History of Badminton

Badminton began in India as a

game called poona. Poona evolved
from a children’s play called
battledore and shuttlecock,
wherein players hit the flying
shuttle with paddles. It was played
at first without a net. The shuttle
was then called a bird because it
was made from goose feathers.
 There were also similar sports played in
other parts of the world. In the 5th century in
China, a sport known as ti jian zi was played
by kicking a shuttlecock up in the air. In
Europe, a sport known as jeu de volant was
played with the use of secondhand rackets
rather than bare feet to kick the shuttle
upward. British army officers who were
earlier stationed in India introduced the
game after they were called back to England.
They also brought along the equipmet for
poona in the 1870s.
 It was the Duke of Beaufort who
introduced the game to the British
elite in 1873 during a lawn party at
his country estate named
Badminton or Badminton House. It
was a hit; people began calling the
new party sport “the badminton
game”.
 By 1893, the badminton game was so
popular that about 14 local clubs formed
an association. It was named Badminton
Association of England to differentiate it
from associations organized in other
countries. The organization standardized
the rules of the sport. With hundreds of
tournaments held across the world, several
countries formed the International
Badminton Federation in 1934. Its
headquarters is at Kent, England.
 The aim of the game is to hit the
shuttle with a racket so the bird passes
over a net and lands inside the
defender’s playing area. If the player
failed to return it, you won a rally. The
defender has the same goal. He or she
should reach the bird and send it back
over the net into your half court. If you
think the bird would land outside your
court, you just let it fall to the ground.
 Once the shuttle hits the
ground outside the court, the rally
ends and you get a point. You
should hit the shuttle only once,
unlike volleyball where several
players may touch the ball before
sending it back across the net.
Competitive badminton is played
indoors because the bird could be
easily blown off course by the wind.
Facilities and Equipment
 Racket- A racket is
made of either metal or
synthetic materials. It
rays between 98g and
100g. Its overall length
is between 665mm and
670mm.
 Shuttlecock-It is made up of 16
goose feathers embedded into a cork
head. The feathers could be
substituted with feather-like nylon or
plastic.
Conical
shape

Rounded
cork base

feathers

Extremely aerodynamically stable

Court- The standard badminton court is
6m wide to hold a doubles game. The
singles court is at least 5 m wide. The
length should be at least 13.4 m (44ft) .
 Posts and net-The posts should stand
on the doubles sidelines and are 1.55m in
height. The net should be strained tightly with a
height of 1.524m from the floor in the center
and a width of 0.76m.
 Basic skills in
Playing Badminton
1. Grip- It is the way a player holds the
racket in reference to a shot.
Kinds of Grip
a. Forehand Grip-a handshake grip where the
index finger is curved around the handle higher
than the thumb, which is positioned higher than
the three other fingers in front of the handle.
 b. Backhand Grip- a close fist grip in
which the thumb is placed behind the
flat of the handle, serving as a lever to
move the hand away from the body
during a shot.
c. Neutral Grip- another variation of grip
in which the thumb and the index finger
are opposite each other to switch easily
from the forehand grip to the backhand
grip.
2. Stroke- It is the swing motion of the
arm. The direction of the stroke varies.

Kinds of Stroke
a. Forehand Stroke- refers to the swinging
of the arm in which the palm of the racket-
hand faces the direction of the stroke.
b. Backhand Stroke- refers to the
swinging of the arm in which the back
of the hand faces the direction of the
stroke. The player executes an open
lunge position at the back, side, or
diagonal front of the court.
3. Shot – It is the produced
height and distance to the fly of
the bird after the certain amount
of force applied during the hit.

Kinds of Shot
a. Clear – a lob shot that is high
and directed toward the
backcourt of the opponent.
b. Drop – a low shot that is close to the top of
the net and crosses behind the net of the
opponent’s side.
c. Drive - a low shot that makes a horizontal
crossing over the net.
d. Smash – a hard-hit overhead shot that
forces the shuttle to go sharply downward.
e. Net Kill – a sharp downward return from a
low shot close to the net.
f. Lift – a gentle shot from a flat or horizontal
face of a racket executed gently by the fingers
and wrist.
4. Service – It is a shot delivered by a player
to start the game. The shuttlecock should be
crossing over the net continuously flying
diagonally toward the receiving area.

Kinds of Service
a. Forehand High Serve – is delivered
from a full forehand backswing to fly the
bird deeply high toward the backcourt of
the opponent.
b. Forehand Low Serve - is delivered from a
half swinging of the arm forward by making
the arm closer to the body.
c. Backhand Low Serve - is delivered in which
the bird is tapped gently to fly over and
dropped just behind the net or close to the
service line of the opponent’s court.
d. Backhand Flick Serve – is delivered from a
low serve but with the very quick upward-
forward action of the wrist, making the bird
fly toward the back of the court.
 The two service techniques are
the forehand and backhand serves.
The forehand serve uses the
forehand stroke, whereas the
backhand serve uses the backhand
stroke. The offensive player first
holds the shuttle before executing
the forehand or backhand stroke to
make the serve.
 The Basics
of Badminton
 Badminton can be played either as singles
(two opposing players) or as doubles (two-
person teams) game.
To get a score, the first offensive player
must hit the bird to pass over the net and
land within the court of the opponent. If the
shuttlecock hits the net or lands outside the
court, a point is awarded to the opponent.
The server must hit the bird underarm and
below the server’s waistline. No overarm
serves are allowed.
 Each game starts with a toss of a coin to
determine which player serves first and what side
of the court the opponent takes.
If is in play, a player may move around the court
as he or she wishes. If a player touches the net with
any part of his or her body or racket, it is considered
as a fault. His or her opponent gets a point.
A fault is called if a player deliberately distracts
his or her opponent ; the shuttlecock is caught in
the racket and then flung, and the shuttlecock is hit
twice; or if the player continues to infract with the
rules of the game.
 The primary goal of the server is to pass the shuttle
diagonally across the net to his or her opponent. As
points are won, the server change roles, wherein the
first server becomes the receiver. If the first attempt
lands outside your court, the opponent gets the point.
Every game is officiated by a referee on a high chair.
Line judges monitor as to where the shuttlecock lands.
The referee has overriding calls on infringements and
faults.
A let is called by the referee if there is an accident or
an emergency. These may include when the shuttlecock
gets stuck in the net and a decision is too close to call.
When a let occurs, the play is not counted, and the
player who served will repeat the serve.
 The game only to rest periods a 90-s
rest after the first game and a 5-min rest
period after the second game.
If the rules are repeatedly broken by a
player, the referee has to dock that
particular player of points and repeated
fouls. The player is then removed from
the set or the match.
Questions:
1.What was badminton originally called in India?

poona
2. It is made up of 16 goose feathers
embedded into a cork head, what is it?
shuttlecock
3. It is the way a player holds the racket
in reference to a shot.
grip
4.It is the swinging motion of the arm. Its direction varies.

grip
5.It is the produced height and distance to
the fly of the bird after a certain amount of
force applied during the hit.
shot
6. It is a shot delivered by a player to start
the game.
service
7. It is called if a player continues to infract the
rules of the game.
fault
8. Every game is officiated by a _______ on a high
chair. What is the missing word?
referee
9.It is a gentle shot from a flat or horizontal face of
a racket executed gently by the fingers and wrist?
lift
10.It is made of either metal or synthetic materials.
It weighs between 98 g and 100 g. Its overall height
is between 665 mm and 670 mm? racket
Answer Key:
1. Poona
2. Shuttlecock
3. Grip
4. Stroke
5. Shot
6. Service
7. Fault
8. Referee
9. Lift
10. Racket