Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Badminton Racket
Racket basics
Badminton is a very fast sport, and as such the rackets used are a lot lighter than in other sports such as tennis and squash.
They generally consist of a handle, a shaft and a head. The whole length of the racket can be no greater than 68cm, and the width no greater than 23cm.
The head of the racket is made up of a frame and the strings, which are usually made from nylon (though can actually be made from sheep or cow gut).
Racket head
The head can be no longer than 29cm, with the strings no more than 28cm long and 22cm wide.
The shaft and head frame are made of metal; anything from aluminium or steel to graphite or titanium on lighter rackets.
Racket grip
To make holding the racket easier, a grip is added which makes the handle less slippery and easier to control. The thickness of the handle is to the player's preference.
Rackets vary depending on the type of player. For example, some rackets suit a more attacking player and others a more defensive player. Also, whether the racket is to be used for singles or doubles has an effect.
Some rackets are designed for all-round use and tend to be more popular.
Generally a defensive player would want a lighter racket (for accuracy), and an attacking player would want more weight in the head, for power.
String tension
Important to any player is the 'tension' of the strings. If the strings are too tight, they will break more easily, but if they are too loose, there will be a loss of power on shots.
The average tension is around 21-23 lbs.
Racket makers
There are many companies that make badminton rackets, but the most popular of all is Yonex. Most of the world's top players play with Yonex rackets.
Other popular makes include Carlton, Prince and Wilson.
New rackets are being brought out all the time.
Badminton is a very fast sport, and as such the rackets used are a lot lighter than in other sports such as tennis and squash.
They generally consist of a handle, a shaft and a head. The whole length of the racket can be no greater than 68cm, and the width no greater than 23cm.
The head of the racket is made up of a frame and the strings, which are usually made from nylon (though can actually be made from sheep or cow gut).
Racket head
The head can be no longer than 29cm, with the strings no more than 28cm long and 22cm wide.
The shaft and head frame are made of metal; anything from aluminium or steel to graphite or titanium on lighter rackets.
Racket grip
To make holding the racket easier, a grip is added which makes the handle less slippery and easier to control. The thickness of the handle is to the player's preference.
Rackets vary depending on the type of player. For example, some rackets suit a more attacking player and others a more defensive player. Also, whether the racket is to be used for singles or doubles has an effect.
Some rackets are designed for all-round use and tend to be more popular.
Generally a defensive player would want a lighter racket (for accuracy), and an attacking player would want more weight in the head, for power.
String tension
Important to any player is the 'tension' of the strings. If the strings are too tight, they will break more easily, but if they are too loose, there will be a loss of power on shots.
The average tension is around 21-23 lbs.
Racket makers
There are many companies that make badminton rackets, but the most popular of all is Yonex. Most of the world's top players play with Yonex rackets.
Other popular makes include Carlton, Prince and Wilson.
New rackets are being brought out all the time.
Badminton Court
The badminton court is rectangular in shape, and has different dimensions for singles and doubles.
Standard Dimensions
The full doubles court has a measurement of 13.4m (44' 0") by 6.1m (20'0"):
Badminton net
The badminton net goes across the middle and is 1.52m (5' 0") high at the middle and 1.55m (5'1") high at the posts.
The net is made of dark fine cord and is 76cm (2'6") in depth.
The line that you must stand behind when you serve is called the short service line and it is 1.98m (6' 6") from the net.
Singles court measurement
The singles court only makes use of the shaded area:
The area not shaded above is called the 'tramlines'.
In singles the long service line is the very back line of the court, parallel to the net. In doubles this is the line 76cm (2' 6") nearer the net. The area between these two lines in called the back tramlines.
The line perpendicular to the net that bisects the court is called the centre line, and the outer edges of the side tramlines are called the sidelines.
Badminton lines
Each line is part of the court, so that if the base of the shuttle touches any part of a line, it is considered as being 'in', ie having landed within the area of the court.
The lines need to be easily distinguishable, usually white or yellow in colour.
They are 4cm (1.5") wide.
Sometimes you will find two short lines either side of the long service line for doubles. These are what the shuttle should land between when being tested from the opposing back line.
Standard Dimensions
The full doubles court has a measurement of 13.4m (44' 0") by 6.1m (20'0"):
Badminton net
The badminton net goes across the middle and is 1.52m (5' 0") high at the middle and 1.55m (5'1") high at the posts.
