Introduction: Badminton

The sport badminton is a racket sport in which the players are divided by a net that
splits the court into two equal sections using a shuttlecock or birdie as a projectile. Landing the
shuttle on your opponent's side of the court earns you points. In many regions of the world,
badminton is played as an outdoor sport. On the other hand, if the weather is windy, it should be
played indoors where the shuttle's flight will not be affected by the wind.

History of Badminton

● A game called “ti jian zi” was played in China around the fifth century BC. “Kicking the
shuttle” is the literal translation of the term ‘ti jian zi.’
● Badminton has a long history, dating back around five centuries or at least two thousand
years later to ancient Greece, India, Japan, and China when the game of Battledore and
Shuttlecock was played. The game is described as “battledore and shuttlecock played
with sides, across a string stretched some five feet from the ground” in an article
published in the Cornhill Magazine in 1863.
● It was also a popular game among children in England by the 16th century, and the
game was called “jeu de volant” in Europe.
● During the 18th century, it was known as “Poona” and was a popular game in India.
● Badminton got its name from the Duke of Beaufort’s house at his Gloucestershire estate
“Badminton,” where the sport was practiced in the year 1873.
● The officers in India brought the game back to England, where it was a big hit during a
party hosted by the Duke of Beaufort in 1873 at his Gloucestershire estate “Badminton.”
● On the day of the party held by the Duke of Beaufort in his place, a game of Poona was
played, and it became famous among British India’s expatriate officers in the 1860s.
● “The Badminton game” was the name given to the new party sport, and the first formal
set of regulations for badminton was developed by the Bath Badminton Club, which was
founded in 1877.
● On September 13, 1893, the Badminton Association of England (BAE) established these
rules and formally launched the sport at Portsmouth’s “Dunbar” home.
● In 1899, the Badminton Association of England held the first badminton competition and
established the All England Open Badminton Championships for gentlemen’s doubles,
ladies’ doubles, and mixed doubles. In 1900, singles competitions were also brought into
play.
● In 1934, the Badminton World Federation, formerly known as the International
Badminton Federation, was established as the sport’s global governing organization. It
was founded by members from England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Denmark, France,
Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In 1977, it hosted its first global
championships. The All England Championships is the most well-known of these.
● The Thomas Cup in 1939 for men’s team competition and the Uber Cup in 1956 for
women’s team competition are two well-known international competitions.
 ● In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, badminton was formally recognized as an Olympic
sport. Today, the Badminton World Federation has approximately 150 member
countries, up from nine founding members.

Objectives of Badminton

● People can play this sport in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
● The game's objective is to hit a shuttlecock across the net and into your opponent's court
and keep the shuttlecock from striking the ground.
● While receiving the shuttlecock on their side, each player tries to throw it on the
opposing team's shuttlecock. Once a player strikes it, the cock must fly over the net and
reach the other side.
● If your opponent hits it, the rally continues until the shuttle is hit out of the allocated area
or landed on the court.
● When a player hits the shuttle outside the designated boundary or allows it to fall on their
court, the other player loses the rally and receives a point. The best player determines
the winner in each of the three sets of the game.

