Jade V.

Capalac

AB POLSCI 2nd Year

PE 3 Section 13A67

Brief History of Badminton

Badminton has its origins in ancient civilisations in Europe and Asia. The ancient game known
as battledore (bat or paddle) and shuttlecock probably originated more than 2000 years ago.
In the 1600s battledore and shuttlecock was an upper class pastime in England and many
European countries. Battledore and shuttlecock was simply two people hitting a shuttlecock
backwards and forwards with a simple bat as many times as they could without allowing it to hit
the ground.
Modern badminton can be traced to mid-19th century British India. It was created by British
military officers stationed there. A net was added to the traditional English game of battledore
and shuttlecock. As it was popular in the British garrison town of Poona, the game came to be
known as "Poona" or "Poonai" Initially, woollen balls were preferred by the upper classes in
windy or wet conditions, but ultimately shuttlecocks took over the role of a "ball." This game
was taken by retired officers who got back to England. It was introduced as a game for the guests
of the Duke of Beaufort at his stately home 'Badminton' in Gloucestershire, England where it
became popular. Hence, the origin of the name "Badminton."
In March 1898, the first Open Tournament was held at Guildford and the first 'All England'
Championships were held the following year.
The International Badminton Federation was formed in 1934 with nine founder members,
England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Canada, New Zealand and France. India
joined as an affiliate in 1936.
The first major IBF tournament was the Thomas Cup (world men's team championships) in
1948. Since then, the number of world events has increased with the addition of the Uber Cup
(women's team), World Championships (individual events), Sudirman Cup (mixed team), World
Junior Championships and the World Grand Prix Finals.
Badminton is a relatively new Olympic sport. It was a demonstration sport at the 1972 Munich
Olympics. Badminton eventually became an Olympic sport in Barcelona in 1992. Only the
singles and doubles were introduced for the first time in the Olympic Games. Mixed doubles was
included in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and badminton is the only sport that has mixed
doubles event in the Olympics.
Only five countries have won gold medals at the Olympics since badminton was introduced in
1992 - China, Indonesia and Korea, England and Denmark.

Susi Susanti from Indonesia won the women's singles in Barcelona, becoming Indonesia's first
medallist after forty years participating in the Olympics. Ironically, Susi's future husband, Alan
Budi Kusama won Indonesia's second gold medal in the men's singles.

Court Dimensions of Badminton

For a badminton game where one person challenges another person, the width of the court is
measured at 5.18 meters and the length at 13.4 metres.
Badminton Court Dimensions of a game of double players is usually measured at a width of 6.1
meters and a length of 13.4 meters.
Generally, the net in a badminton court is always positioned in the middle of the court. Tied by
poles on both sides of the court it makes sure that the net is hung at a height of 5 feet from the
ground. In regions near the pole the net is located at a height higher than 1 inch than the centre.
For single playing badminton games, the long service line is located at the extreme back of the
court on either side. From the back of the boundary area it is marked to be at 2.6 inches.
For both singles and doubles game of badminton, the short service line is at 15.5 inches from the
back of the boundary area.

The net is located in such a manner that it runs through the middle of the court from one side to
another.
Centre line is the line which divides the court from the line of short service to the extreme back
of the boundary line. It can also be said to be the line which makes a mark in between the service
area on the right side with the service section.
For singles the side line is marked at 1.5 feet distance from the outer side of the boundary on
both sides of the court. And Badminton Net Height For doubles badminton game the long service
line is marked at 2.5 feet distance.
Synthetic Shuttlecock vs. Feathered Shuttlecock
A feather shuttle is made of natural duck feather (Left Wing Only) with solid cock base. Shape of
shuttlecock is designed in such way so that its give high aerodynamic effect during its flight.
Feather Shuttlecock is treated as best for professional badminton games.
Nylon shuttlecock are made of synthetic material (Nylon) and give durable performance. For day
to day practise nylon shuttle are the best as it ill give you an economical option over feather
shuttles.
While we select the shuttlecocks for game its important to understand the difference between
nylon and feather shuttlecock.
Following are the key difference between Nylon and Feather Badminton Shuttlecock ( Nylon Vs
Feather Shuttlecock):
(1)Feather Shuttlecock take high initial speed as compare to Nylon shuttle and observed more
drag force due to its rigid shape. Due to more drag force on feather shuttle ,its undergo higher
deceleration .
(2)During the close net clear shots , feather shuttles rise up in the air and fall straight to ground
while on other hand , nylon shuttle travels at more flatter angle.
(3)To get the lift with nylon shuttle always required more power , in fact its difficult to get the
high lift with nylon shuttle and thus it gives flatter shuttle trajectory.
(4)As nylon shuttle travels on flatter trajectories so its difficult to hit the jump smash with Nylon
shuttle.
(5)Nylon shuttle require more power to hit the shuttle as compare to feather. With feather shuttles
, player can accurately place and control the shots while with Nylon shuttle ,controlling the
shuttle is difficult due different drag forces.
(6)When Nylon Shuttle hits on the racket string bed then shuttle skirt shape changes drastically
and after bounce back from string bed its take original shape while feather shuttle due to its rigid
shape dose not deform and quickly bounce back from string bed and gets fast initial speed.
(7)Playing with feather shuttlecocks are always a costly option as its break quite often. Playing
with nylon shuttle in practise game or training session can save lots of money but when you go

tournaments then you have learn how to adjust the speed and travel trajectories of nylon to
feather shuttle as most of the tournament use the feather shuttle only.
Badminton Racket
The length of a badminton racket is measured from the bottom of the racket handle/grip to the tip
of the racket head. See illustration above.
A typical racket length is between 665m to 675mm, and should not exceed 680mm. A racket with
length between 674mm to 680mm is sometimes labeled as 'extra long' racket, because a lot of
rackets are around 665-670mm in length.
A longer racket will give you better power compared to a shorter racket. The reason for this is
due to the law of physics, analogous to when you are sweeping floor with a broom. You
definitely use less strength with a long broom, compared to a shorter one. However a longer
racket will hurt the maneuverability of the racket a little. To experience this, try holding a racket
closer to the racket cone (the triangle intersection where the grip meets the racket shaft) and flick
the racket around. Then try repeating this by holding the racket far lower to the grip, to simulate
a longer racket. You will feel that its harder to flick the racket this time.
It is not really too important to consider the racket length when you choose a badminton racket,
but sometimes, the slight extra in the racket length might help increasing the power relatively.
However do remember that the extra length will hurt the racket maneuverability to a certain
extent. As a general tip, any racket within the length of 665 to 675mm will normally serve you
well.
Sources:
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Badminton/USAB/History/Brief-History-of-Badminton
http://www.allcourtdimensions.com/badminton-court-dimensions-measurements/
http://kinsalebadmintonclub.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/4/13347512/2996958.png?798
https://khelmart.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/detail-guide-on-nylon-vs-feather-badmintonshuttlecock/
http://www.sportsground.co.nz/fubc/76998/6