Badminton

For many people badminton is the ideal game for the backyard. It does not require as large an area as tennis, and it is a game that young and old can participate in and enjoy. The history of badminton goes back to about 1873, when people played on a variety of courts, with different designs of rackets and shuttlecocks, and with many different rules. Badminton as it is played today began in 1893 with the formation of the badminton association of England. Badminton history recognizes Colonel S.S.C. Dolby as the man who standardized the game.

A badminton court for singles is 17 feet by 44 feet (5.18 m by 13.4 m). A badminton court for doubles is 20 feet by 44 feet (6 m by 13.4 m). Badminton can be played on turf or on a paved surface. Any badminton court should be well drained. The height of the net should be five feet (1.5 m). Badminton rules govern not only the correct procedure of play, but also the dimensions of the court, the types of rackets and shuttlecocks used, and the scoring of points. The rules of badminton for doubles are slightly different from the rules for singles. A player must not touch the net with his or her body or with the racket during play.

A player cannot carry the birdie on the racket, and the birdie must not come to rest on the racket.

Play continues if the birdie hits the net on its way across.

A term of service in badminton is called an inning.

A player cannot reach across the net during play.

Losing a serve is called a side out.

A spin of a racket or a toss of a coin determines who will serve first.

The serve must travel diagonally across the court to be good.

The racket must make contact with the birdie below the waist on a serve.

There are a variety of badminton techniques. Among them are such badminton shots as the forehand clear, the backhand clear, the forehand smash, the backhand smash, the forehand drop, the forearm underarm clear and the backhand block return.