The chinese are reputed to have played the game more than 2,000 years ago, However, the game it most closely resembles is “battledore and shuttlecock” (the former a taut leather paddle: the latter a small feathered cork), a childrens pastime from Middle Ages. The modern game takes its name from Badminton Hall, in South Gloucestershire, a seat of the Dukes of Beaufort, where games were played in the 1870s. Badminton was also being played in India by British army officers that same decade and first rules were drawn up in 1873.
Rules and Description
Badminton is a game for two or four people, played mainly on indoor courts. The court measures 13.4 x 6.1m/44 x 20ft and is divided in two by a net, which is suspended 1.55m/5ft above the floor. The court size varies for singles and doubles play. The game is played with lightweight rackets and a “shuttlecock”, a cone fashioned from a cork base stuck with 16 goose feather flights (cheaper alternatives are made of plastic). The object of the game is to win more points than the opposition by preventing the shuttlecock from hitting the ground. The server serves into the diagonally opposite service court and a rally continues until the shuttlecock falls outside the court or the opposition cannot retrieve it or a fault is committed. Only the server can score points: if the opposition player wins the point the service advantage moves to him/her.
In the mens and doubles game the first to 15 points wins. If the score reaches 14-14 the player that reaches 14 first decides either to play on to 15 or to “set” the game to 17 points. In the womens game players need to reach 11 points – there is the option to “set” the play at 10-10 to play the best of a further 3 points. Matches are the best of three games, in doubles play both players on a side get the opportunity yo serve before it passes to the opposition.
Clothing and Equipment
Light clothing – lightweight cotton shirts and shorts or skirts keep the players cool.
Shuttle and Racket – Top shuttlecocks weigh around 5g (quarter of oz) and have 16 goose feathers in a cork base and are notoriously fragile: top players often get through ten in course of a match. By contrast, rackets are strong and designed to transfer the maximum energy from the player to the shuttle, giving it greater speed and distance in flight.
Rules and Description
Badminton is a game for two or four people, played mainly on indoor courts. The court measures 13.4 x 6.1m/44 x 20ft and is divided in two by a net, which is suspended 1.55m/5ft above the floor. The court size varies for singles and doubles play. The game is played with lightweight rackets and a “shuttlecock”, a cone fashioned from a cork base stuck with 16 goose feather flights (cheaper alternatives are made of plastic). The object of the game is to win more points than the opposition by preventing the shuttlecock from hitting the ground. The server serves into the diagonally opposite service court and a rally continues until the shuttlecock falls outside the court or the opposition cannot retrieve it or a fault is committed. Only the server can score points: if the opposition player wins the point the service advantage moves to him/her.
In the mens and doubles game the first to 15 points wins. If the score reaches 14-14 the player that reaches 14 first decides either to play on to 15 or to “set” the game to 17 points. In the womens game players need to reach 11 points – there is the option to “set” the play at 10-10 to play the best of a further 3 points. Matches are the best of three games, in doubles play both players on a side get the opportunity yo serve before it passes to the opposition.
Clothing and Equipment
Light clothing – lightweight cotton shirts and shorts or skirts keep the players cool.
Shuttle and Racket – Top shuttlecocks weigh around 5g (quarter of oz) and have 16 goose feathers in a cork base and are notoriously fragile: top players often get through ten in course of a match. By contrast, rackets are strong and designed to transfer the maximum energy from the player to the shuttle, giving it greater speed and distance in flight.
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