horizontal trajectory. The shuttle passes as close as
possible to the net. It's used to bring speed into the game. The point of contact of
the shuttle with the racket should be between the chest and the head (shoulder
height).

DRIVE, RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE, AT SHOULDER HEIGHT

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3. Drop technique: Shot with a descending trajectory that falls right at the net but
that is hit from the back of the court.

4. Smash: Shot with a fast, descending trajectory to score a point. It's an excellent
offensive shot.

5. Clear: Strong lob toward the back of the court, intends to bring the opponent
farther away from the net. It is hit from the back of the court.

6. Lob: Shot with an ascending trajectory toward the back of the court, intends to
bring the opponent far from the net. It is hit from close to the net.

All shots can, of course, be done as a drive or backhand.

5. BASIC RULES AND REGULATIONS

5.1. MATCHES
Matches can be played as singles, doubles or mixed. They consist of two sets.
If each player wins a set then it's a tie and a third set is played to break the tie. In
the third set the teams always switch courts at the 11th point. To score a point it is
not necessary to have the service, although when a serving player fails, the opponent
scores a point and regains service.

SINGLES MATCHES start with a serve, which is done from the right court
and directed toward the service court that is diagonally opposite. If a point is scored
then they continue serving but from the other side of the court, the left service
court. If the serving player makes a mistake they lose the serve and service goes to
the opponent. Serves are always done while keeping the score in mind throughout the

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whole game. When the score is even the players will always serve from the ride
service court, and conversely, when the score is uneven the serve is from the left
service court.

DOUBLES MATCHES have the same cross serves as in singles, also starting
the match with the serve from the right court. If the team that is serving scores a
point the same player serves again but from the other serving court. This way no
player receives two consecutive serves in the same match. To always know which
position each player needs to be in we have to observe where each player starts at
the beginning of each play. From that point on we know that whenever the serving
team has an even score the player that started the serve on the right side at the
beginning of the game should be on that side. If a team's score is uneven the player
that started on the left side will now serve from the right side.

5.2 SCORING
According to today's rules a match is best out of three sets. This way, if a 1-1
tie occurs the third set will be the tie breaker. In every type of badminton, men's
and women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles, all games are played to
twenty-one points with a minimum difference of 2 points. If the score gets to 29-29,
the player or team that scores the thirtieth point wins the set. When the first of
the two players or teams gets to eleven points there is a sixty second break. There is
also a two minute break between each set.
Where to serve and receive turns out to be very simple; when the serving
player has an even score they serve from the right service court, whereas, if the
score is uneven they serve from the left service court. The player that receives the
cross court serve should be in the court diagonal from the serving player.

5.3 THE SERVE

The player serving and the player receiving are in diagonally opposite courts,
each player within the service area and not touching the lines. Both the server and
the receiver must be static and keep both feet on the floor until the serve is made.
At the moment of impact of the serve, the racket, as well as the shuttle,
should be below the waist. Similarly, at the moment of impact, the grip on the racket
should be above the head of the racket.

5.4 FOULS
The fouls are the following:
1. If the serve is done from above the waist or the head of the racket is above
the grip at the moment of impact.
2. If the serve lands outside the receiving court.
3. If the serving or receiving players' feet are outside the serving or receiving
areas.
4. If the shuttle lands outside the court during the game.

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5. If the shuttle is hit from the receiving court.
6. If a player touches the net or posts with their body or racket.
7. If the shuttle does not fly above the net, gets caught in the net or in a
player's racket, or is hit twice from the same court.
8. If the serving player does not wait until the opponent is ready to receive.
9. If a player blocks an opponent's shot with their racket at the net.

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