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
that is 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. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock
once before it passes over the net. A rally ends once the shuttlecock
has struck the floor, or if a fault has been called by either the umpire
or service judge or, in their absence, the offending player, at anytime
during the rally.
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 higher
drag,
causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball.
Shuttlecocks 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.
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 consists of a man and a woman. At high
levels of play, especially in singles, the sport demands excellent
fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, explosive strength,
speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good
motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements
History and development
The beginnings of badminton can be traced to mid-18th century
British India, where it was created by
British military officers stationed there.
[2] Early photographs show Englishmen adding a net to the traditional
English game of
battledore and shuttlecock. The sport is related to
ball badminton, which originated in
Tamil Nadu, and is similar to
Hanetsuki which originated in
Japan. Being particularly popular in the British garrison town Poona (now
Pune), the game also came to be known as
Poona.
[2][3] Initially, balls of wool referred as
ball badminton
were preferred by the upper classes in windy or wet conditions, but
ultimately the shuttlecock stuck. This game was taken by retired
officers back to England where it developed and rules were set out.
Although it appears clear that
Badminton House,
Gloucestershire, owned by the
Duke of Beaufort, has given its name to the sports, it is unclear when and why the name was adopted. As early as 1860,
Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet,
Badminton Battledore – a new game, but unfortunately no copy has survived.
[4] An 1863 article in
The Cornhill Magazine
describes badminton as "battledore and shuttlecock played with sides,
across a string suspended some five feet from the ground".
[5]
This early use has cast doubt on the origin through expatriates in
India, though it is known that it was popular there in the 1870s and
that the first rules were drawn up in Poonah in 1873.
[4][5]
As early as 1875, veterans returning from India started a club in
Folkestone.
Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that
prevailed in British India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the
rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. J.H.E. Hart drew up
revised basic regulations in 1887 and, with Bagnel Wild, again in 1890.
[4]
In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set
of rules according to these regulations, similar to today's rules, and
officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley
Grove,
Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year.
[6] They also started the
All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as
Badminton World Federation) was established in 1934 with
Canada,
Denmark,
England,
France, the
Netherlands,
Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members.
India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.
While initiated in England, competitive men's badminton in Europe has
traditionally been dominated by Denmark. Asian nations, however, have
been the most dominant ones worldwide. Indonesia, South Korea, China,
and Malaysia along with Denmark are among the nations that have
consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades, with
China being the greatest force in both men's and women's competition in
recent years.
Rules
Playing court dimensions
The court is rectangular and divided into halves by a net. Courts are
usually marked for both singles and doubles play, although badminton
rules permit a court to be marked for singles only.
[7]
The doubles court is wider than the singles court, but both are of same
length. The exception, which often causes confusion to newer players,
is that the doubles court has a shorter serve-length dimension.
The full width of the court is 6.1 metres (20 ft), and in singles
this width is reduced to 5.18 metres (17 ft). The full length of the
court is 13.4 metres (44 ft). The service courts are marked by a centre
line dividing the width of the court, by a short service line at a
distance of 1.98 metres (6 ft 6 inch) from the net, and by the outer
side and back boundaries. In doubles, the service court is also marked
by a long service line, which is 0.76 metres (2 ft 6 inch) from the back
boundary.
The net is 1.55 metres (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and
1.524 metres (5 ft) high in the centre. The net posts are placed over
the doubles sidelines, even when singles is played.
The minimum height for the ceiling above the court is not mentioned
in the Laws of Badminton. Nonetheless, a badminton court will not be
suitable if the ceiling is likely to be hit on a high serve.
Equipment rules
Badminton rules restrict the design and size of racquets and
shuttlecocks. Badminton rules also provide for testing a shuttlecock for
the correct speed:
- 3.1
- To test a shuttlecock, use a full underhand stroke which makes
contact with the shuttlecock over the back boundary line. The
shuttlecock shall be hit at an upward angle and in a direction parallel
to the side lines.
- 3.2
- A shuttlecock of the correct speed will land not less than 530 mm
and not more than 990 mm short of the other back boundary line.
Scoring system and service
Serving
Each game is played to 21 points, with players scoring a point whenever they win a rally regardless of whether they served
[7]
(this differs from the old system where players could only win a point
on their serve and each game was played to 15 points). A match is the
best of three games.
At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand in diagonally opposite
service courts (see court dimensions). The server hits the shuttlecock so that it would land in the receiver's service court. This is similar to
tennis,
except 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.
When 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").
In singles, the server stands in their right service court when their
score is even, and in her/his left service court when her/his score is
odd.
In doubles, if the serving side wins a rally, the same player
continues to serve, but he/she changes service courts so that she/he
serves to a different opponent each time. If the opponents win the rally
and their new score is even, the player in the right service court
serves; if odd, the player in the left service court serves. The
players' service courts are determined by their positions at the start
of the previous rally, not by where they were standing at the end of the
rally. A consequence of this system is that, each time a side regains
the service, the server will be the player who did
not serve last time.
Scoring
When the server serves, the shuttlecock must pass over the short
service line on the opponents' court or it will count as a fault.
If the score reaches 20-all, then the game continues until one side
gains a two point lead (such as 24–22), up to a maximum of 30 points
(30–29 is a winning score).
At the start of a match, the shuttlecock is cast and the side towards
which the shuttlecock is pointing serves first. Alternatively, a coin
may be tossed, with the winners choosing whether to serve or receive
first, or choosing which end of the court to occupy, and their opponents
making the leftover the remaining choice.
In subsequent games, the winners of the previous game serve first.
Matches are best out of three: a player or pair must win two games (of
21 points each) to win the match. For the first rally of any doubles
game, the serving pair may decide who serves and the receiving pair may
decide who receives. The players change ends at the start of the second
game; if the match reaches a third game, they change ends both at the
start of the game and when the leading player's or pair's score reaches
11 points.
The server and receiver must remain within their service courts,
without touching the boundary lines, until the server strikes the
shuttlecock. The other two players may stand wherever they wish, so long
as they do not block the vision of the server or receiver.
Lets
If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change
to the score. Lets may occur because of some unexpected disturbance such
as a shuttlecock landing on court (having been hit there by players on
an adjacent court) or in small halls the shuttle may touch an overhead
rail which can be classed as a let.
If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let
shall be called; yet, if the receiver attempts to return the
shuttlecock, he shall be judged to have been ready.