BADMINTON

BACKGROUND
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it
may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one
player per side) and "doubles" (with two players per side). Badminton is often played as a casual
outdoor activity in a yard or on a beach; formal games are played on a rectangular indoor court.
Points are scored by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it within the opposing
side's half of the court. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the
net. Play ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor or if a fault has been called by the
umpire, service judge, or (in their absence) the opposing side.
The game developed in British India from the earlier game of battledore and shuttlecock.
European play came to be dominated by Denmark but the game has become very popular in
Asia, with recent competitions dominated by China. Since 1992, badminton has been
a Summer Olympic sport with four events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, and
women's doubles, with mixed doubles added four years later. At high levels of play, the sport
demands excellent fitness, players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed, and precision.
It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of
sophisticated racquet movements.

HISTORY
Badminton traces its history to a game called George Cajoles, which was played in Pune, India in
the 19th century by the British military officers stationed there. This game was taken by retired
officers back to England where it developed and quickly grew in popularity. 
In 1877, the first set of written rules were arranged by the newly formed Bath Badminton Club.
The All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world,
was held in 1899. Badminton has been an Olympic sport since 1992 Summer
Olympics in Barcelona. Although badminton originated in England, it is mainly played in
countries of Asia such as China, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea that now dominates this
sport. 

EQUIPMENT
 Raquet
 Shuttlecocks
 Net/ court
 Line Courtyard
 Badminton shoes

GOVERNING BODIES
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the internationally recognized governing body of the
sport responsible for conduct of tournaments and approaching fair play. Five regional
confederations are associated with the BWF:

 Asia: Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)

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 Africa: Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA)
 Americas: Badminton Pan Am (North America and South America belong to the same
confederation; BPA)
 Europe: Badminton Europe (BE)
 Oceania: Badminton Oceania (BO)

RULES OF BADMINTON:
The Laws of Badminton and Competition Regulations in the BWF (Badminton World
Federation) Statutes provide the detail on every aspect of the game of badminton.
Below is a brief overview:.
Scoring System
o A match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.
o Every time there is a serve – there is a point scored.
o The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.
o At 20 all, the side which gains a 2 point lead first, wins that game.
o At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point, wins that game.
o The side winning a game serves first in the next game.

Interval and Change of Ends

o When the leading score reaches 11 points, players have a 60 second interval.
o A 2 minute interval between each game is allowed.
o In the third game, players change ends when the leading score reaches 11 points.

Strategy:
To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of strokes in the right situations.
These range from powerful jumping smashes to delicate tumbling net returns. Often rallies finish
with a smash, but setting up the smash requires subtler strokes. For example, a net shot can force
the opponent to lift the shuttlecock, which gives an opportunity to smash. If the net shot is tight
and tumbling, then the opponent's lift will not reach the back of the court, which makes the
subsequent smash much harder to return.
Deception is also important. Expert players prepare for many different strokes that look identical
and use slicing to deceive their opponents about the speed or direction of the stroke. If an
opponent tries to anticipate the stroke, they may move in the wrong direction and may be unable
to change their body momentum in time to reach the shuttlecock.

COMPARISION WITH TENNIS:

Badminton is frequently compared to tennis. The following is a list of manifest differences:
 Scoring: In badminton, a match is played best 2 of 3 games, with each game played up to
21 points. In tennis a match is played best of 3 or 5 sets, each set consisting of 6 games and
each game ends when one player wins 4 points or wins two consecutive points at deuce
points.
 In tennis, the ball may bounce once before the point ends; in badminton, the rally ends
once the shuttlecock touches the floor.

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 In tennis, the server has two chances to hit a serve into the service box; in badminton, the
server is allowed only one attempt.
 A tennis court is approximately twice the length and width of a badminton court.
 Tennis racquets are about four times as heavy as badminton racquets. Tennis balls are
more than eleven times heavier than shuttlecocks.
 Badminton and tennis techniques differ substantially. The lightness of the shuttlecock and
of badminton racquets allow badminton players to make use of the wrist and fingers much
more than tennis players. In tennis, the wrist is normally held stable and playing with a
mobile wrist may lead to injury. For the same reasons, badminton players can generate
power from a short racquet swing. For strokes that require more power, a longer swing will
typically be used, but the badminton racquet swing will rarely be as long as a typical tennis
swing.

BADMINTON IN INDIA AND ORIGIN:

Badminton is a popular sport in India. It is the second most played sport in India after cricket.
Badminton in India is managed by Badminton Association of India.
The game of badminton can be well described to be a descendent of battledore and shuttlecock,
which were played in ancient Greece over 2000 years ago. One of the most popular games since
the medieval era, the modern version of badminton has its roots well laid in India. British Army
officers posted in Pune, India, gave badminton its present form in the 19th century and played it
competitively. As the city of Pune was formerly known as Poona, the game was also became
known as Poona at that time. Once the British mastered the game in India, they took the
equipments with them back to England during the 1870s. Three years later, in 1873, the Duke of
Beaufort hosted a lawn party in his country place called Badminton. The game of Poona was
played on that day and became a popular and entertaining pastime among the British elites.