The net is made of dark fine cord and is 76cm (2'6") in depth.
The line that you must stand behind when you serve is called the short service line and it is 1.98m (6' 6") from the net.
Singles court measurement
The singles court only makes use of the shaded area:
The area not shaded above is called the 'tramlines'.
In singles the long service line is the very back line of the court, parallel to the net. In doubles this is the line 76cm (2' 6") nearer the net. The area between these two lines in called the back tramlines.
The line perpendicular to the net that bisects the court is called the centre line, and the outer edges of the side tramlines are called the sidelines.
Badminton lines
Each line is part of the court, so that if the base of the shuttle touches any part of a line, it is considered as being 'in', ie having landed within the area of the court.
The lines need to be easily distinguishable, usually white or yellow in colour.
They are 4cm (1.5") wide.
Sometimes you will find two short lines either side of the long service line for doubles. These are what the shuttle should land between when being tested from the opposing back line.
Badminton Rules
The rules of badminton are very simple. When you know them. Or when someone explains them clearly. Which is what I hope to do here!
Basic basics
Badminton is played with either 2 people (singles), or 4 people (doubles).
The object of the game is to win as many points as you can up until a certain number, and whoever reaches that number of points first is the winner.
It is played on a badminton court, and is played by hitting a shuttlecock over the net to your opponent, using a badminton racket.
The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is hit back and forward between you and your opponent. This is called a rally.
In play
A rally is started by one of the players hitting the shuttle over the net, which is called the serve.
So when someone has served the shuttle and a rally is in progress, it stops when someone fails to hit the shuttle back into their opponent's side of the court. This person has then lost the rally.
If the person who won the rally was serving, then they win a point and continue serving. If the person who lost the rally was serving, the serve passes to their opponent.
And this then carries on until one person has reached a certain number of points, which is usually 15 for men and 11 for women.
In badminton, zero is called 'love'. So at the start of the game, the score is 'love-all'.
Serving
Now when someone is serving they stand behind the service line on either the left or the right side of the court.
If their score is even, they stand on the right and if it is odd they stand on the left.
They then serve to the diagonally opposite side of their opponent's court, and the rally continues.
During the rally, each shot must land within the court. If you think one of your opponent's shots is going to land outside of the court, you can leave it (ie let it land), and if it does go 'out', you win the point. If not, your opponent wins the point.
Another way that a rally can end is if one player hits the shuttle into the net, ie fails to hit it into their opponent's side of the court.
When you serve, you must not have the shuttle above your waist, and the head of your racket must be fully below your hand. You must also have both feet on the ground.
The serve must be one continuous movement, and the racket must hit the shuttle on it's base.
Faults
If at anytime someone hits the shuttle more than once or it touches a part of their body (or clothes), they automatically lose the point. This is called a fault.
In doubles, only one person is allowed to hit the shuttle before it goes back to the opponents' side; if both players hit the shuttle this too is a fault.
The serving is a little different in doubles as well.
Doubles
In doubles, the first person serves from the right hand side. They continue to serve (changing sides each point) until they lose a point.
Then the serve goes to the opponents. First the player on the right serves, again serving until they lose a point. When this happens, the second player serves. When they lose a point, the serve returns to the opponents again.
If the scoring gets to 14-14 (in a game to 15), the player(s) who got to 14 first have the option to 'set'.
This means playing to three extra points (ie the first to 17 points). If they choose not to set, the game continues to 15.
Changing Sides
After playing a game, if playing 'best-of-three' you swap sides with your opponent. If the game then goes to a third game, you swap again. And then you swap after 8 points in this final game (if the game is to 15).
There are three types of doubles; men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, which is where your partner is a member of the opposite sex.
Basic basics
Badminton is played with either 2 people (singles), or 4 people (doubles).
The object of the game is to win as many points as you can up until a certain number, and whoever reaches that number of points first is the winner.
It is played on a badminton court, and is played by hitting a shuttlecock over the net to your opponent, using a badminton racket.
The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is hit back and forward between you and your opponent. This is called a rally.
In play
A rally is started by one of the players hitting the shuttle over the net, which is called the serve.
So when someone has served the shuttle and a rally is in progress, it stops when someone fails to hit the shuttle back into their opponent's side of the court. This person has then lost the rally.
If the person who won the rally was serving, then they win a point and continue serving. If the person who lost the rally was serving, the serve passes to their opponent.
