By: Yuting Lin
Badminton is a racquet sport, where players hit a shuttlecock, more casually referred to as a “birdie,” over a net within a badminton court. The object of badminton is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and have it land in the designated court areas. If your opponent manages to return the shuttlecock, then a rally occurs. To score a point, the shuttlecock must hit within the parameters of the opponent’s court. If the shuttlecock hits the net or lands outside the court, a point is awarded to the opponent.
Some say that badminton first originated in Japan between the 14th and 15th century. It’s true that badminton was in fashion for a short while, before slowly dying out due to the easily damageable nature and high cost of the shuttlecock. Yet around the 18th century, a game similar to the early Japanese badminton appeared in Pune, India. The badminton we know and love was eventually created by a British military officer in 1873, when several British officers were playing a game with rackets and balls across the table during a party at Bloomington Hall.The game was quickly embraced by the British people and spread widely. Five years later, England created relatively comprehensive rules for badminton.
The earliest badminton courts were wider at both ends and narrower in the middle, resembling the shape of an hourglass. In 1934, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Northlands, New Zealand, and Wales founded the International Badminton Federation, also known as “IBF.”
Badminton first appeared in the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1972 and later, as an exhibition sport in 1988. It became a full Olympic sport in 1992, with competition for men’s and women’s singles (one versus one) and doubles (two versus two). Mixed doubles was introduced at the 1996 Games. In the 1950s the rapid development of badminton in Asia occurred, with Malaysia eventually winning two Toms cups titles. At the same time, the Indonesian team made some innovations in technique and playing style and soon achieved the dominant position on the international badminton court. After 1960, the development of badminton further moved to Asia, with many players becoming national celebrities.
An example is Lin Dan, a Chinese former professional badminton player. He was born October 14, 1983, and has the nickname ”Super Dan” after he won the All England Open Final.
How do you play badminton? First, you have to wear comfortable clothing and training shoes. After learning how to use backhand and forehand grips, the basics of the sport is fairly simple in theory, if not practice. Through using a badminton racket and a shuttlecock, you hit the shuttlecock over a badminton net with your racket!
Fun Facts:
- There are 16 feathers in one shuttlecock
- In an average top-level international match, around ten shuttles are used, and they travel several miles around the court.
- Badminton used to be called poona.
- Mr. Thomas donated a trophy that was made as World Badminton Men’s Team Championship.