Basic Skills of Badminton

1. Grip (Forehand and Backhand Grip)

○ When playing badminton, grip means holding the racket when hitting shots. It's
critical to have a good grip on the racket so you can manage your shots without
risking a wrist injury. You'll be able to effortlessly play both backhand and
forehand strokes if you have a good grip.
○ Forehand Grip is used to hit shots on the forehand side of your body, as well as
shots around the head. Whereas, on the backhand side of your body, the
Backhand Grip is utilized to hit shots.
2. Stance (Attacking Stance, Defensive Stance, and Net Stance)
○ In between a rally and before a serve, the stance is how you stand when playing
badminton. Because of the ease within which you can move, a stable and correct
stance will make such a difference in the results.
○ Attacking Stance: Before playing an overhead forehand stroke, the attacking
stance is used to get into position.
○ Defensive Stance: You must have a defensive stance ready to defend your
opponent's smash.
○ Net Stance: After a net shot, this type of stance is taken to be ready for the
opponent's return.
3. Footwork
○ On the court, proper footwork is essential in assisting with a well-organized and
fast movement. It will aid in the control of your opponent. While playing, you will
save both time and energy. Also, you will have no trouble hitting a shuttlecock
that's coming in any direction.
4. Serve (High Serve, Low Serve, and Flick Serve)
 ○ In badminton, one of the most fundamental skills to master is service. Players
must serve effectively to win the rally and gain points.
○ High Serve: In badminton, the high serve is used to pull the opponent back by
hitting the shuttle near the back end of the court.
○ Low Serve: For the low badminton serve, it can be employed to push the
opponent to step forward and make a defensive play under the shuttle because
using a low serve will allow the shuttlecock to land in the court's front corner
slightly above the net.
○ Flick Serve: This is a technique for tricking and persuading your opponent that
you are hitting a low service.
5. Strokes (Overhead Forehand Stroke, Overhead Backhand Stroke, Underarm
Forehand Stroke, and Underarm Backhand Stroke)
○ Badminton players must be able to perform and must be good at the beginning
strokes in order to make perfect badminton shots. With strokes, you will have the
ability to make expert shots like drops, smashes, and drives.
○ Overhead Forehand Stroke: The most popular forehand stroke used by the
majority of players is the Overhead Forehand Stroke. This stroke is responsible
for the force that causes the swing to move.
○ Overhead Backhand Stroke: This stroke is the main weakness of many people
because it challenges the body to turn backwards to run. To gain more power
with a firm backhand stroke, you must take a full swing backward.
○ Underarm Forehand Stroke: This stroke is a low shot on the forehand side.
When your opponent hits you with a drop shot, you can use this stroke to defend
against the opponent's drop shots. To counter your opponent's shot, you must hit
a low shot with a lot of power.
○ Underarm Backhand Stroke: This stroke is a low shot on the backhand side.
When your opponent's drop shot hits, you must also use this stroke to defend
against the opponent's drop shots. Also, unlike the overhead backhand stroke,
you don't have to turn back when you use this stroke.
6. Smash (Forehand Smash, Backhand Smash, and Jumping Smash)
○ In badminton, the most forceful and powerful stroke is the smash. The shot
entails striking the shuttle hard into the opponent's body or down the court.
○ Forehand Smash: For beginners in badminton, this skill is a game-changer. The
technique of throwing the ball is comparable to the forehand, which is an
overhead smash.
○ Backhand Smash: It's critical to have a good backhand grip in order to perform
this stroke. It's also crucial to return to your original stance. However, this is one
of the most challenging strokes in badminton, where even the most experienced
players have trouble with it.
○ Jumping Smash: The most glamorous of all in badminton is the Jumping
Smash. This type of smash refers to a forehand smash with a controlled jump
applied to it.
7. Drop Shot
 ○ In badminton, a drop shot is a shot that is performed from the back of the court.
It's aimed at your opponent's front of the court and has a downward and curving
trajectory. This basic skill in badminton is used to bring the opponent to the
frontcourt and is performed with both the forehand and backhand. As a result of
this, you can take advantage of the space in the backcourt and midcourt.
8. Clear or Lob
○ Clear or Lob is one of the most basic badminton skills people may learn with
practice without needing a coach. It is typically performed on the open area in the
frontcourt with the goal of “lobbing” the shuttle over the opponent. The goal is to
drop the shuttlecock as close to the baseline as possible where there is no
possibility to make the angle clear for the opponent.
9. Drive
○ The drive shot in badminton can be hit diagonally across the court or straight
down the court. These are horizontal shots that cross the net flatly in a horizontal
direction where the forehand and backhand options are both possible to perform.

Basic Types of Equipment of Badminton

● The racket, the net, and the shuttlecock are all equipment that you must have if you want
to play badminton as they are all necessary for the sport of badminton.
● Racket
○ One of the essential items of equipment a player can have is a badminton racket.
They are built of lighter materials like carbon fiber or lighter metals like aluminum,
making them substantially lighter than most other sports rackets.
○ The racket’s parts include the head, throat, shaft, and handle, giving it a
maximum length of 26.77 inches and a width of 9.05 inches for the whole part of
the racket.
○ It is a checkerboard pattern of strings stretched across the racket’s aperture,
which serves as the hitting surface.
● Shuttlecock (or Birdie)
○ In various racket sports, the shuttlecock, sometimes known as a shuttle or birdie,
works similarly to a ball. However, this makes badminton apart from other racket
sports and makes it so special.
○ The shuttlecock is made of a hard cork at the tip of a cone and a range of
materials, with feathers being used in the more expensive models and plastic
feathers being used in the less expensive ones.
○ The shuttlecock's base comprises 16 feathers attached that range in length from
2.44 to 2.75 inches and weigh between 0.17 to 0.19 ounces or 4.74 to 5.50
grams.
● Net
○ The badminton court is divided into two sections by a net. The game is played by
the shuttle moving to and forth over the net, which is the court's central divider
along its length.
 ○ The net must have a width of at least 6.1 meters (m) and a depth of 760
millimeters (mm).
○ The posts on the doubles sidelines are used to secure the net. At the center of
the court, the top of the net must be 1.524 meters above the ground surface and
1.55 meters above the doubles sidelines.
○ Whether doubles or singles are being played, singles can be up to 17 feet long,
while doubles can be up to 22 feet long.
○ In addition, the net for badminton should be manufactured with a fine dark-
colored cord of consistent thickness with a mess of between 20 to 15 millimeters
(mm).

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