Badminton

Badminton is a racket sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles),
who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court divided by a net. Players score points by striking a
shuttlecock or birdie with their racket so that it passes over the net and land in their opponent’s half of the court.

Brief History
 The beginning of badminton can be traced to mid-18th century in British India, where it was created
by British military officers stationed there.
 The sport is related to ball badminton which is originated in TAMIL NADU, and is similar to Hanetsuki
which Originated in Japan.
 The game was known as 'POONA', named for a city southeast of Bombay (India). During this time
British military officers stationed there became attracted to the game, taking the concept home with
them.
 Initially, balls of wool referred as ball of badminton were preferred by the upper class in windy or wet
conditions but ultimately the shuttlecock stock. This game was taken by retired officers back to England
where it developed and rules were set out.
 The Englishmen adding a net to the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock.

Important Dates and Events in Badminton

 1860- Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet named “Badminton Battledore-a new
game” but unfortunately no copy has survived
 1893- the first set of rules was published by the Badminton Association of England and officially
launched badminton in a house called “Dunbar” at 6 Waverly Grove, Portsmouth, England
 1899 –started All England Open Championship, the first badminton competition in the world
 1934- International Badminton Federation now known as Badminton World Federation was established
 International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member nations
(Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales).
 1936- India joined the affiliation
 Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic Sport with five events namely:
o Men’s Singles
o Women’s Singles
o Men’s Doubles
o Women’s Doubles
o Mixed Doubles
 1972- Badminton made its debut as a demonstration sport in Olympic Games in Munich
 1996- The mixed doubles event made at Atlanta Olympic Games
 When the BWF was founded (as the IBF), its head office was located in Cheltenham, United
Kingdom.
 On 1 October 2005 the head office was relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
 Its current president is Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen.
 The BWF currently has 176 member nations around the world and organized into 5 continental
confederations.

Facilities and Equipment

Introduction
Every sport has its own unique facilities and equipment. These are always necessary to be utilized and
used throughout the game. In this topic, you will know and analyze the facility and equipment used in the game
Badminton.
RACKET
 The racket is the equipment needed to hit the shuttlecock/bird.
 A badminton racket weighs roughly 98-100 grams (3 1/2 oz), and is 68 cm. in length.
 Badminton racket is quite light and can be made of wood, aluminium, metal or synthetic materials
such as graphite or carbon.
 A synthetic racket is quite popular now because of its extreme lightness and strength.

PARTS OF A RACKET
 Stringed Area – is extended to hit the shuttle. It is of uniform pattern
and does not exceed 280 mm. (11 in.) in length and 220 mm. in width
 Head– bounds the stringed area.
 Throat – connects the shaft to the head.
 Shaft – connects the handle to the head
 Handle – is intended for a player’s grip

SHUTTLECOCK
 It is the official name given to the shuttle or bird.
 It is made up of 14-16 goose feathers and is firmly fixed in a leather covered cork head.
 It weighs from 4.74-5.50 grams.
 It may be made of feathers, plastic or nylon.

TYPES OF SHUTTLECOCK
 Feathered Shuttle – consists of 16 goose feathers. Its length is 62-70 mm. It must be fastened
firmly with thread or other suitable materials
 Cork or Base – shall be 25-28 mm. in diameter, and is rounded on the bottom.
Synthetic Shuttle

COURT
 Although courts can be set outdoors, competitive badminton is generally played indoor where the wind
and other elements will not affect the shuttle.
 The official badminton court is 20 ft. wide, while the singles court is 17 ft. wide.

PARTS OF A COURT
 Back-court – also called rear court. The back-court is 8 ft. of the court, including the back alley.
 Baseline – also called back line; back boundary line at each end of the end of the court parallel to
the net and the doubles long service line.
 Long Service Line – in singles, the back boundary line; in doubles, the line 2 1/2 ft. inside the back
boundary line. Any serve landing behind this line is out.
  Mid-Court – the middle third of the court from the short service line to the back third, a distance of
about 7 1/2 ft.
 Service Shot – area into where the service must be declined. A service may be made to the right or
left service court depending on the score.
 Short Service Line – the line 6 1/2 ft. from and parallel to the net. A serve must land on or behind it
to be legal.

