The modern history of badminton began in India with a game known as poona.

Poona was a
competitive sport that British Army officers learned and brought back to England, but more
about that part of badmintons history in a moment. First, we must answer the question, So just
where did the game of poona come from?
Childs Play
Poona developed from a childrens game called battledore and shuttlecock. The object of this
game was to see how long a group could volley the shuttlecock by hitting it with the battledore,
or paddle. This cooperative, non-competitive game was originally played without a net. The
shuttlecock is often called a bird because its made out feathers. Today, some models are made of
plastic, but competition shuttlecocks consist of 16 real feathers. Experts claim the very best
shuttles are made from feathers taken from the left wing of a goose. Who knew?
Origin of Badminton In India
The game of badminton can be well described to be a descendent of battledore and shuttlecock,
which were played in ancient Greece over 2000 years ago. One of the most popular games since
the medieval era, the modern version of badminton has its roots well laid in India. British Army
officers posted in Pune, India, gave badminton its present form in the 19th century and played it
competitively. As the city of Pune was formerly known as Poona, the game was also became
known as Poona at that time. Poona was developed from the children's game, battledore and
shuttlecock.

The main aim of the game was to keep the cork stuffed with feathers - shuttlecock, in the air for
as long as possible, using a paddle, called a battledore. The group, who managed to keep the
shuttle in the air for a long time was declared the winner. Though this cooperative, non-
competitive game was similar to its predecessor, the only difference was the addition of a net.
The shuttlecock is often cited as a bird, because it is usually made out feathers. Shuttlecocks
consisting of 16 real feathers are only used for competition purpose. It is said the best shuttles are
those that are made from feathers taken from the left wing of a goose. However, in the present
times, there are plastic ones also available

Once the British mastered the game in India, they took the equipments with them back to
England during the 1870s. Three years later, in 1873, the Duke of Beaufort hosted a lawn party
in his country place called Badminton. The game of Poona was played on that day and became a
popular and entertaining pastime among the British elites. It was thence that the game received
its present name, Badminton and came to be known as party sport or more popularly, "the
Badminton game". In 1877, the first club dedicated to the sport called the Bath Badminton Club
was formed. The club is credited for developing the first official set of rules for playing
Badminton.

rules
Toss

The rules of badminton states that a toss shall be conducted before a game starts. If you win, you
can choose between serving first or to start play at either end of the court. Your opponent can
then exercise the remaining choice.


Scoring system

The rules of badminton states that a badminton match shall consist of the best of 3 games. In
doubles and men's singles, the first side to score 15 points wins the game. In women's singles,
the first side to score 11 points wins the game.

If the score becomes 14-all (10-all in women's singles), the side which first scored 14 (10) shall
exercise the choice to continue the game to 15 (11) points or to 'set' the game to 17 (13) points.

The side winning a game serves first in the next game. Only the serving side can add a point to
its score.

Recently BWF have been testing a new scoring format of 21 points per game on all major
Badminton competition and decided to replace the old format permanently.


Change of ends

The rules of badminton states that you have to change ends with your opponent after finishing
the first game. If a third game was to be played, you shall change ends when the leading score
reaches 6 in a game of 11 points or 8 in a game of 15 points.


Rules of Badminton - Singles

Serving and receiving courts

You shall serve from, and receive in, the right service court when you or your opponent has
scored an even number of points in that game.

You shall serve from, and receive in, the left service court when you or your opponent has
scored an odd number of points in that game.

You and your opponent will hit the shuttle alternately until a 'fault' is made or the shuttle ceases
to be in play.


Scoring and serving

You score a point and serve again from the alternate service court when your opponent makes a
'fault' or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the surface of your opponent's side of
court.

No points will be scored when you make a 'fault' or the shuttles ceases to be in play because it
touches the surface of your side of court. The serving right will then be transferred to your
opponent.


Rules of Badminton - Doubles


At the start of the game, and each time a side gains the right to serve, the service shall be
delivered from the right service court. Only your opponent standing diagonally opposite of you
shall return the service.

