Badminton History
The badminton is a marvelous sport dating back to the ancient times. Here we explore in depth, badminton history, timeline, important events, terminology & modern day badminton sport.
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History & Origin of Badminton
Badminton traces its origin two hundred years ago in European region, specially England, as the battledore and shuttlecock activity.
Battledore and shuttlecock was the activity of upper class and noble dynastic families of England and many other countries. It was an activity in which only two singles used to hit backward and forward as long as they could, not allowing shuttlecock to hit the ground.
The modern day badminton sport originated in the middle of 19th century by British military officers in British India. There had been a British garrison town named as Poona where badminton grew and flourished and was called Poonai in the beginning.
In its early stage badminton was played by woolen balls, which noble class preferred to use. With the passage of time shuttlecock replaced woolen ball.
Foundation of Badminton World Federation (BWF)
The first open tournament of Badminton was held in 1898 at Guilford. Within three decades this game became so popular that its international Federation was formed in 1934.
The Federation had nine member countries; England, Wales, Ireland, Holland, Scotland, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand and France became the leading nations to help boost the spirit of Badminton.
Modern Day Badminton History; How it is Played?
Nowadays badminton has earned mammoth popularity among people. In this game two or four people can play at a time. It can be played in singles or played in badminton doubles.
The shuttlecock is hit by rackets by players over the net in such a way that the other player of two players can not hit it back properly and it land on ground or hits net when bounced back. When a player succeed to hit shuttlecock on ground he or she gains a point, one who wins 21 points wins the round.
The winner is he who wins two sets of 21 points. Unlike many games badminton is indoor sport, the shuttlecock can be blown by air because it is very light hence it is called indoor sport. It is played with rackets made of carbon fiber with nylon strings. The shuttlecock which is hit is made of goose feathers.
The bottom part of shuttlecock is bit heavier than upper part because it contains cork filled with leather. This game is played in a court which contains a net in the middle. The shuttlecock is hit over the net. If it hits the ground the hitter wins a point. The total point limit is 21. One who scores 21 points first wins the game.
The Player is not allowed to touch shuttlecock and bet when game starts. If the player do so the opponent will earn a point. It is called foul. There is a referee who closely monitor the game. Apart from it there is a other set of referees who examine close calls of game. They inform main judge if any player commits foul which was intentionally or unintentionally neglected by the main referee.
A game completes in two periods. There are 90 seconds in first period while second period of game lasts for five minutes. As a player runs, jumps and hops in the court while playing this game hence it is very important that player must be healthy and active who can move throughout the game. Badminton is the game of stamina and persistence.
Badminton is the only game where one loses the body weight very quickly. Since, it requires lots of stamina and energy, much of the stored calories get burns when you move back and forth to hit the shuttlecock. One who plays badminton, during game his heart rate goes high. The bat of body burns like a fire burn the dry grass.
Badminton is known as the chess of sports because it requires constant concentration, badminton player must be focused. This game sharpens the reflexes of player and heals heart.