Badminton – History, Rules, and Equipment

(Ref.https://www.britannica.com/sports/badminton)

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.

How will you integrate the game badminton into

physical fitness and give brief example on how
badminton will help you to develop your physical
body.