What is Badminton?

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the name Badminton itself comes from
an Old English word that means “the estate of (a man called) Baduhelm.”
Badminton was just a game played for fun, and it was known as “battledore and
shuttlecock” in British India instead of Badminton.
Badminton is an indoor/outdoor game played with racket and shuttle cocks. Badminton
was given a boost in England with the name of the hall as “badminton” was used to give
the games its official name. From then on badminton was taken up as a recreational
sport rather than competitive before the game was picked up by the Asian giants like
Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Korea, Hongkong etc.. And countries like Denmark,
Germany, Russia picked up the game later on.
The bat was initially referred to as “Battledore”. Battledore and shuttlecock was a rather
simple outdoor game.
Both players were just required to keep the shuttlecock in the air as long as possible,
preventing it from touching the ground.
Battledore and shuttlecock was then brought back to England where it was introduced
to the upper class community.
Eventually the game was officially introduced to the guests of the Duke of Beaufort at
his house.
Interestingly, the house was called BADMINTON. The English really
loved the game, and you can guess how the sport got its name
“Badminton”.

Development of Badminton

- Official rules were developed after the game was introduced to the people in
England
- The FIRST open badminton tournament was held at Guildford, England in 1898
- The FIRST All England Badminton Championships was held the following year.
- The FIRST official Badminton World Championships was held in 1977.
- Badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992.
- The Badminton World Federation (BWF) introduced the Badminton Super
Series events in 2007 to further promote the sport.

History of Badminton
- Badminton was originated in Europe and Asia
- The game knows as battledore (bat or paddle) and shuttlecock originated more than
2000 years ago.
- In the 1600s battledore and shuttlecock was an upper class in England and many
European countries.
- Modern badminton cabe trace to mid-19th century and it was created by British
military officer
- It became very famous in Poona in 1873, a British town so that it known as Poona
Game.
- In March 1898, the first open tournament was held at Guildford
- The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed in 1934 -Badminton is a
new Olympic sport in 1972 at Munich Olympics
- Olympic sport in Barcelona in 1922
- Mixed doubles was included in 1996 at Atlanta Olympic Games

Equipments in the game

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Simplified Rules of the Game

Each organization is allowed 1 singles and 1 doubles team. A student may compete in

both.

Rules
- A player must wait until his opponent is ready before serving. If the opponent
attempts a return then he is ruled having been ready.
- The feet of both players must remain in a stationary position until the serve is made.
Your feet can not be touching the line at this time.
- It is not a fault if you miss the shuttle while serving.
- The shuttle cannot be caught and slung with the racket.
- A player cannot hold his racket near the net to ward off a downward stroke by his
opponent or to interfere with his racket.

Faults
- The shuttle, at the instant of being hit is higher than the servers waist or the head of
the racket is higher than the servers racket hand.
- The shuttle does not land in the correct service court.
- The server's feet are not in the service court or if the feet of the receiver are not in
the court diagonally opposite the server.
- The server steps forward as he/she serves.
- Any player balking or feinting his opponent before serve or during serve.
- A serve or shot that lands outside the court boundaries, passes under or through
the net, touches any other obstructions or a players body or clothing. The boundary
and service lines are considered in play.
- The shuttle in play is struck before it crosses the net to the striker's side of the net.
You may follow through over the net.
- A player touching the net or its supports with his body or racket while the shuttle is
in play.
- Hitting the shuttle twice in succession by a player or team.

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

A 1 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.

Basic skills
Backhand grip Serve

Forehand drive Backhand drive

Netting Net lift

Overhead hit point Smash
 Definition of Terms

1. backhand- The stroke used to hit a

shuttle that comes to the left side of a
righthanded player, and to the right side of
a left-handed player.

2. carry- The shuttle is held on the racket

during the execution of a stroke (caught
and slung instead of a distinct hit).

3. clear- A high deep shot, aimed to travel

over the opponent’s head, forcing him/her
back from the net, or to the rear of his court.
4. crosscourt Hitting the shuttle diagonally
from one side of the court to the other at an
angle across the net.

5. Double hit - The shuttle is hit twice in succession by the same player, or by player
and partner successively.

6. Drive - A hard hit shot, in which the shuttle travels low over the net with great speed,
on a horizontal line or flat trajectory

. 7. Drop- A shot, which just clears the top of the net, and then drops quickly downward
into the opponent’s court. It is a finesse stroke (can be overhand or underhand) hit with
very little speed which falls close to the net on the opponent’s side.

8. Fault - Any violation of the rules, or a playing error. A fault by the server results in
loss of service.

9. flick- speeding up the shuttle with a quick wrist action. Useful in hitting from below
the level of the net, thereby surprising an opponent by quickly changing a soft shot into
a faster moving shot.

10. foot- fault Standing on a boundary line when serving or receiving the serve.

11. Forehand - The stroke used to hit a shuttle that comes to the right of a right-handed
player, and to the left of a left-handed player.

12. game- A game consists of 21 points and winning by two, unless the game gets to
29-29, then it is the first team to 30 points.
13. Hairpin net shot- A shot that starts close to the floor near the net, rises up over the
net, and drops sharply downward. So called because of its shape.

14. High deep serve A high arching serve which drops just within the back boundary
line. Generally used in singles play.

15. Home court - The side of the court in which you started the game. You should
always be in your home court when your team’s score is even. 5

16. match- Best two out of three games.

17. Love - Zero points.

18. Odd and even courts - You serve from your odd or left court when your score is an
uneven number. You serve from your even or right court when your score is an even
number.

19. Overhead smash -A hard overhand hit which forces the shuttle sharply downward
into the opponent’s court.

20. Overhead drop- A shot that just clears the top of the net, and then drops quickly
downward into the opponent’s court.

21. point- A unit of scoring.

22. rally- The continual play between the time a shuttle is served and one player faults.

23. Short serve- A type of serve which just clears the net and lands in the front portion
of the service court. Generally used in doubles play.

24. Side by side- A doubles defensive formation where a team divides the court down
the middle from the net to the back boundary line. Each player covers his/her half or
side of the court, both in the front and in the back. The advantage in using the “sides”
system is that each player’s area to defend is well defined and there is little confusion
as to which player is to cover which shots.

25. up and back- A doubles defensive formation where a team divides each player’s
area by one playing shots to the front half of the court and the other playing shots in the
back part of the court.