Badminton

Badminton Study Sheet

Fun Facts
Badminton originally was played without a net with the objective of keeping a rally going as long as possible. Badminton evolved from a childs game in India called battledore and shuttlecock. Shuttlecocks can travel at speeds of up to 200 miles (322 kilometers) per hour. Badminton joined the Olympic Games in 1992. The shuttlecock has been often called a birdie because it is made of feathers.

History
Badminton did not get its name until it was played at Badminton, the country estate of the Duke of Beaufort, in 1893, though different forms of the game were played thousands of years earlier in ancient Greece and China. The game arrived in Britain in the early 1870s thanks to some military officers who served in India and returned home with equipment for a competitive game called poona. The Duke of Beaufort officially introduced the game to his party guests and its popularity grew among the elite who came to call it the Badminton game. By 1896, with more than 14 clubs actively playing badminton, the British standardized its rules. The International Badminton Association is still housed in England.

Skills
Serves (putting the shuttlecock into play): -- Short serveWith racket foot forward, handle and racket head lower than the waist, and a backhand grip, push forearm forward, hyperextending the wrist. -- High serveIn forward stride position (non-racket-foot forward), reach the racket beneath the dropping shuttlecock. Swing so the butt of the racket leads. Finish with a sharp wrist snap. Follow through so the racket comes up across the body and the face is up. Clearing shots (keeping opponents in backcourt): -- Overhead clearGet under the dropping shuttlecock. Bring both arms up so the racket is behind the head and the racket elbow is up. On contact, extend the racket arm quickly, with the racket facing up through most of the swing. Finish with a crisp wrist snap. -- Underhand clearSame instructions as for the high serve. Attacking shot or smash (finishing the point)Prepare as you would for an overhead clear, with both arms up as you position yourself to be slightly in back of the dropping shuttlecock. Make sure to contact the shuttlecock above and in front of your face. Swing and follow through as you would in the overhead clear. This shot cannot be successful from deep in the court because it will not clear the net. Touch shots: -- Overhead drop shotPrepare for overhead clear, arms up, weight on back foot, swing up to contact the shuttlecock above and slightly closer to the net than you. Soften grip on racket on contact, stop the wrist snap, and limit the follow-through so that the racket pushes the shuttlecock just over the net toward the sideline. -- Hairpin shotRun in to return a drop shot. Use an open racket face. Contact with a soft touch, flicking the wrist to make the shot barely clear the net.

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From Isobel Kleinman, 2009, Complete Physical Education Plans for Grades 5 to 12, Second Edition (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).

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Rules
Doubles serving -- The server on the right side begins. -- A server continues his turn of service until put out. -- Server must alternate the box he serves from. -- Serves must pass over the net, beyond the short line, and land on or inside the diagonal service box. -- Both hands have a turn of service (except on the first service of each game). -- The second hand to serve must serve from the box she was in when the serve went to her. Singles serving -- If the score is even (e.g., 0, 2, 4, 6, 8), the server serves from the box on the right. -- If the score is odd (e.g., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9), the server serves from the box on the left.

Scoring
As in volleyball, scoring can follow the side-out scoring system, in which case a team wins a point only when serving, or it can follow the rally scoring system, meaning that the team that wins the rally wins the point. Whoever wins 15 points (side-out system; 21 in rally scoring) wins the game. However, when the score reaches 20all, the team that leads by 2 points first wins the game. If the score gets to be 29all, the winner is the team first scoring 30.

Match Play
The team winning the previous game serves first. The best of three games wins the match.

Positioning Strategies
Up and back (forward and back): The strongest player covers two-thirds of the court, taking a center position two-thirds back from the net. The net player plays a center position in forecourt, on or near where the short line meets the centerline. Side by side (parallel): Each player plays own side of the court, with shots down the center being played by the left-side player, who takes it with her forehand.

From Isobel Kleinman, 2009, Complete Physical Education Plans for Grades 5 to 12, Second Edition (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).

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