POST
 The posts should stand 1.55 m. (5 ft., 1 in.) in height from the surface of the court. They must be placed
on the doubles side lines.

NET
 At all times, this should be strained tightly so that its height from the floor is 1.524 (5 ft.) long at the post.
 A measuring rod, should be kept by the umpires chair to facilitate regular testing to ensure the net is still
and its correct central height and has not sagged.

SHOES
  Badminton shoes have serious lateral support of the ankle, which prevents the ankles from tucking in
with a sharp change of direction and lunges.

Basic Skills in Badminton

1. GRIPPING
 Is a way of holding the racket in order to hit shots during a match.
 How to handle the racket

TWO TYPES OF GRIPPING

a) FOREHAND GRIPPING- The forehand grip utilizes the index finger’s power the most. Thus, the grip is
the same as the basic Handshake grip, but the index finger is the finger that supplies power to make the
shot.
b) BACKHAND GRIPPING- This grip is used to make backhand shots, which are shots made with the
back of your hand facing the birdie. The backhand grip utilizes the power of the thumb to strike the
birdie. To make this grip you will hold the racket with your thumb pressing on the flat surface of the grip
and the rest of your fingers clasped around the handle normally.

Backhand Gripping
2. SERVICE
 The service is the shot that starts a play or rally. Means to start the game.
Types of Service
1. Forehand Service
2. Backhand Service

a) FOREHAND SERVE
The forehand stroke in badminton is the shot made by a player by swinging the racket across their body
with the palm moving first. For the right-handed player, the forehand is considered the stroke that starts
on the right side of their body, and vice versa for a left-handed person.
b) BACKHAND SERVE
This type of serve has several advantages. It is played from in front of the body so it has a shorter
distance to travel, which means it gets to the opponent quicker giving them less thinking time.
 Forehand Serve Backhand Serve
3. STROKES
 A badminton stroke is the movement of the player’s racket with an intention to hit the shuttle. The
strokes are about what happens before you hit the shuttle, how do you hold your racket, how do you
swing it, and in which location.

TYPES OF STROKES
a) OVERHEAD FOREHAND
This is probably the most common badminton stroke, and many beginners are usually comfortable in
using this, particularly for stronger badminton shots.
b) OVERHEAD BACKHAND
The stroke is slightly harder for beginners because you are required to face your body in a backward
position to shoot effectively.
c) UNDERARM FOREHAND
This stroke lets you hit low badminton shots with a lot of force, but it can be difficult to aim in the
beginning stages.
d) UNDERARM BACKHAND
It is easier to perform this stroke than the overhead backhand stroke because you will not have to turn
your body backward.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

4. FOOTWORK
 Badminton footwork basically encompasses two main things: Where you position yourself on the
court.
 V front: Forward forehand and Forward Backhand
 V back- Forehand Backcourt and Backhand Backcout
 Side by side (defensive)
 Moving back going front

SHOTS IN BADMINTON

1. CLEAR
 Aim of this shot is to let the shuttle fly high in the air and land at your opponent’s back court. It is used
when you need time to get back to the base before the next return or if you don’t have a clear
opportunity to kill and win the point.
 2. DROP
 This shot is a slow, gentle that falls just over the net into the opponent’s forecast.

3. SMASH
 This shot is a powerful overhead shot used to put away the shuttle that is above the height of the net.

4. DRIVE
 This is a line- drive shot that travels parallel to the ground, passing close over the net

Basic Rules in Badminton

THE TOSS
At the beginning of each match, a toss is made to determine which side serves first. The winner of the toss can
choose whether to make the first service of the match to whether to return first, thus leaving the first service to
the opponent.

THE SETS
A Badminton match commonly consists of up to 3 sets. In the 21 points system, the player who manages to
obtain 21 points will be the winner of the badminton game/set.

LET
If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to the score. Let may occur because of some
unexpected disturbances.