History The beginnings of badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was created by British military

officers stationed there. Early photographs show Englishmen adding a net to the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock. Being particularly popular in the British garrison town Poona (now Pune), the game also came to be known as Poona. Initially, balls of wool referred as ball badminton were preferred by the upper classes in windy or wet conditions, but ultimately the shuttlecock stuck. This game was taken by retired officers back to England where it developed and rules were set out. Although it appears clear that Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort, has given its name to the sports, it is unclear when and why the name was adopted. As early as 1860, Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, Badminton Battledore a new game, but unfortunately no copy has survived. An 1863 article in The Cornhill Magazine describes badminton as "battledore and shuttlecock played with sides, across a string suspended some five feet from the ground". This early use has cast doubt on the origin through expatriates in India, though it is known that it was popular there in the 1870s and that the first rules were drawn up in Poonah in 1873. As early as 1875, veterans returning from India started a club in Folkestone. Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in British India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. J.H.E. Hart drew up revised basic regulations in 1887 and, with Bagnel Wild, again in 1890. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today's rules, and officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year. They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899. The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation) was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally. While initiated in England, competitive men's badminton in Europe has traditionally been dominated by Denmark. Asian nations, however, have been the most dominant ones worldwide. Indonesia, South Korea, China, and Malaysia along with Denmark are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades, with China being the greatest force in both men's and women's competition in recent years. Rules Badminton is played with two single or two teams of two players each. It is a racquet sport. The rectangular court is divided into two halves with a net in the centre. Unlike other racquet games like squash or tennis badminton does not use a ball. It is played with a feathered projectile, which is called a shuttlecock. Shuttlecocks characteristically are light weight and are thereby affected by the wind. Thus professional badminton is played indoors as even the slightest breeze can effect the direction of the shuttlecock. The 10 rules of badminton given below are valid for both professional and amateur badminton games.

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The game involves the two opponents hitting the shuttlecock over the net into the other person's side. The rally ends when the shuttlecock touches the ground. Only one stroke is allowed to pass it over the net. One badminton match is made up of three games, of 21 points each. Professional badminton games are of five kinds: Men's singles, Men's doubles, Mixed doubles, Women's singles and Women's Doubles. In a badminton match, the court size for a single's game is 44 feet long X 17 feet wide and for a doubles match it is 44 feet long X 20 feet wide. The height of the net is 5 feet. The 10 rules of badminton are as follows: 1. A game starts with a coin toss. Whoever wins the toss gets to decide whether they would serve or receive first OR what side of the court they want to be on. The side losing the toss shall then exercise the remaining choice. 2. At no time during the game should the player touch the net, with his racquet or his body. 3. The shuttlecock should not be carried on or come to rest on the racquet. 4. A player should not reach over the net to hit the shuttlecock. 5. A serve must carry cross court (diagonally) to be valid. 6. During the serve, a player should not touch any of the lines of the court, until the server strikes the shuttlecock. During the serve the shuttlecock should always be hit from below the waist. 7. A point is added to a player's score as and when he wins a rally. 8. A player wins a rally when he strikes the shuttlecock and it touches the floor of the opponent's side of the court or when the opponent commits a fault. The most common type of fault is when a player fails to hit the shuttlecock over the net or it lands outside the boundary of the court. 9. Each side can strike the shuttlecock only once before it passes over the net. Once hit, a player can't strike the shuttlecock in a new movement or shot. 10. The shuttlecock hitting the ceiling, is counted as a fault. Court and Equipment 1. The court shall be a rectangle marked out with lines 40 mm wide. 2. The lines marking out the court shall be easily distinguishable and preferably be coloured white or yellow. 3. All the lines shall form part of the area which they define. 548

4. The posts shall be 1.55 metres in height from the surface of the court and shall remain vertical when the net is strained as provided in Law 1.10. The posts or its supports shall not extend into the court. 5. The posts shall be placed on the doubles side lines as in Diagram A irrespective of whether singles or doubles is being played. 6. The net shall be made of fine cord of dark colour and even thickness with a mesh of not less than l5 mm and not more than 20 mm. 7. The net shall be 760 mm in depth and at least 6.1 metres wide. 8. The top of the net shall be edged with a 75 mm white tape doubled over a cord or cable running through the tape. This tape shall rest upon the cord or cable. 9. The cord or cable shall be stretched firmly, flush with the top of the posts. 10. The top of the net from the surface of the court shall be 1.524 metres at the centre of the court and 1.55 metres over the side lines for doubles. 11. There shall be no gaps between the ends of the net and the posts. If necessary, the full depth of the net at the ends shall be tied to the posts. Badminton Terms 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.

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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 up-and-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.

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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.

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