Badminton - Game with Rackets in which a Suttlecock is Hit Back and Forth Across a Net

                 Badminton is a game played between two or four players. Both teams have to make points in order to defeat the other team. This is a small tutorial that explains the basic rules of how to play this game.

                 Badminton, prominently known as Shuttlecock, is an age-old game that has its origin about 2000 years ago in parts of Europe and Asia. Badminton was mostly played by the higher society of England as a pastime and the game was mostly practiced by hitting the shuttlecock forward and backward. Rules similar to that of today’s Badminton were written in 1893 and the modern game was popularized in England.

Objective

           The objective of badminton is similar to that of other racket games. This game can be played in three variants; singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. A shuttlecock is shot with a wired metal rimmed racket across the net, called a serve, to the player(s) on the other side of the court who try to send it back.

         Each player tries to land the shuttlecock on the opposite teams while intercepting it on their side. The cock has to fly over the net and reach the other side once a player hits it. The shuttlecock volleys among the players to make a rally, and they hit it with their rackets till it lands on the court or till one of the players commits a fault.

Team Size

        Size is no barrier for forming a badminton team. In university level or junior college level, teams can either be of single gender or mixed. Players from a school can form many teams and participate in the tournament. Two players of the same or different gender can form a team and participate in doubles, while single players can participate in singles tournaments.

Playing Overview

         Badminton is usually played outdoors as the shuttlecock drag is higher and it is difficult to play in windy weather conditions. As a recreational activity Badminton can be played outdoors.

Court Dimensions

     Badminton court is rectangular and is divided into two equal symmetric halves by a net suspended from two vertical posts fixed at either side of the court. Courts are marked for singles and doubles, as they differ in their dimensions; the doubles court is larger in breadth than a singles court and has a shorter serve-length dimension.

      A center line parallel to the length of the court divides each side of the court into two equal halves. A net is suspended from poles at the center on each side of the court on double sidelines. The bottom of the net is at a height of 5 feet 1 inch from the ground at the edges and 5 feet at the center.

Badminton Racket

     Modern Badminton Rackets are light in weight and don’t weigh more than 100 grams. The frame of the Racket can be made of common metals like steel or aluminum. Sometimes rackets are made of alloys, tough carbon fiber, ceramic, or boron. Its length does not exceed 680mm and width does not exceed 230 mm.

Shuttlecock

      Sixteen feathers fixed in a cork base enveloped in a thin leather sheet make a shuttlecock. Interestingly, the best Badminton Shuttlecocks are made from feathers from the wing of a goose. The shuttle weighs between 4.74 to 5.50 grams.

Badminton Accessories

        The commonly used Badminton Accessories are Grip, Badminton Clothes, Socks, Wrist Band and Head Band.

Grip

   A grip made of cloth or synthetic fiber absorbs sweat and provides you a drier feel.

Badminton Clothes

   Comfortable T-shirts and shorts, that don’t hinder your movement are ideal to play Badminton. A cotton round-neck or a collar t-shirts with a pair of light shorts are usually preferred.

Socks

  Wear a pair of thick cotton socks as they help to absorb sweat. They also prevent your feet from slipping inside your shoes. Avoid wearing Nylon socks that don’t absorb sweat.

Wrist Band

  If you perspire a lot, you may consider getting a wristband that prevents your sweat from flowing to your racket handle.

Head Band

 Wear a Head Band if you wear spectacles. It prevents your lenses from getting wet and also stops the sweat and hair from getting into your eyes while playing.

Terms:-

 Attacking clear − An offensive player makes this stroke when he shoots the shuttlecock deep into the opponent’s court.

Backcourt − Back one-thirds of the court before the boundary lines on either side of the net.

Backhand − The stroke that returns shuttlecock to the left of a right-handed player and to the right of a left-handed player.

Base position − A singles player try to return to the center of the court during the play; it is also called the Base position of the player.

Baseline − The line that marks the boundary at the breadth of court.

Carry − If the shuttle gets stuck for a while in the wires before getting released, the stroke the player makes with the racket is called a carry, sling, or throw and is considered illegal.

Drive − A fast shot when the shuttle flies straight over the net but close to it.

Drop shot − A clever shot when the player rapidly drops the shuttle close to the net to the opponent's court.

Feint − Any pretend shot or movement also called as "balk" that unsettles an opponent before or during the serve.

Flick − A quick wrist-and-forearm rotation that changes the course of a soft shot into a fast one and surprises the opponent.

Forecourt − The front one-thirds of the half court on both sides of the net, between the net and the short service line.

Forehand − The stroke that returns a racket to the right side of a right-handed player and to the left side of a left-handed player.

Game − A game is finished when a player or team scores enough points to win a single contest; it is a part of a set.

Hairpin net shot − The trajectory of the racket is hairpin shaped when a player lifts it from falling close to the net and sends it to the other side where it drops sharply close to the net.

Half court shot − A low shot to the midcourt, usually used in a doubles game.

High clear − A deep shot by a defending player to the opponent’s court.

Kill − The shuttlecock is shot very fast; so that, it cannot be returned.

Let − A minor violation of the rules when the referee allows players to replay the rally.

Long Service Line − In singles it is same as the boundary line at the breadth. In doubles, the line is 2.5 feet inside the singles line. The server should not go past this line.

Match − A series of games where a winner emerges at the end.

Midcourt − One third middle part of court between the net and the back boundary line on either side of the net.

Net shot − A shot hit high from the forecourt close to the net that just flings the shuttlecock over the net and drops it sharply.

Passing shot − Any shot passing the shuttlecock to the opposing player or team.

Push shot − A slight wrist movement that gently shoots the shuttlecock.

Service court − The area into which a service must be delivered; this is different for singles and doubles.

Short service line − The line marked at 1.98 meters from the net in service courts where the player plays in a singles game.

Singles sideline − The side boundary of a singles court.

Smash − A hard-hit overhead shot into the opponent’s court that pushes the shuttlecock downwards very fast.

Wood shot − A shot with the frame of a racket.

Short Serve − This kind of serve is mostly used in Doubles. The shuttlecock barely clears the net and lands close to the serve line.

Long Serve − This kind of serve is mostly used in Singles. The shuttlecock reaches far and deep into the court.

Getting Ready and Serving

    The game starts with a toss. The referee tosses the coin and one player calls ‘Head’ or ‘Tail’. Player or team that wins the toss has an option to choose a side of the court, or an option to serve or receive first. If the player chooses his/her preferred side of the court then, the opponent player or team can choose to serve or receive first and vice versa.

Winning a match

·        The best of three games make a match.

·        The team or player scoring 21 points faster, wins a game.

·        If the score of both the teams is 20 (20-all), then the team that gets a 2 point lead wins the game.

·        If the score of both the teams is 29 (29-all), then the team that reaches 30th point first wins the game.

·        The winner of a game also wins the right to serve first in the next game.

Fouls

·        Players should hit the shuttle only from their side of the court.

·        Players should not touch the net or slide under it.

·        The racket of a player should not land on the opposing team’s side.

·        The shuttle should never hit players, even outside the boundaries.

·        In Doubles, the shuttle shouldn’t hit a player or his clothing or his racket before his teammate hits it.

List of some prominent tournaments that are being organized for Badminton −

• Olympics
• BWF World Championships
• Thomas & Uber Cups
• Sudirman Cup