BADMINTON PLAYERS FROM INDIA

1. Nandu Natekar
The “God of Badminton”, Nandu Natekar was one of the most prominent figures in the history
of Badminton. His career in Badminton lasted for about 15 years, in which he managed to win
over 100 national and international titles. His control and regulation over the game made him the
first-ever Indian to win a title abroad in 1956. In 1961, which proved to be the highlight year for
Nandu Natekar as a badminton player, he received the first Arjuna award that was instituted in
the same year, alongside being voted as the most popular sportsperson of India.
2. Pullela Gopichand
He is not only one of the best Indian Badminton players but is also the coach of the top Indian
Badminton players. He has single-handedly produced few of the most world-class athletes,
including P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal. He manages to contribute towards the sport through
coaching the top and the best badminton players under his wing in Hyderabad. He has won
Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Dronacharya award for his excellency and brilliance in
performance and his contribution as a coach in Badminton.
3. Prakash Padukone
He was ranked world’s No. 1 Badminton player in 1980. His sheer grit and an extreme passion
for the game led him towards the victorious All England Open Badminton Championship in the

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same year itself. In 1972 he was awarded Arjuna Award and ten years later in 1982, he was
awarded Padma Shri. Even after retirement, he continued to devote himself towards the sport
though mentoring budding Indian badminton players through his academy. He is also co-founder
of Olympic Gold Quest, a foundation meant to promote Olympic sports.

4. Jwala Gutta
She with her aggressive style of playing became one of the best Indian Badminton players in the
Doubles category. She started at the age of 17 when she lifted the Junior National Championship.
For seven consecutive years, from 2002-2008, she managed to win the Doubles National title
along with Sruti Kurien.
5. Saina Nehwal
She is one of the most celebrated Badminton players of India. She has contributed immensely
towards the sport in making it more popular amongst the younger generations to follow. She
became the first Indian shuttler to win a medal in Olympics (Bronze) and have won BWF World
Junior Championship. She became the first Indian and the youngest Asian to win 4-star
tournament. She has been awarded Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
6. Aparna Popat
She has a record of holding the maximum number of National Championship which is a total of
9 times between 1997 to 2006. In 1998, she became the first Indian player to win French Open
title. In the same year, she managed to win her Silver in Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.
She has been awarded Arjuna Award for her excellence in the sport.
7. P.V Sindhu
Sindhu became international attention when she managed to break into BWF’s top 20 rankings at
the age of 17. In the consecutive year 2013, she became the first Indian Singles player to win a
medal at Badminton World Championships. In 2015, she was awarded Padma Shri, and in 2016
she became India’s first shuttler to reach final of an Olympics Badminton event alongside being
the youngest Indian as well to finish at a podium in Olympics with a silver medal. In 2017, she
became the first Indian to win the Korea Open. Along with Padma Shri, she has also been
awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and Arjuna Award.
8. Parupalli Kashyap
He made his name through 2012 Men’s Singles at London Olympics where he became the only
Indian male player at the time to reach quarterfinals. In 2018, he won the Austrian Open. He was
awarded Arjuna Award in 2012.
9. Srikanth Kidambi
He became the world No 1 Badminton player in 2018. He was awarded Padma Shri in the same
year for his outstanding achievements and success in a very short period. In 2015, he became the
first Indian male to win Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold and won the Indian Open as well in the
same year. In 2016, he was ranked No. 11 from where he made his way through to world’s No. 1
in just two years. He set a record for entering three Super Series Finals consecutively.

 10. Ashwini Ponnappa

Her iconic partnership with Jwala Gutta led her into being the top Badminton player in the
doubles category. The pair had won many international titles including gold in Commonwealth

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Games and bronze in Uber Cup and Asian Badminton Championship. The duo in 2011, became
the first Indian pair and women to win a medal in BWF World Championships.

Indian players major achievements in nutshell:

Padukone and Gopichand both won the All England Open in 1980 and 2001 respectively,
making them the only Indians to ever win the prestigious title.
Saina Nehwal won the bronze medal in the individual women's competition at the 2012 London
Olympic Games, the first for the country in badminton.
In Rio Olympics 2016, PV Sindhu won the silver medal in the Women's singles.
India has won medals at the BWF World Championships as well, with Padukone winning in
1982. The doubles pairing of Gutta and Ponnappa became the first women to win a medal when
they won the bronze in 2011. P V Sindhu won consecutive bronze medals at 2013 and 2014
editions. Nehwal won a silver at 2015 Championship. Sindhu won silver at 2017 and 2018
consecutive editions. Saina Nehwal won bronze in 2017. Sindhu won Gold at 2019 BWF World
Championships and become First Indian to finish top of the podium. B Sai Praneeth become
medal winner in men's singles after 36 years. He clinched bronze in 2019 edition. India never
returned empty handed in world championship since 2011.

BWF WORLD RANKING

The BWF World Ranking is the official ranking of the Badminton World Federation for
badminton players who participate in tournaments sanctioned by Badminton World Federation. It
is used to determine the qualification for the World Championships and Summer Olympic
Games, as well as BWF World Tour tournaments.  Players under 19 years of age are eligible to
rank in the BWF World Junior Ranking which were introduced in January 2011. The following
lists are the rankings:
BWF World Rankings (March 2020):
Rank Men’s Singles Women’s singles
1 Kento Momota Tai Tzu-ying
2 Chou Tien-chen Chen Yufei
3 Anders Antonsen Akane Yamaguchi
4 Viktor Axelsen Nozomi Okuhara
5 Chen Long Ratchanok Intanon
6 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting Carolina Marín
7 Jonatan Christie P. V. Sindhu
8 Ng Ka Long He Bingjiao
9 Shi Yuqi An Se-young
10 Lee Zii Jia Michelle Li