BADMINTON Grades 8 – 10

Badminton: Objective

The object of Badminton is to hit the shuttlecock (bird) back and forth over a net without permitting it to hit the floor in bounds on your side of the net.

A Brief History of Badminton

Badminton probably originated in India as a grownup's version of a very old children's game known in England as battledore and shuttlecock, the battledore being a paddle and the shuttlecock a small feathered cork, now usually balled a "bird." Played for centuries by children in India, Siam, and Japan, this was a cooperative game in which the players worked together to keep the "bird" in the air for as long as possible.

A net was added and the game had become a competitive sport called " poona" by the 1860s, when British Army officers were playing it in India. Some of them brought equipment back to England and introduced the new sport there during the early 1870s.

It was played at a lawn party held by Duke of Beaufort at his country place, Badminton, in 1873, and it became known as "the Badminton game" among various guests who introduced it to other friends.

The Bath Badminton Club, organized in 1877, developed the first written rules, which have remained essentially the same. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England was founded as the first national governing body and the first All-England championship was held in 1899.

Badminton was invented long ago; its origins date back at least two thousand years to the game of battledore and shuttlecock played in ancient Greece, India and China. A surprisingly long history for one of the Olympics newest sports! Badminton took its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the home of the Duke of Beaufort, where the sport was played in the last century. By coincidence, Gloucestershire is now the base for the International Badminton Federation.

The IBF was founded in 1934 with nine members - Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. The USA joined four years later. Membership grew steadily over the following years with a surge in new members after badminton's Olympic debut at Barcelona. As the sport's development program grows, the current 130 members is expected to increase further.
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 to seven, with the addition of the Uber Cup (ladies' team), World Championships, Sudirman Cup (mixed team), World Juniors, World Grand Prix Finals and the World Cup. The World Cup invitational event started in 1981 and is organized by the International Management Group (IMG). The World Cup series is due to end in 1997 and the IBF is considering organizing exhibition matches featuring the world's top players to replace the World Cup.

IBF's relationship with IMG started with the organization of the World Cup but has developed to include the sale of commercial and television rights at many IBF events. In these days of mass communications, the importance of television to a world sport is self-evident. Television brings the action, the excitement, the explosive power of badminton into homes around the world. It pulls in the crowd to see the action live; it pulls in the big guys in the sponsorship league.

For the recent Thomas & Uber Cups in Hong Kong (16-26 May), the sale of commercial and television rights was a multi-million dollar contract. And it's not just in Asia. In Europe, too, there's a growing number of companies bidding for rights. Television companies world-wide are already buying exclusive rights to the 1997 World Championships, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland.

A watershed in badminton's growth was the $20 million tripartite contract in 1994 for sponsorship of the World Grand Prix Finals. Under the terms of the deal between the IBF, IMG and STAR TV, STAR injects the monies into the promotion and development of badminton. In return STAR gains total exclusivity for the exploitation of the commercial and television rights to the WGP Finals. "The deal was good for both main parties", said David Shaw, IBF's Executive Director, who was brought into the organization with a brief to grow the sport. "We needed a strong partner in television, and the broadcaster had identified badminton as a vehicle which would attract audiences across Asia to its Prime Sports Channel".

The next phase in the rise and rise of international badminton has been to retake the USA. The US was an early member of the IBF and initially one of the most successful. When the Uber Cup was introduced in 1956, Americans won the first three events. But then interest died out.

Badminton is a familiar and well-liked sport in the US, but predominantly is a fun game in the back yard or on the beach. We know that once Americans see the other badminton - international badminton, the world's fastest racket sport - they will want more. The Atlanta Olympics started to raise the sport's profile in the US. The event was a sell-out and became one of the "must-see" sports. Ex-President Jimmy Carter, Chelsea Clinton, Princess Anne and Paul Newman were among the celebrities who came to watch. David Broder of the Washington Post also came. After seeing the men's doubles finals, he reported: "seeing one of the supreme athletic spectacles of my life".

1996 was a landmark in American badminton. It's not only the Atlanta Olympic Games that started to generate massive interest in the American market. In December 1995 the IBF introduced a brand new tournament in California, the Hong Ta Shan Cup; a men's invitational event with top players and big prize money. This year there are plans to add a women's event and to increase the prize money still further - a real Christmas present for players and American spectators. The Hongtashan Group has gone on to sponsor the US Open, increasing the prize money to $200,000 . This makes the event the most valuable World Grand Prix event in the series and gives it six-star status.

The rate of change is increasing. Badminton's debut as an Olympic sport has clearly boosted interest internationally. The STAR TV deal has increased the sport's coverage. Sponsors and television companies are increasingly attracted to a sport which gives them access to the Asian economies. And, spectators are increasingly attracted to the "enthralling mix of angles, tactics, reaction, touch and fitness that would exhaust a squash champion.