And this then carries on until one person has reached a certain number of points, which is usually 15 for men and 11 for women.
In badminton, zero is called 'love'. So at the start of the game, the score is 'love-all'.
Serving
Now when someone is serving they stand behind the service line on either the left or the right side of the court.
If their score is even, they stand on the right and if it is odd they stand on the left.
They then serve to the diagonally opposite side of their opponent's court, and the rally continues.
During the rally, each shot must land within the court. If you think one of your opponent's shots is going to land outside of the court, you can leave it (ie let it land), and if it does go 'out', you win the point. If not, your opponent wins the point.
Another way that a rally can end is if one player hits the shuttle into the net, ie fails to hit it into their opponent's side of the court.
When you serve, you must not have the shuttle above your waist, and the head of your racket must be fully below your hand. You must also have both feet on the ground.
The serve must be one continuous movement, and the racket must hit the shuttle on it's base.
Faults
If at anytime someone hits the shuttle more than once or it touches a part of their body (or clothes), they automatically lose the point. This is called a fault.
In doubles, only one person is allowed to hit the shuttle before it goes back to the opponents' side; if both players hit the shuttle this too is a fault.
The serving is a little different in doubles as well.
Doubles
In doubles, the first person serves from the right hand side. They continue to serve (changing sides each point) until they lose a point.
Then the serve goes to the opponents. First the player on the right serves, again serving until they lose a point. When this happens, the second player serves. When they lose a point, the serve returns to the opponents again.
If the scoring gets to 14-14 (in a game to 15), the player(s) who got to 14 first have the option to 'set'.
This means playing to three extra points (ie the first to 17 points). If they choose not to set, the game continues to 15.
Changing Sides
After playing a game, if playing 'best-of-three' you swap sides with your opponent. If the game then goes to a third game, you swap again. And then you swap after 8 points in this final game (if the game is to 15).
There are three types of doubles; men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, which is where your partner is a member of the opposite sex.
History Of Badminton
History Of Badminton
Badminton has a long and fascinating history.
Origins
Its origins date back over two thousand years, to 500 years before the birth of Christ and a game called 'Ti Jian Zi' (shuttle kicking) which was played in Ancient China.
It was played by kicking something similar to the modern day shuttlecock, without the use of rackets.
By the time of the birth of Christ, the game 'Battledore and Shuttlecock' was being played in China, Japan and Greece. A battledore was a simple bat, and the aim of the game was to hit the shuttlecock back and forwards as many times as possible.
It is unclear where the origins of the shuttlecock lie, though it is possible that the cork base was used to store feathers (maybe for writing?), and then first thrown and then hit when it was found that it flew well.
By the 16th Century Battledore had evolved into a children's game and over the next century became popular with the upper classes in Europe. In mainland Europe it was known by its French name 'jeu de volant'.
1800s
By the mid 19th Century a game called 'poona' had developed in India that more closely resembled modern-day badminton.
British Army officers who were stationed in India began picking up the game, recording some basic rules and were responsible for bringing it back to England.
Around the same time the Duke of Beauford began introducing it to the noble and royal society at his estate in Gloucestershire, England.
This estate was called Badminton House.
It is suggested that here the idea of putting a string between the players was born, along with trying to hit the shuttlecock away from your opponent.
Within a few years the Bath Badminton Club had been formed and the rules as they are today began to be developed. And the game had a new name - Badminton!
Clubs began appearing all round the country over the next few years and in 1893 there was a meeting of 14 of the most prominent in Southsea in Hampshire.
Soon after that meeting, the first national badminton association was founded and the first set of rules were formalised.
As the sport went from the genteel affair that it had been to a more competitive one, the first tournaments occurred right at the end of that century, with the first international 'All England' tournament taking place in 1899.
Early 1900s
One of the early stars of the game was the English tennis star Kitty Godfree who was badminton champion three times in the 1920s.
As other national badminton associations began appearing and the game picked up popularity around the world, in 1934 the International Badminton Federation (IBF) was born.
The original members were England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Canada, New Zealand and France.
India joined as an affiliate in 1936, with Australia and United States not long after that.
The American Badminton Association had already been formed in 1936 and the sport had been popular there since 1878 when the 'Badminton Club of New York' was formed.
Late 1900s
As the popularity grew, the first major IBF tournament was the men's team championship, the Thomas Cup, in 1949, named after the first IBF President, Sir George Thomas. It was originally going to be in 1939 but had to be postponed due to the war.
