What is Badminton?
What is that one gully-sport of India that every other big or small, old or young, women or men just love to play? Well, as one thinks of it, there can be many, including Pithoo, Kho-Kho and Stapu! But in this blog, we will be talking about Badminton!
This might be an outdoor sport for most of us, but as a competitive sport, it is mostly played indoors, inside the court.
1. Badminton is one of those sports which might seem an easy one at first, but as one picks up the racquet to hit the shuttle, then one knows that this game requires excellent strength and precision.
2. Like several other sports, it is believed that Badminton has developed from the ancient cities of India, Greece and China.
3. Nonetheless, modern Badminton can be traced back to circa 1873. It was played in England, at the estate of Beaufort Dukes. This estate was named “Badminton”, from which the game has received its name.
4. The competitive game was played during the middle 1800s, by the British army officers in India. It was named Poona by them.
5. To play this game, one requires a light racquet, a lightweight shuttlecock (usually made of goose feathers or plastic), a grid in between the competitors.
6. Here are the specifications of the court:
- Court (Singles): Rectangle, 13.4m long and 5.2m wide
- Court (Doubles): Rectangle, 13.4m long and 6.1m wide
- Net: 1.5m wide and 1.3m above the ground, set at the centre of the court.
7. In professional play, to earn points, Player A and Player B volley the shuttlecock by hitting it with their racquets, without letting it fall on the ground. The game ends if the shuttle touches the floor or in case found fault by the judges (umpire, opposing side or judge).
8. The Badminton World Federation was established in 1934. It became the governing body for Badminton throughout the world, beginning with 9 nations initially (England, France, Denmark, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada and Ireland). Today 196 countries are part of BWF.
9. There are 5 continental federations under BWF: Badminton Europe, Badminton Asia, Badminton Pan Am, Badminton Confederation of Africa and Badminton Oceania.
10. The game is both physical and mental. One requires excellent physical fitness along with technical knowledge of the racquet movement and deception-skills often to win a match. These are also the benefits of playing Badminton (boosts stamina, flexibility, speed, precision, strength and more).
11. Notable players of Badminton by BWF are mostly Chinese (Hon Aiping, Li Lingwei, Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei). A few others are, Rudy Hartono, Tony Gunawan, Peter Gade and Morten Frost.
12. Some Indian Players of Badminton are Srikanth Kidambi, Saina Nehwal, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, Prannoy Kumar, V. Diju, Jwala Gutta, Prakash Padukone, Ashwini Ponnappa, Aparna Popat, Pullela Gopichand.
13. Prakash Padukone was the first Indian player to win the All England Open Badminton Championship in 1980. He was ranked the World No.1 Player initially, in the same year. The second (and the last) Indian Player was Pullela Gopichand.
Since its entry into the Olympics, Badminton has helped shape the career of many female and male players in India! Thanks to the Badminton Association of India, to recognise the jewels of Badminton Players from the distinguished states and cultures of this diverse country.
We think, one can agree, that Badminton is more than just a competitive sport–it remains a perfect evening workout for all kinds of people!
Blog Edited By Ritika Gupta
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