Badminton: History, Rules, Techniques, and Training

Posted on Jan 28, 2025 in Physical Education

Badminton: A Comprehensive Overview

Historical Background

The origins of badminton can be traced back to China and a game called peteca. The first reliable records link it to poona, a game played by British soldiers in India. They introduced it to Great Britain in 1873. Soldiers used a shuttlecock made from a champagne cork and feathers to entertain themselves at Badminton House in England. The first rules of badminton were established in 1877. Later, the Badminton Association of England was founded in 1893, and the Badminton World Federation in 1934. Badminton was introduced to Spain via Galicia and became an Olympic sport at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992.

Rules of Badminton

  • Objective: To make the shuttlecock touch the floor of the opponent’s court or to prevent the opponent from returning it.
  • Playing Area: The court has different areas for singles and doubles, marked by lines.
  • Equipment: A racquet and a shuttlecock are required.
  • Duration: There is no specific time limit. The winner is the player who wins the best of 3 games.
  • Scoring:
    • If there’s a tie at 20 points, the first player to get 2 points ahead wins the game.
    • If there’s a tie at 29 points, the first player to reach 30 points wins.
  • The winner of a game serves in the following game.
  • If the server wins the first point, they add one point.
  • Singles matches start with a serve from the right service court to the diagonally opposite service court.
  • Players have one serve per point, and if they win, they continue serving but change the service court.
  • When the score is even, the serve is taken from the right or from the left.

Faults

  • Serving overhand, or if the handle of the racquet is higher than the hand holding it when the shuttlecock is hit.
  • If the shuttlecock is served and falls outside of the corresponding service court.
  • If the server, or their partner, is not positioned in their court.

Technical Moves and Tactics

Technical Moves

  • How to hold the racquet: Hold it firmly, but without gripping it hard, until you receive the shuttlecock.
  • Basic strokes: The power in a stroke comes from a rotating movement in the forearm, which gives the shuttlecock speed. There are five strokes:
    • Clear: The shuttlecock is hit from the back of the court to the back of the opposing court.
    • Drop: A shot in which the shuttlecock falls near the opposing court.
    • Lob: A stroke used near the net, in which the shuttlecock is hit high and to the back of the opponent’s court.
    • Drive: A long, horizontal stroke.
    • Smash: A fast shot used to try to win the point.
  • Basic position: Badminton is a very fast game, so you have to recover your position quickly.
  • Serve: Is a defensive action because the rules state that at the moment the shuttlecock is hit, the head of the racquet must be below waist level.

Tactical Moves

In doubles, it’s essential to know your partner very well.

Playing Systems

  • Front-back: One player stands near the net, and the other stands in the back court. The front player has to be very skillful and good at defending. The back player has to be powerful and a good attacker.
  • Side-side: The two players stand parallel to one another, and each one covers half of the court. This is a defensive system.
  • Mixed: A combination of the front-back and side-side systems. The front-back is used to attack, and the side-side is used to defend.

Training

To play badminton correctly, you must train and maintain a good level of concentration. If you lose your concentration, you will reduce your performance.

Exercises to Improve Your Badminton

Movement on the court: One player stands between two cones, which are six meters apart from one another. Players must be behind each cone and take it in turns to hit the shuttlecock to the central player.