Should your opponent's partner touched or hit the shuttle, it shall be a 'fault' and your side scores
a point.


Order of play and position on court

After the service is returned, either you or your partner may hit the shuttle from any position on
your side of the net. Then either player from the opposing side may do the same, and so on, until
the shuttle ceases to be in play.


Scoring and serving

If you are serving or receiving first at the start of any game, you shall serve or receive in the
right service court when your side or your opponent's side scored an even number of points.

You shall serve from or receive in the left service court when your side or your opponent's side
has scored an odd number of points.

The reverse pattern shall apply to your partner.

In any game, the right to serve passes consecutively from the initial server to the initial receiver,
then to that initial's receiver's partner, then to the opponent who is due to serve from the right
service court, then to that player's partner, and so on.

You shall not serve out of turn, receive out of turn, or receive two consecutive services in the
same game, except as provided in service court errors and 'lets'.

Measurement of play field
The Badminton Court shall be a rectangle laid out with lines of 40mm wide, preferably in white
or yellow color. The Badminton Court Dimensions are of 13.4m in length and 6.1m in width.

The post shall be 1.55m in height from the surface of the court and shall remain vertical when
the net is strained. The net shall be made of fine cord of dark color and even thickness with a
mesh of not less than 15mm and not more than 20mm. The net shall be 760mm in depth and at
least 6.1m wide.

The top of the net shall be edged with a 75mm white cloth. The top of the net from the surface of
the court shall be 1.524m (5ft) at the centre of the court and 1.55m (5ft 1in) over the side lines
for doubles. There shall be no gaps between the ends of the net and the posts. If necessary, the
full depth of the net should be tied at the ends.

The recommended surface for a badminton court is wood and bituminous material. Avoid
concrete or carpet as playing on it will easily injure you.

Specification
YES
NO
1. eHow
2. Sports & Fitness
3. Sports
4. Badminton
5. Equipment Used to Play Badminton
Equipment Used to Play Badminton
By Denise Sullivan, eHow Contributor




16 Found This Helpful
The game of badminton is played by hitting a shuttlecock (sometimes called the "birdie") over
the net with specially designed rackets. Badminton can be played as a singles game between two
opponents or as a doubles game with two players on each side. An official badminton court for
singles measures 17 feet wide and 44 feet long. A doubles court is 20 feet wide to allow for more
room for the extra player.
Other People Are Reading
1. Shuttlecock
o Shuttlecocks are usually made out of synthetic nylon and come in a variety of
speeds to suit players of different ability levels. If you play in cold weather,
choose a faster than normal shuttlecock to compensate for the slow play that
occurs in low temperatures.
2.Shoes
o Badminton shoes are made from lightweight materials so they do not slow the
player down as he or she moves around the court. The soles are thin and must be
constructed from a non-marking material so they do not damage the surface of the
badminton court.



Racket
Unlike a tennis racket, badminton rackets are very thin and have a small, round head. The
frame is usually constructed from a light alloy such as aluminum or a composite material
like carbon fiber.
Grip
Over time, the racket's grip will become worn out and must be replaced. Replacement
grips are made out of a variety of absorbent materials, such as terry cloth or synthetic
rubber. To improve a racket's grip or make it larger, an overgrip can be wrapped over the
top of the existing grip.
String
Like the racket, badminton strings are also lighter and thinner than the string used for
racquetball or tennis. Check your racket's specifications to find the recommended range
of tension. Stringing a racket toward the high end of the range gives more control, but
less power.

fundamental skills

Badminton is a fairly easy game to learn and fun to play casually and competitively. Basic
badminton skills include learning how you hold the racket, serve the shuttle and move your feet.
You can practice drills to improve your game. Rules and scoring are established for singles and
doubles games.
Grip
You will want to learn how to hold your racket with the forehand to hit shuttles on that side of
your body and backhand to hit on the opposite side. You will use a forehand grip to hit above
your head as well. You can hit the shuttle using a backhand grip with your elbow up or down. It
is good to practice hitting with these grips to improve your skills.

