Jeremiah E.

Amba
BS ECE 2
June 18, 2014

What is Badminton?

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 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 any time during the rally.
The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered (or, mainly in uncompetitive games, plastic) projectile
whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from 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.

The History of Badminton:

In the 5th century BC, the people in china then played a game called ti jian zi. A direct translation
from this word 'ti jian zi' is kicking the shuttle. As the name suggest, the objective of the game is
to keep the shuttle from hitting the ground without using hand. Whether this sport has anything
to do with the History of Badminton is up for debate. It was however the first game that uses a
Shuttle.
About five centuries later, a game named Battledore and Shuttle cock was played in china,
Japan, India and Greece. This is a game where you use the Battledore (a paddle) to hit the
Shuttlecock back and forth. By the 16th century, it has become a popular game among children
in England. In Europe this game was known as jeu de volant to them. In the 1860s, a game
named Poona was played in India. This game is much like the Battledore and Shuttlecock but
with an added net. The British army learned this game in India and took the equipments back to
England during the 1870s.
In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort held a lawn party in his country place, Badminton. A game of
Poona was played on that day and became popular among the British society's elite. The new
party sport became known as "the Badminton game". In 1877, the Bath Badminton Club was
formed and developed the first official set of rules.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed in 1934 with 9 founding members.

England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Denmark
Holland
Canada
New Zealand
France

Since then, major international tournaments like the Thomas Cup (Men)and Uber Cup
(Women) were held. Badminton was officially granted Olympic status in the 1992 Barcelona
Games. From 9 founding members, IBF now have over 150 member countries. The future of
Badminton looks bright indeed.

What are the three kinds of play in Badminton?

In the game of badminton singles, there are three main styles or patterns of play.
For the fast and aggressive style, most of the shots played are smashes, fast drop shots and
net shots, attacking lobs, more low services than high services, quick low pushes/flicks to the
backcourt from the net and fast pace footwork on the court.
For the deceptive stroke players, there are more high services to the baseline than low
services, the lobs are more angled and deep, the drop shots are deceptively played and they
drop nearer the net. The net shots are sharper and more deceptive but are not played as fast as
the attacking pattern of play. Most of the strokes they play are deceptive strokes to trick and slow
down their opponent.
Moreover, the defenses of players who play this style are usually better and more reliable. Their
push shots to the back are more angled and deceptive. This pattern of play requires less
smashes and the movements of deceptive players are smoother and steadier, with better court
craft.
For the straightforward and defensive style, most of the shots are plain and simple as
opposed to being deceptive. Most of the services are high and deep on to the backcourt; the net
shots are not tricky but simple and very few cross-court net shots. The drop shots are sharp but
not as fast as the attacking pattern of play.
In this playing style, the main purpose is to wear the opponent down by playing consistently
simple effective shots, making very few mistakes. The players that are categorized in this type of
play normally have higher and stronger stamina because they are used to the long rallies.

Kinds of Stroke in Badminton:

Smash (hitting the shuttle down fast and steeply),
Drop shot (hitting the shuttle so that is falls into the other players front court),
Net roll (hitting a shot from the net that spins over the net),
Clear (hitting the shuttle from the back of your court, high into the other players back court),
Lift (hitting the shuttle from the net, up high into the opponents back court),
Drive (hitting the shuttle flat across the top of the net),
Block (stopping a smash from hitting the ground on your side and hitting back over the net),
Backhand serve (serving the shuttle with a backhand motion),
Forehand serve (serving the shuttle with a forehand motion).

Badminton Terminologies:
Attacking clear : An offensive stroke hit deep into the opponent's court.
Backcourt : Back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.
Backhand : The stroke used to return balls hit to the left of a right-handed player and to the
right of a left-handed player.
Base position : The location in the centre of the court to which a singles player tries to return
after each shot; also called "centre position".
Baseline : The back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.
Carry : An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before
being released; also called a "sling" or "throw".
Centre line : A line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.
Clear : A shot hit deep into the opponent's court.
Doubles : A game where a team of two players play against another team of two.
Doubles sideline : The side boundary of a doubles court.
Drive : A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.
Drop shot : A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net in the
opponent's court.

Fault : A violation of the playing rules.

Feint : Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the serve; also
called a "balk".
Flick : A quick wrist-and-forearm rotation used to surprise an opponent by changing an
apparently soft shot into a faster passing shot.
Forecourt : The front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.
Forehand : The stroke used to return a ball hit to the right of a right-handed player and to the
left of a left-handed player.
Game : The part of a set completed when one player or side has scored enough points to win a
single contest.
Hairpin net shot : A shot made from below and very close to the net and causing the shuttle to
rise, just clear the net, then drop sharply down the other side so that the flight of the shuttlecock
resembles the shape of a hairpin.
Halfcourt shot : A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles play against the upand-back formation.
High clear : A defensive shot hit deep into the opponent's court.
Kill : Fast downward shot that cannot be returned.
Let : A minor violation of the rules allowing a rally to be replayed.
Long Service Line : In singles, the back boundary line. In doubles a line 2-1/2 feet inside the
back boundary line. The serve may not go past this line.
Match : A series of games to determine a winner.
Midcourt : The middle third of the court, halfway between the net and the back boundary line.
Net shot : A shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.
Passing shot : A shot which passes the opposing player or team.
Push shot : A gentle shot played by pushing the shuttlecock with a little wrist motion.
Rally : The exchange of shots that decides each point.
Serve : The stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of each rally; also called a
"service".
Service court : The area into which a service must be delivered. Different for singles and
doubles.

Set : To choose to extend a game beyond its normal ending score if the score is tied with one
point to go.
Short service line : The front line of the service courts 1.98 metres from the net. Singles : A
game where one player plays against another player.
Singles sideline : The side boundary of a singles court.
Smash : A hard-hit overhead shot that forces the shuttle sharply downwards into the opponent's
court.
Wood shot : A legal shot in which the shuttle hits the frame of the racket.