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BADMINTON

The sport of badminton has its origins in ancient civilisations in Europe and Asia. The
ancient game known as battledore (bat or paddle) and shuttlecock probably originated more than
2000 years ago.
In the 1600s Battledore and Shuttlecock was an upper-class pastime in England and many
European countries. Battledore and Shuttlecock was simply two people hitting a shuttlecock
backwards and forwards with a simple bat as many times as they could without allowing it to hit
the ground.
A contemporary form of badminton - a game called Poon, was played in India in the 1800s
where a net was introduced and players hit the shuttlecock across the net. British officers in the
mid 1800’s took this game back to England and it was introduced as a game for the guests of the
Duke of Beaufort at his stately home ‘Badminton’ in Gloucestershire, England where it became
popular.
In March 1898, the first Open Tournament was held at Guildford the first 'All England'
Championships were held the following year. Denmark, the USA and Canada became ardent
followers of the game during the 1930s and in 1934, The International Badminton Federation was
created, members initially being including England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland,
Canada, New Zealand and France, with India joining as an affiliate in 1936.
The first major IBF tournament was the Thomas Cup (world men's team championships)
in 1948. Since then, the number of world events has increased with the addition of the Uber Cup
(ladies' team), World Championships, Sudirman Cup (mixed team), World Juniors and the World
Grand Prix Finals.
Badminton was introduced as a Commonwealth Games program sport in Kingston Jamaica
in 1966 and has been part of every Commonwealth Games program since. Initially all five
disciplines were included – singles (men, women), doubles (men, women) and mixed doubles
with the Teams Event included in the program in later Commonwealth Games. Australia has won
11 medals at the Commonwealth Games badminton events.
Badminton is a relatively new Olympic Games sport. After being a demonstration sport in
Munich in 1972, badminton became an Olympic sport in Barcelona in 1992 with the singles and
doubles disciplines introduced for the first time in the Olympic Games. In Atlanta in 1996, a mixed
doubles event was included and this is the only mixed doubles event in all of the Olympic sports.
Only five countries have won the gold medals since its introduction in 1992 - China (8),
Indonesia (5) and Korea (5) and Denmark (1). Susi Susanti from Indonesia won the women’s
singles in Barcelona, becoming Indonesia’s first medalist in the 40 years Indonesia had competed
at the Games. In the same Olympic Games, Alan Budi Kusama won Indonesia’s second gold
medal in the men’s badminton singles.
A badminton shuttle has known to clock in excess of 180 mph. Did you know that the best
badminton shuttle is one that is made from the feathers from the left wing of a goose? Badminton
players need to possess quick response and agility. With badminton matches lasting even up to a
couple of hours, it is little wonder that badminton players need to have rigorous training to build
up stamina and concentration. In addition, quick reflexes and rapid hand-eye coordination are a
prerequisite for any aspiring badminton player. Badminton, unlike most other racquet sports does
not use a ball but a shuttlecock that cannot touch the ground during a rally.
Look at these amazing statistics comparing a badminton match with a tennis match.
Badminton provides a vigorous cardiovascular workout for the player. In fact, the Department of
Physical Education at Baylor University describes it as ‘one of the finest conditioning game
activities available’. A statistical comparison reveals the following:

Tennis Badminton
Time duration: 3 hours 18 minutes 1 hour 16 minutes
Ball/Shuttle in play: 18 minutes 37 minutes
Match intensity: 9% 48%
Shots: 1004 1972
Shots per rally: 3.4 13.5
Distance covered: 2 miles 4 miles

Badminton Rule
The badminton rule regarding the shuttle is that it can be made from natural, synthetic or a
combination of both materials. The badminton shuttle is a combination of a few bird feathers, a
wooden cork, string and glue. It must have 16 feathers fixed in the base. Test a shuttle using a full
underhand stroke. The badminton racket also must conform to the badminton rulebook. A
badminton racket is usually made from hickory carbon alloys or steel. The badminton game rally
is aimed at hitting the shuttle over the net onto the opponent’s court. You lose the rally by either
hitting outside the opponent’s court or hitting the shuttle into the net or even if the shuttle touches
you or your clothing. The badminton rule allows you to accumulate points until you have reached
the winning target before your opponent. The attacking and defensive factors are crucial to win a
badminton game. The attacking game attempts to increase your chance of accumulating points.
The defensive game aims at decreasing the opponent’s chance of accumulating points. The
badminton rulebook prescribes the following scoring system:
A match shall consist of the best of 3 games unless otherwise arranged.
In doubles and men’s singles, the first side to score 15 points wins a game.
In ladies’ singles, the first side to score 11 points wins the game.
The side winning a game serves first in the next game.
The badminton rule for scoring is that the serving side can add a point to its score.

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