Footwork
Your footwork can bring more success to your game if you learn the basics of moving on the
court and practice them. Your ready position should include standing in the center of the court if
you are playing singles and bending your knees with your body relaxed and waiting for play.
Move your feet by shuffling them or gliding from left to right and stepping or lunging forward.
To move backward, go fast enough that you get behind the shuttle to hit it hard enough.

Warming
Warming up should prepare the athlete for the upcoming training session or match. To work
efficiently one can choose far better exercises than the still widely performed jog and stretch of
upper leg and calf muscles. The keyword here again is functional and functional warm up. Not
only it is known now that not static stretching, which should be performed afterwards, or better
off-session is the way to prepare in a warm up program, but that dynamic stretches are more
useful in the pre-performance situation. While static stretching after a cool-down or in a separate
session has shown to increase flexibility, it also decreases muscle tone something we definitely
do not want to have directly before a training session or worse, before an important match. A
number of exercises you will find listed below many of them are dynamic stretches in a sports
specific position. Additionally one can use not only these better preparing stretches but you can
also integrate some exercises with some strength training effects with low-medium intensity into
a warming up process. Badminton is very demanding for certain areas of the body, it puts a lot of
stress on the shoulder joint, the trunk and the hip-knee-ankle complex. So why not integrate
some exercise for the sake of injury prevention into the program. After having done some
general prep exercises you can perform handwalks for working the trunk and shoulder
musculature or use miniband exercises for working the important hip rotators.

As sample warm up program can look as follows:

1) Jog (80 m)
2) Jog backwards (40m)
3) Miniband Rotation (8/8/8)
4) Miniband Lateral Walk (8/8)
5) Ankle Run (40m)
6) Toe Walk with Shoulder Rotation (20m)
7) Heel Walk with Arm Rotation (20m)
8) Knee-to-Chest-Walk (20m)
9) Heel-to-Butt-Walk (20m)
10) Handwalk (10-20m)
11) Frankenstein-Walk (20m)
12) HugMe-HugTheWorld-Walk (20m)
13) Crawling Lunge (20m)
14) Reaching Lunge (20m)
15) Backpedal (20m)
16) Push-Up-Jumps (8)
1. Ankles & Wrist
Loosen up your ankles by putting the tip of your foot on the ground and rotating your ankle.
Repeat this for the other foot. As you do this, rotate your wrists in a circular motion to loosen
them up as well.


2. Calves
Warm your calves up by doing small two-foot hops from side to side and front to back. This
exercise will make sure youre adequately warm to do proper footwork come game time.

3. Quads
Here youll want to take a few big hops while bringing your knees to your chest. Do no more
than three or four jumps to keep from exerting too much energy.




Important tournament

For most people, it is purely a recreational game, a pasttime enjoyed at backyard barbecues
and family reunions. For many though, it is a highly competitive sport. For these men and
women who have perfected the game, a series of professional tournaments have evolved to
determine who the worlds best badminton players are.

The primary world tournament for badminton is the BWF World Championships, run by the
Badminton World Federation. Originally held every three years starting in 1977, it is now held
annually, except in Olympic years. The BWF World Championships are contested in five fields:
Mens Singles and Doubles, Womens Singles and Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. The Chinese
have been especially dominant at the BWF World Championships, winning almost as many
titles as all other countries combined, and posting the only sweep of all five titles in one year in
1987.

Another popular tournament is the Thomas Cup, which is held every two years. Unlike the BWF
World Championships, in which athletes compete as individuals or pairs, participants in the
Thomas Cup represent their home country. Early editions of the Thomas Cup were dominated
by Malaysia and Indonesia, but in recent years the Chinese have commanded the Thomas Cup,
winning the last four tournaments.

The womens equivalent to the Thomas Cup is the Uber Cup, which began in 1956 and has run
concurrently with the Thomas Cup since 1984. Although China has controlled the Thomas Cup
as decisively as the other competitions, the team from South Korea is the current Uber Cup
champion, having defeated China in the 2010 edition of the tournament. The United States won
the first three Uber Cups in the 1950s, but has faded in competition and is now not typically
considered a serious contender.

