THE HISTORY OF BADMINTONIn the 5th century BC, the people in china then played a game called ti jian zi. A direct translation

from this word 'ti jian zi' is kicking the shuttle. As the name suggest, the objective of the game is to keep the shuttle from hitting the ground without using hand. Whether this sport has anything to do with the History of Badminton is up for debate. It was however the first game that uses a Shuttle.

About five centuries later, a game named Battledore and Shuttlecock was played in china, Japan, India and Greece. This is a game where you use the Battledore (a paddle) to hit the Shuttlecock back and forth. By the 16th century, it has become a popular game among children in England. In Europe this game was known as jeu de volant to them. In the 1860s, a game named Poona was played in India. This game is much like the Battledore and Shuttlecock but with an added net. The British army learned this game in India and took the equipments back to England during the 1870s.

In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort held a lawn party in his country place, Badminton. A game of Poona was played on that day and became popular among the British society's elite. The new party sport became known as "the Badminton game". In 1877, the Bath Badminton Club was formed and developed the first official set of rules.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed in 1934 with 9 founding members.

- England

- Ireland

- Scotland

- Wales

- Denmark

- Holland

- Canada

- New Zealand

- France

Origins of the Game

The sport of badminton has its origins in ancient civilizations 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.

Contemporary Badminton

A contemporary form of badminton - a game called ‘Poon’, was played in India in the 1800s where a net was introduced and players hit the shuttlecock across the net. British officers in the mid 1800’s took this game back to England and 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.

In March 1898, the first Open Tournament was held at Guildford the first 'All England' Championships were held the following year. Denmark, the USA and Canada became ardent followers of the game during the 1930s.

IBF Established in 1934

Then in 1934, the International Badminton Federation was formed, with the initial members including England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Canada, New Zealand and France, with India joining 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.

Commonwealth Games Sport - 1966

Badminton was introduced as a Commonwealth Games program sport in Kingston Jamaica in 1966 and has been part of every Commonwealth Games program since then. Initially all five disciplines were included – singles (men, women), doubles (men, women) and mixed doubles with the Teams Event included in the program in later Commonwealth Games.

Olympic Games Sport - 1992

Badminton is a relatively new Olympic Games sport. After being a demonstration sport in Munich in 1972, badminton became an Olympic sport in Barcelona in 1992 with the singles and doubles disciplines introduced for the first time in the Olympic Games. In Atlanta in 1996, a mixed doubles event was included and this is the only mixed doubles event in all of the Olympic sports.

The following countries have won medals in badminton at an Olympic Games since its introduction in 1992 - China, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Russia.

Susi Susanti from Indonesia won the women’s singles in Barcelona, becoming Indonesia’s first medallist in the 40 years Indonesia had competed at the Games. In the same Olympic Games, Alan Budi Kusama won Indonesia’s second gold medal in the men’s badminton singles.Home > Sports > Badminton > Equipment and History

Court

The area of play, as defined by the outer boundary lines.

Net

The net is made of fine cord, dark in colour and of an even thickness, with a mesh.

Posts

The posts are used to hold the net in place.

Racket

The instrument used by players to hit the shuttlecock.

Shuttlecock

A piece of cork covered in goat skin with 16 goose feathers attached to one end. It can be made from natural or synthetic materials.

EQUIPMENTHISTORY

Badminton TermsHere is a list of some of the terminology used in the sport of badminton:

Alley - side-extension of the court by l½ feet on both sides that is used for doubles play.

Back Alley- Area between the back boundary line and the long service line for doubles.

Backcourt - the back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.

Baseline - Back boundary line at each end of the court, that runs parallel to the net.

Bird or birdie- another name for the shuttlecock

Carry - An illegal tactic, also called a sling or throw, in which the shuttle is caught and held on the racket

and then slung during the execution of a stroke.

Center Line- Line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.

Clear - A shot hit deep to the opponent’s back court.

Court - Area of play, as defined by the outer boundary lines.

Drive - A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.

Drop - A shot hit sohly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net on the opponent’s side.

Fault - A violation of the playing rules, either in serving, receiving, or during play (see common faults

listed below).

Flick - A quick wrist and forearm rotation that surprises an opponent by changing an apparently soft shot

into a faster passing one; used primarily on the serve and at the net.

Forecourt - Front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.

Hairpin Net Shot- Shot made from below and very close to the net with the shuttle rising, just clearing the

net, and then dropping sharply down the other side. The shuttle’s flight approximates the shape of a

hairpin.

Halfcourt Shot- A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles against the up-and-back

formation.

Kill - Fast, downward shot that cannot be returned; a "putaway."

Let - A legitimate cessation of play to allow a rally to be replayed.

Long Service Line- In singles, the back boundary line. In doubles a line 2 l/2 feet inside the back

boundary line. The serve may not go past this line.

Match - A series of games (at U.S. Olympic Festival-’93 it is three out of five), to determine a winner.

Midcourt - The middle third of the court, halfway between the net and the back boundary line.

Net Shot- Shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.

Push Shot- Gentle shot played by pushing the shuttle with little wrist motion, usually from net or

midcourt to the opponent’s midcourt.

Racket - Instrument used by playerto hit shuttlecock Weight:About3 ounces. Length: 27 inches. Made of:

Ceramic, graphite, or boron frame; beef-gut string. Cost: $60-$175 (unstrung).

Rally – this occurs when the players hit the bird back and forth several times before one side scores a

point

Serve or Service– players put the shuttlecock into play for points by “serving” it to opponents, hitting it

over the net into a special part of the court near their opponent

Service Court- Area into which the serve must be delivered. Different for singles and doubles play.

