BADMINTON

Badminton is a racquet 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 with their racquet so
that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. ach side
may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. ! rally ends once
the shuttlecock has struck the floor, or if a fault has been called by either the umpire
or service "udge or, in their absence, the offending player, at any time during the rally.
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&he shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered (or, mainly in uncompetitive games, plastic)
pro"ectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from the
balls used in most racquet sports' in particular, the feathers create much higher drag,
causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. (huttlecocks have a
much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock
flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also
played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.
(ince $))*, badminton has been an +lympic sport with five events, men's and
women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mi-ed doubles, in which each pair
consists of a man and a woman. !t high levels of play, especially in singles, the sport
demands e-cellent fitness, players require aerobic stamina, agility, e-plosive strength,
speed and precision. .t is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination
and the development of sophisticated racquet movements
History and development
Battledore and Shuttlecock. 1854,
from the John Leech Archive
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&he beginnings of badminton can be traced to the mid0$122s in British .ndia, where it
was created by British military officers stationed there.
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arly photographs show
nglishmen adding a net to the traditional nglish game of battledore and shuttlecock.
&he sport is related to ball badminton, which originated in &amil 4adu, and is similar
to 5anetsuki which originated in 6apan. Being particularly popular in the British
garrison town Poona (now Pune), the game also came to be known as Poona.
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.nitially, balls of wool referred as ball badminton were preferred by the upper classes
in windy or wet conditions, but ultimately the shuttlecock stuck. &his game was taken
by retired officers back to ngland where it developed and rules were set out.
!lthough it appears clear that Badminton 5ouse, 8loucestershire, owned by the 9uke
of Beaufort, has given its name to the sports, it is unclear when and why the name was
adopted. !s early as $1:2, .saac (pratt, a ;ondon toy dealer, published a booklet,
Badminton Battledore a new game, but unfortunately no copy has survived.
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!n
$1:/ article in he !ornhill "aga#ine describes badminton as <battledore and
shuttlecock played with sides, across a string suspended some five feet from the
ground<.
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&his early use has cast doubt on the origin through e-patriates in .ndia,
though it is known that it was popular there in the $1=2s and that the first rules were
drawn up in Poonah in $1=/.
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!nother source cites that it was in $1== at >arachi in
(British) .ndia, where the first attempt was made to form a set of rules
Rules
&he following information is a simplified summary of badminton rules based on the
B?@ (tatutes publication, Law$ of Badminton.
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Playing court dimensions
Badminton court, isometric view
&he court is rectangular and divided into halves by a net. Aourts are usually marked
for both singles and doubles play, although badminton rules permit a court to be
marked for singles only.
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&he doubles court is wider than the singles court, but both
are of same length. &he e-ception, which often causes confusion to newer players, is
that the doubles court has a shorter serve0length dimension.
&he full width of the court is :.$ metres (*2 ft), and in singles this width is reduced to
7.$1 metres ($= ft). &he full length of the court is $/.3 metres (33 ft). &he service
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courts are marked by a centre line dividing the width of the court, by a short service
line at a distance of $.)1 metres (: ft : inch) from the net, and by the outer side and
back boundaries. .n doubles, the service court is also marked by a long service line,
which is 2.=: metres (* ft : inch) from the back boundary.
&he net is $.77 metres (7 ft $ inch) high at the edges and $.7*3 metres (7 ft) high in
the centre. &he net posts are placed over the doubles sidelines, even when singles is
played.
&he minimum height for the ceiling above the court is not mentioned in the ;aws of
Badminton. 4onetheless, a badminton court will not be suitable if the ceiling is likely
to be hit on a high serve.
Serving
ach game is played to *$ points, with
players scoring a point whenever they
win a rally regardless of whether they
served
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(this differs from the old system
where players could only win a point on
their serve and each game was played to
$7 points). ! match is the best of three
games.
!t the start of the rally, the server and
receiver stand in diagonally opposite
$ervice court$ (see court dimensions).
&he server hits the shuttlecock so that it
would land in the receiver's service court.
&his is similar to tennis, e-cept that a
badminton serve must be hit below waist
height and with the racquet shaft pointing
downwards, the shuttlecock is not
allowed to bounce and in badminton, the
players stand inside their service courts
unlike tennis.
?hen the serving side loses a rally, the
serve immediately passes to their
opponent(s) (this differs from the old
system where sometimes the serve passes
to the doubles partner for what is known
as a <second serve<).
.n singles, the server stands in their right
service court when their score is even, and in herBhis left service court when herBhis
score is odd.
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