History of Badminton

Badminton is considered one of the most ancient games known today. It

derives from the battledore and shuttlecock game which was played in
Ancient Greece, India, Japan, China, and even in several African
countries. The essence of the game was to throw a special shuttlecock
with a racket. India is considered to be the birthplace of badminton. In
this country, the prototype of the modern badminton appeared, it was
the "Poona" game. Later, the sailors brought this game to England,
where the game gradually began to gain its popularity. We owe the
badminton in the form in which it exists now to English Duke of Beaufort.
In 1973, while returning to his estate called Badminton House from a
business trip in India, Duke of Beaufort brought the equipment for
playing the "Poona" game with him. Soon he involved his numerous
relatives and the surrounding aristocrats in playing the game. Badminton
House became the center of its development and popularization, and the
game got its current name "badminton".

In 1934, the International Badminton Federation was created. This

organization included Canada, Denmark, France, England, the
Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, and Wales. Under its
guidance since 1947, the world badminton championships for men
(Thomas Cup) started being held. In 1992, badminton was included in the
program of the Olympic Games. Since then, the popularity of badminton
has been only growing in the world. It became especially popular in the
countries of Southeast Asia. Currently, badminton is dominated by the
Asian athletes (China, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia), who win up to
90% of the medals at the world championships.
Badminton Equipment & Facilities

Badminton court has a rectangular shape. The overall dimensions of a

badminton court is 20 feet by 44 feet. For a doubles game, the width of
the court should be 20 feet. The net is installed at a height of 5.1 feet;
the height of the net in the center is 5 (when it is sagging). The net is
limited above by a strip of 0.25 feet, which is folded in half.

Racket “battledore”

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.

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.

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.