Short Service Line- The line 6 l/2 feet from the net which a serve must reach to be legal.

Shuttlecock - thje name for the object that players hit, made of a ball of cork or rubber with a crown of

feathers in an open conical shape.

Smash – when a shuttle is floated high into the air, a player has time to unleash a powerful overhand shot

straight to the floor of the opposing court

Wood Shot- Shot that results when the base of the shuttle is hit by the frame of the racket. Once illegal,

this shot was ruled acceptable by the International Badminton Federation in 1963.

There are a few badminton terms that you should be familiar with. Even if it's a casual badminton game, these terms are often used among many people.

This might also be useful when you watch badminton tournaments on television. At least you'll understand what the commentator is talking about.

I will only mention the few most important ones to make sure you don't get bored.

Alright let's begin with some of the common badminton terminology...

1. Service Terms

Server and Receiver The person who delivers the badminton serve is called the "server" while the person receiving the serve is called the

"receiver".

Long, Short and Wide During a badminton serve, we usually say LONG/SHORT instead of IN/OUT if the shuttle falls out of the service box.

If the shuttle falls outside the boundaries AT THE FRONT of the court we call it "short".

If the shuttle falls outside the boundaries BEHIND the court we call it "long".

If the shuttle falls outside the boundaries at the side of the court, we call it ''wide''.

For example in doubles:

Service Over If you made a serve and lost the rally, it will be called SERVICE OVER. It's now your opponent's turn to make a service for the next rally.

Let Lets are given when the receiver is not ready but the server has already perform the serve.

When a 'let' is given, no points will be offered to both parties for that particular rally.

The umpire calls for the rally to be replayed when a 'let' is given.

2. Badminton Terms for Scoring 

Love In badminton, 0 points is called "love".

All If both sides' scores are level, we say ALL behind the points. For example, if the score is 2 - 2, we say 2 ALL.

The score of the winner of the last rally should always be mentioned first. For example, you won the last rally. Your score is now 2 and your opponent's score is 5. So the score of the game will be mentioned as 2 - 5.

Deuce If the score reaches 20-20, the game will be "deuce". This means that either one side must lead by 2 points to win the game.

3. Badminton Terms for Court Lines and Areas

Next, there are 3 common areas on the badminton court.

Forecourt. Front area of the court Mid-court. Middle area of the court Rear court. Back area of the court

4. Badminton Match Terms 

Rally A rally starts as soon as the server performs the service. The

rally ends when the shuttle touches the ground or a player commits a fault.

Winner of a rally will be awarded ONE point.

Badminton Game or 'Set' A badminton game is referred to the race to 21 points.

You'll need to obtain 21 points to win a game. In some countries, we use the term 'set' instead of 'game'.

Match A badminton match consists of 2 or 3 games/sets. Player wins a match if he win 2 straight games.

If both sides won one game each, a third game will be played to determine the winner.

Rubber A rubber game is the third and deciding game in a badminton match.

When both players won one set each, they will have to enter into a 3rd deciding game to determine the winner. This 3rd set is called the rubber or rubber game.

5. Badminton Terms for Badminton Officials

Tournament Referee Main decider of rules in a tournament. If players are not happy with the umpire, he or she can call for the tournament referee and dispute the matter.

Note: A tournament referee is not an umpire.

Match Umpire Umpires ensures a matches run smoothly. They also look out for faults during the match.

This is where an umpire sits during a match:

Service Judge Service judges look out for service faults during a match.

Here is where they sit during a match:

Line Judge Line judges looks straight down the court lines and decide whether shuttles land inside or outside the court.

How many line judges are there in a match? Count yourself...

6. Terms for Badminton Racket Parts 

Usually this is how I address the different parts on a badminton racket.

Racket Head String Bed Racket T-joint or Throat Racket Shaft Handle

7. Terms for Badminton Techniques and Shots 

Badminton Strokes Swing motion of your racket. Strokes are NOT shots. You'll need to perform strokes to hit badminton shots.

Singles Footwork Base Usually around the middle of the court. When playing singles, you'll need to return to your 'base' after hitting every shot.

Lunge Lunging refers to stretching your feet as far apart; usually towards the front to retrieve the shuttle.

Follow Through Simply means completing your swing/stroke after you hit the shuttlecock.

Following through with your swing usually produces better quality shots.

ClearLob

Hitting the shuttle high up towards your opponent's baseline.

The term 'lob' is more commonly used in Malaysia and Singapore.

Drop Shot Soft shot hit from your baseline and travels steeply to your opponent's forecourt.

SmashHalf SmashFull Smash 

Baseline Smash

Offensive shot hit from your baseline. Travels down fast and steep towards your opponent's side.

Half Smash: Smashing without full power.

Full Smash: Smashing with full power.

Baseline Smash: Smash hit from your baseline.

Drive Fast and furious shot hit horizontally towards your opponent side.

Push Push is a shot hit horizontally and aims to land around your opponent's mid-court area. It is similar to the drive, except there is less pace in your shot.

Tumbling Net ShotSpinning Net Shot

This shot is taken at your forecourt. It is called the tumbling/spinning net shot because the shuttle tumbles and spins towards your opponent's side.

Net KillTap

Brush

Net kills are shots taken from the forecourt. It travel down steeply towards your opponent side. Usually net kills are used to counter weak net shots from your opponent.

In most Asian countries, we use 'Tap' instead of Net Kill.

'Brushing' is another term that refers to Net Kill. However brushing is slightly different. It has the same objective as the Net Kill, but different technique. Brushing is used to kill tight net shots from your opponent.

Net LiftLift

Net Lifts are defensive shots taken from the forecourt. It travels high up towards your opponent's baseline.