Badminton History and Facilities

Badminton History

• Badminton-like games existed in ancient Greece and Egypt, called battledore and shuttlecock
• In the 18th century, a game called "Poona" was played in India
• In the 1860s, British Army officers adapted Poona and brought it back to England
• The Duke of Beaufort hosted a party at his Badminton estate in Gloucestershire in 1873, where the game became popular, hence the name "Badminton"
• The International Badminton Federation was formed in 1934, with initial members including England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Canada, New Zealand, and France.
• India joined as an affiliate in 1936
• The first major IBF tournament was the Thomas Cup in 1948
• Badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992, featuring singles and doubles disciplines at the Barcelona Olympics.
• In 1966, Atlanta included badminton as the only mixed doubles event in all Olympic sports

Badminton Facilities and Equipment

• Racket: A handled sports equipment with an open hoop and a network of tightly stretched strings for striking the shuttlecock

• Parts of the racket:

  • Stringed area - the netted area to hit the shuttlecock
  • Head - Holds the strings to form the string bed
  • Throat -(optional) 'T' shape portion between shaft and head, supporting the head base
  • Shaft - Connects the handle to the head
  • Handle/ grip - Used by the player to hold the racket
  • Butt cup - the end portion of the racket

• Shuttlecock: Made of natural and/or synthetic materials. It has 16 feathers fixed in the base.

• Feather length: 62mm to 70mm

• Weight: 4.74-5.50g

• Cork diameter: 25mm–28mm

• Court:

  • Official court width: 20ft
  • Singles court width: 17ft
  • Back court (rear court)
  • Baseline (back line)
  • Long service line (in singles, the back boundary line; in doubles, 2 ½ ft inside the back boundary line)
  • Midcourt - the middle of the court from the short service line to the back third, approximately 7 1/2 ft.
  • Service court- area where the serve must land
  • Short service line - line 6 ½ ft from and parallel to the net
  • Posts - 1.55m (5ft 1in) high from the court surface
  • Net height - 1.524m (5ft) in the centre and 1.55m (5ft 1in) at the post

Badminton Terminologies, Rules, and Regulations

• Alley - the extension of the court by 1 1/2 ft on both sides for doubles play
• Back Alley - area between the back boundary line and the long service line for doubles play
• Backcourt - the back third of the court
• Balk (Feint) - deceptive movement to distract opponents before or during the service
• Baseline - the back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net
• Carry - illegal tactic (sling or throw) where the shuttle is caught and held on the racquet before being slung
• Center/ Base Position - the center of the court where singles players return after each shot
• Center Line- a line perpendicular to the net separating the left and right service courts
• Clear - a deep shot to the opponent's back boundary line (defensive or offensive)
• Court - the area of play
• Drive - fast and low shot with horizontal flight over the net
• Drop - a softly hit shot that lands rapidly near the net
• Fault - violation of playing rules in serving, receiving, or during play
• Flick - quick wrist/forearm rotation surprising the opponent by changing a soft shot into a faster passing one
• Forecourt - the front third of the court, between the net and the short service line
• Half-Court Shot - a low shot to midcourt effectively played in doubles against up-and-back formations
• Kill - a fast downward shot that cannot be returned ("put away")
• Let - legitimate cessation of play allowing a rally to be played
• Match - a series of games to determine a winner
• Midcourt - the middle third of the court halfway between the net and the back boundary line
• Net Shot - a shot hit from the forecourt that clears the net and falls rapidly
• Push Shot - gentle shot played by pushing the shuttle with little wrist movement
• Racquet (Racket) - instrument used by players to hit the shuttlecock
• Rally - exchange of shots while the shuttle is in play
• Serve (Service) - stroke to put the shuttlecock into play
• Service Court - area where the serve must be delivered (different for singles and doubles play)
• Shuttlecock (Shuttle) - official name for the object hit
• Smash - hard-hit overhead shot forcing the shuttle sharply downwards (primary attacking stroke)

Badminton Rules

• Serving:
  • Singles: Servers start from the right service court and alternate from left to right for odd and even point numbers.
  • Doubles: Servers start from their respective right-hand service court. Servers switch with their partner as long as they keep winning points.
• Scoring system: Best of three games, serving side earns a point with a winning rally.
  • At 20-all, the side with a 2-point lead wins the game.
  • At 29-all, the side to score the 30th point wins the game
  • The side winning a game serves first in the next game.
• Interval and Change of Ends
  • Change ends at the end of game 1; prior to the start of game 3.
  • 60-second interval between rallies when the leading score is 11 points.
  • 2-minute interval between games