Court and Equipment

- Court size for singles - 44 feet long x 17 feet wide

- Court size for doubles - 44 feet long x 20 feet wide

- Net height - 5 feet

- Shuttlecocks - Also known as birdies or birds. One type has feathers with a cork base, and the other is plastic with a rubber base.

- Rackets - Made of lightweight material like wood, plastic or metal.

BADMINTON RULES:

SERVICE RULES:

1.     On first serve only: person in right service box serves to opponent in opponents right service box (cross court). The person being served to is the only player that can play the shuttlecock.

 The first person to serve retains his serve until serve is broken. Server will change service boxes after every successful point. After 1 st server loses his serve, opponents will serve. The first opponent to serve will be the player in the right service box. Both opponents will serve until their serve is broken.

After both opponents have served - serve will go back to the original side and player in the right service box will serve first. (Both players will now get a chance to serve).

 GAME PLAY - Doubles

1.     The first team to score 15 points or 10 minutes of three equal playing periods during class wins. When the score is tied at 13, the first team to reach 13 will set the game at 2 or 5. When game is tied at 14, the first team to reach 14 will set the game at 1 or 3. The first team to reach the decided set points wins.

Singles

The first team to score 7 points or 10 minutes of three equal playing periods during class wins. When the score is tied at 13, the first team to reach 13 will set the game at 2 or 5. When game is tied at 14, the first team to reach 14 will set the game at 1 or 3. The first team to reach the decided set points wins.

 BASIC RULES

1.     Boundary lines are in play.

2.     When the shuttlecock strikes the net, but still lands in the proper service area, the serve is good.

3.     Shuttlecock can only be hit once on each side.

4.     Shuttlecock cannot be struck by one team, while it is still on opponent’s side of the net.

5.     Any contact with the net causes a loss of point or serve.

6.     Score should be called before each serve.

Example: your score, opponent’s score - number of persons that are serving.

SHOTS TO MASTER

1.     High clear
2.     Dink or drop shot
3.     Smash
4.     Serves

   a.      High clear
   b.     Short serve
   c.      Drive serve

When serving Doubles - use the short serve. When serving Singles - use the long serve.

 SAFETY RULES:

1. Students should warm-up and stretch prior to activity.

2. Students should use proper safety precautions when handling equipment

3. If common boundaries are used, caution should be exercised.

4. Cooperation and communication between partners is essential for proper play and safety.

BADMINTON RULES

BEFORE GAME: Spin racket or toss coin. Winner has choice of: a) side; b) serve

GAME AND MATCH : a) singles: 11 points

b)     doubles: 15 points

c)     match: 2 out of 3

SCORING:

a.      Server only may score. She continues serving until rally is lost.

b.     When server loses rally, side out is called and server now becomes receiver. No points are scored on side out.

c.      “Setting” is an extension of the game. When the score is tied (9-9, 10-10 for singles; 13-13, 14-14 for doubles) the side receiving the tying score first has the choice of continuing the game or setting to 5 points (13-13), 3 points (14-14, 9-9), and 2 points (10-10).

d.     If the game is set, the game continues as before. The score becomes 0-0, and the first side reaching the “set” score wins the game.

SERVING ORDER:

a.      Singles: The server serves from the right service court to the diagonal right service court the first time she served and therefore, when her own score is even. She serves from the left service court when the score is odd.

b.     Doubles:

1.     On the first service, only the right side player has the service. After that, each partner has a service before side out is called.

2.     The player serving continues to serve, alternating service courts for each serve until the serve is lost.

3.     During each serve, the players should be in the service court they were in when their score was even.

4.     After side out is called, the serving side becomes the receiving side. The new serving side starts service from the right side.

THE RALLY MAY BE LOST IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

a. On the service:

1.     If the server’s racket head is above his/her waist or hand at the time the bird is hit.

2.     If either of the server’s or receiver’s feet touch the line during the serve.

3.     If some part of each foot of both server and receiver does not remain in contact with the floor.

4.     If the server feints or balks.

5.     If the bird served is hit into the net or outside the intended service court.

6.     If the receiver’s partner returns the bird, the server wins the point.

b. During the rally:

1.     If the bird is hit into the net, under the net, into the wall, roof, or other permanent fixture, outside the boundary line.

2.     If the bird hits your person or clothes.

3.     If a player hits the net with her body or anything she wears or carries.

4.     If a player contacts the bird before it crossed the net.

5.     If the bird rests momentarily on the strings and is slung or carried.

6.     If a player hits the bird twice before it crosses the net, or if the rackets of teammates contact the bird before it crosses the net.

7.     If a player obstructs an opponent. It is obstruction to step into an opponent’s court.

8.     If a player serves or receives out of turn and her side loses the rally. If her side wins and the mistake is discovered, that point is replayed.