With tournaments for mens and womens badminton players, it was only a matter of time
before a third competition for mixed doubles was instituted. This tournament is the Sudirman
Cup, contested every two years starting in 1989. China, Korea, and Indonesia are the only
nations to have won the Sudirman Cup, with China winning the majority.

The badminton competition that receives the most attention from casual sports fans is the
Olympic badminton competition held every four years as part of the Summer Olympic Games.
During Olympic years, this competition takes the place of the BWF World Championships.
Competitions in the same five classes are conducted. While participation in the event has seen
competitors from over 60 nations, the same powerhouse nations, such as China and Indonesia,
tend to dominate the competition.

Saina nehwal

Saina Nehwal ( pronunciation (help info); born 17 March 1990 in Dhindar, Hisar district,
Haryana) is an Indian badminton player who attained a career best ranking of 2 in December
2010 by Badminton World Federation.
[2]
She is the first Indian to win a medal in Badminton at
the Olympics.
[3]
She achieved this feat by winning the Bronze medal at the London Olympics
2012 on 4 August 2012.
[4]
She is the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton
Championships and was also the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament, by clinching the
Indonesia Open on 21 June 2009. Saina is supported by the Olympic Gold Quest.
[5]

Previously coached by S. M. Arif, a Dronacharya Award winner, Saina is the reigning Indian
national junior champion and is currently coached by Indonesian badminton legend Atik Jauhari
since August 2008,
[6]
with the former All England champion and national coach Pullela
Gopichand being her mentor. Saina Nehwal plays for Hyderabad Hotshots in Indian Badminton
League.
[7

In 2006 Saina became the under-19 national champion and created history by winning the
prestigious Asian Satellite Badminton tournament (India Chapter) twice, becoming the first
player to do so. In 2006, Saina appeared on the global scene when she became the first Indian
woman to win a 4-star tournament, the Philippines Open.
[8]
Entering the tournament as the 86th
seed, Saina went on to stun several top seeded players including the then world number four Xu
Huaiwen before defeating Julia Wong Pei Xian of Malaysia for the title. The same year Saina
was also the runner up at the 2006 BWF World Junior Championships, where she lost a hard
fought match against top seed Chinese Wang Yihan. She did one better in the 2008 by becoming
the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships by defeating ninth seeded
Japanese Sayaka Sato 219, 2118.
She became the first Indian woman to reach the quarter finals at the Olympic Games when she
upset world number five and fourth seed Wang Chen of Hong Kong in a three-game thriller. In
the quarter-finals Saina lost a nail biting 3-gamer to world number 16 Maria Kristin Yulianti. In
September 2008, she won the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open 2008 beating Lydia Cheah Li Ya of
Malaysia 218 2119.
[9]
Maria Yulianti had earlier lost her quarter-final match to Pia Bernadet,
Saina's semi-final opponent, thus denying Saina a rematch. Saina was named "The Most
Promising Player" in 2008.
[10]
She reached the world super series semifinals in the month of
December 2008.
[11]

On 21 June 2009, she became the first Indian
[12]
to win a BWF Super Series title, the most
prominent badminton series of the world by winning the Indonesia Open. She beat Chinese
Wang Lin in the final 1221, 2118, 219. Saina on winning the tournament said, "I had been
longing to win a super series tournament since my quarter final appearance at the Olympics".
Saina is on the par with the likes of Prakash Padukone and her mentor Pullela Gopichand who
both won the all England championships which are of similar status to the super series. In
August 2009 she reached the quarterfinals of world championship losing to the second seed Lin
Wang.

Awards
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (20092010)
Padma Shri (2010)

For the Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics

INR1 crore (US$189,000) cash award from the Haryana Government.
INR50 lakh (US$94,500) cash award from the Rajasthan Government.
INR50 lakh (US$94,500) cash award from the Andhra Pradesh Government.
INR10 lakh (US$18,900) cash award from the Badminton Association of I