Badminton is a racket sport played by two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take up positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court divided by a net. players earn points by hitting a shuttlecock with their racket so that it goes over the net and lands in their opponents’ half court. a rally ends once the shuttle has hit the ground, and the shuttle can only be hit once per side before it goes over the net.
The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently than the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much greater resistance, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more quickly than a ball. shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, compared to other racket sports. as the flight of the shuttlecock is stubbornly affected by the wind, competitive badminton is always played indoors. badminton is also played outdoors as an informal recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.
Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair is a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent physical condition: players require aerobic endurance, agility, strength, speed and precision. it is also a technical sport, which requires good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racket movements.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/badminton)
For badminton rules and regulations, click here.
history and development
badminton was known in ancient times; An early form of the sport was played in ancient Greece. In Japan, the related game Hanetsuki was played as early as the 16th century. In the West, badminton comes from a game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which two or more players hold a feathered shuttlecock in the air with small rackets. the game was called “poona” in india during the 18th century, and british army officers stationed there brought a competitive indian version to england in the 1860s, where it was played in country houses for upper-class amusement . Isaac Spratt, a London toy merchant, published a pamphlet, “Badminton Battledore – A New Game” in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived.
The new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at the House of Badminton, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort. during that time the game was known as “the game of badminton” and the official name of the game became badminton.
Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules prevailing in India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic rules were drawn up in 1887. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules in accordance with these rules, similar to the current rules, and officially launched badminton at a house called “Dunbar” at 6 Waverley. Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year. They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the world’s first badminton competition, in 1899.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as the World Badminton Federation) was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales as founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.
although it originated in england, international badminton has traditionally been dominated by a few asian countries, in addition to denmark of europe. China, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in recent decades and have dominated competitions at the international level, with China being the most dominant in recent years.