Badminton

Games employing shuttlecocks have been played for centuries across Eurasia,[a] but the

modern game of badminton developed in the mid-19th century among the British as a
variant of the earlier game of battledore and shuttlecock. ("Battledore" was an older
term for "racquet".)[4] Its exact origin remains obscure. The name derives from the Duke
of Beaufort's Badminton House in Gloucestershire,[5] but why or when remains unclear.
As early as 1860, a London toy dealer named Isaac Spratt published a booklet
entitled Badminton Battledore – A New Game, but no copy is known to have survived.
[6]
 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".[7]
The game may have originally developed among expatriate officers in British India,
[8]
 where it was very popular by the 1870s.[6] Ball badminton, a form of the game played
with a wool ball instead of a shuttlecock, was being played in Thanjavur as early as the
1850s[9] and was at first played interchangeably with badminton by the British, the
woollen ball being preferred in windy or wet weather.
Early on, the game was also known as Poona or Poonah after the garrison town
of Poona,[8][10] where it was particularly popular and where the first rules for the game
were drawn up in 1873.[6][7][b] By 1875, officers returning home had started a badminton
club in Folkestone. Initially, the sport was played with sides ranging from 1 to 4 players,
but it was quickly established that games between two or four competitors worked the
best.[4] The shuttlecocks were coated with India rubber and, in outdoor play, sometimes
weighted with lead.[4] Although the depth of the net was of no consequence, it was
preferred that it should reach the ground.[4]
The sport was played under the Pune rules until 1887, when J. H. E. Hart of
the Bath Badminton Club drew up revised regulations. [5] In 1890, Hart and Bagnel Wild
again revised the rules.[6] The Badminton Association of England (BAE) published these
rules in 1893 and officially launched the sport at a house called
"Dunbar"[c] in Portsmouth on 13 September.[12] The BAE started the first badminton
competition, the All England Open Badminton Championships for gentlemen's doubles,
ladies' doubles, and mixed doubles, in 1899.[5] Singles competitions were added in 1900
and an England–Ireland championship match appeared in 1904.
England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands,
and New Zealand were the founding members of the International Badminton
Federation in 1934, now known as the Badminton World Federation. India joined as an
affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton. Although initiated in
England, competitive men's badminton has traditionally been dominated in Europe by
Denmark. Worldwide, Asian nations have become dominant in international
competition. China, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, South
Korea, Taiwan (as Chinese Taipei) and Japan are the nations which have consistently
produced world-class players in the past few decades, with China being the greatest
force in men's and women's competition recently.
The game has also become a popular backyard sport in the United States.

Basic Badminton Equipment

1. Badminton Racket
Badminton rackets can be made from several types of materials.
Depending on the material selection, this can result in different
combinations of racket weight, balance points and string tensions. With
so many different combinations, it will take time to decide which is most
suited for your playing style.  
2. Shuttlecock
There are two types of shuttlecocks - plastic and
feathered shuttlecocks.
Plastic shuttlecocks are far more durable compared to
the feathered types which are commonly used.
However, plastic shuttlecocks are only recommended
for beginners who are just starting out. This is because feathered
shuttlecocks are expensive and fray easily especially if the wrong
technique is used. Hence, plastic shuttlecocks are good for beginners to
use for training. Plastic shuttlecocks are usually used by young children
who play badminton for recreation.
3. Badminton Shoes
Badminton shoes are designed to give you better
traction and grip to stop in time to return a shot.
They should also be lightweight have good
cushioning to absorb impact when you jump or
land.
4. Badminton Attire
For casual to non-competitive players, a comfortable
pair of shorts and cotton or dri-fit t-shirt is sufficient.
Some players may want to equip themselves with
hand grips, wrist bands and ankle guards.

Badminton Rules

Rules
  A player must wait until his opponent is ready before serving. If the
opponent attempts a return then he is ruled having been ready.
 The feet of both players must remain in a stationary position until the
serve is made. Your feet can not be touching the line at this time.
 It is not a fault if you miss the shuttle while serving.
 The shuttle cannot be caught and slung with the racket.
 A player cannot hold his racket near the net to ward off a downward
stroke by his opponent or to interfere with his racket.

Faults

 The shuttle, at the instant of being hit is higher than the servers waist or
the head of the racket is higher than the servers racket hand.
 The shuttle does not land in the correct service court.
 The server's feet are not in the service court or if the feet of the receiver
are not in the court diagonally opposite the server.
 The server steps forward as he/she serves.
 Any player balking or feinting his opponent before serve or during
serve.
 A serve or shot that lands outside the court boundaries, passes under or
through the net, touches any other obstructions or a players body or
clothing. The boundary and service lines are considered in play.
 The shuttle in play is struck before it crosses the net to the striker's side
of the net. You may follow through over the net.
 A player touching the net or its supports with his body or racket while
the shuttle is in play.
 Hitting the shuttle twice in succession by a player or team.

Scoring System

o A match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.

o Every time there is a serve – there is a point scored.
o The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.
o At 20 all, the side which gains a 2 point lead first, wins that game.
o At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point, wins that game.
o The side winning a game serves first in the next game.

Interval and Change of Ends

 o A 1 minute interval between each game is allowed.
o In the third game, players change ends when the leading score reaches
11 points.

Singles

o At the beginning of the game (0-0) and when the server’s score is
even, the server serves from the right service court. When the server’s
score is odd, the server serves from the left service court.
o If the server wins a rally, the server scores a point and then serves again
from the alternate service court.
o If the receiver wins a rally, the receiver scores a point and becomes the
new server. They serve from the appropriate service court – left if their
score is odd, and right if it is even.

Doubles

o A side has only one ‘set’.

o The service passes consecutively to the players as shown in the
diagram.
o At the beginning of the game and when the score is even, the server
serves from the right service court. When it is odd, the server serves
from the left court.
o If the serving side wins a rally, the serving side scores a point and the
same server serves again from the alternate service court.
o If the receiving side wins a rally, the receiving side scores a point. The
receiving side becomes the new serving side.
o The players do not change their respective service courts until they win
a point when their side is serving.