The first ladies team championship was in 1956 when the US won the Uber Cup.
As more tournaments were being held, badminton became a demonstration sport at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
The first World Badminton Championships, including singles events were held in 1977.
Over the next decade the sport continued to be dominated by Asians, most notably China's top women Li Lingwei and Han Aiping. Morten Frost of Denmark was one exception, winning over 70 international titles during the 1980s.
By then badminton had become a professional sport, with the IBF establishing the World Grand Prix Circuit and prize money starting to improve.
Badminton returned as an exhibition sport in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and was given full medal status at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Then, international interest in the sport really began taking off as sponsor money and TV coverage started increasing and the world became attracted to the speed and excitement of the game.
Mixed doubles was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Badminton now has the glory of being the fastest racket sport (the fastest smash was clocked at 260 kilometres per hour by Great Britain's Simon Archer) as well as one of the most widely played sports in the world, and is growing in popularity all the time.
Badminton has a long and fascinating history.
Origins
Its origins date back over two thousand years, to 500 years before the birth of Christ and a game called 'Ti Jian Zi' (shuttle kicking) which was played in Ancient China.
It was played by kicking something similar to the modern day shuttlecock, without the use of rackets.
By the time of the birth of Christ, the game 'Battledore and Shuttlecock' was being played in China, Japan and Greece. A battledore was a simple bat, and the aim of the game was to hit the shuttlecock back and forwards as many times as possible.
It is unclear where the origins of the shuttlecock lie, though it is possible that the cork base was used to store feathers (maybe for writing?), and then first thrown and then hit when it was found that it flew well.
By the 16th Century Battledore had evolved into a children's game and over the next century became popular with the upper classes in Europe. In mainland Europe it was known by its French name 'jeu de volant'.
1800s
By the mid 19th Century a game called 'poona' had developed in India that more closely resembled modern-day badminton.
British Army officers who were stationed in India began picking up the game, recording some basic rules and were responsible for bringing it back to England.
Around the same time the Duke of Beauford began introducing it to the noble and royal society at his estate in Gloucestershire, England.
This estate was called Badminton House.
It is suggested that here the idea of putting a string between the players was born, along with trying to hit the shuttlecock away from your opponent.
Within a few years the Bath Badminton Club had been formed and the rules as they are today began to be developed. And the game had a new name - Badminton!
Clubs began appearing all round the country over the next few years and in 1893 there was a meeting of 14 of the most prominent in Southsea in Hampshire.
Soon after that meeting, the first national badminton association was founded and the first set of rules were formalised.
As the sport went from the genteel affair that it had been to a more competitive one, the first tournaments occurred right at the end of that century, with the first international 'All England' tournament taking place in 1899.
Early 1900s
One of the early stars of the game was the English tennis star Kitty Godfree who was badminton champion three times in the 1920s.
As other national badminton associations began appearing and the game picked up popularity around the world, in 1934 the International Badminton Federation (IBF) was born.
The original members were England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Canada, New Zealand and France.
India joined as an affiliate in 1936, with Australia and United States not long after that.
The American Badminton Association had already been formed in 1936 and the sport had been popular there since 1878 when the 'Badminton Club of New York' was formed.
Late 1900s
As the popularity grew, the first major IBF tournament was the men's team championship, the Thomas Cup, in 1949, named after the first IBF President, Sir George Thomas. It was originally going to be in 1939 but had to be postponed due to the war.
The first ladies team championship was in 1956 when the US won the Uber Cup.
As more tournaments were being held, badminton became a demonstration sport at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
The first World Badminton Championships, including singles events were held in 1977.
Over the next decade the sport continued to be dominated by Asians, most notably China's top women Li Lingwei and Han Aiping. Morten Frost of Denmark was one exception, winning over 70 international titles during the 1980s.
By then badminton had become a professional sport, with the IBF establishing the World Grand Prix Circuit and prize money starting to improve.
Badminton returned as an exhibition sport in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and was given full medal status at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Then, international interest in the sport really began taking off as sponsor money and TV coverage started increasing and the world became attracted to the speed and excitement of the game.
Mixed doubles was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Badminton now has the glory of being the fastest racket sport (the fastest smash was clocked at 260 kilometres per hour by Great Britain's Simon Archer) as well as one of the most widely played sports in the world, and is growing in popularity all the time.
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