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Badminton

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Sports

   The Danish Olympic badminton player Peter Gade
   Enlarge
   The Danish Olympic badminton player Peter Gade

   Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players
   (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles). The players or pairs take
   positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by
   a net.

   Unlike many racquet sports, badminton does not use a ball: badminton
   uses a feathered projectile known as a shuttlecock. Since the
   shuttlecock is strongly affected by wind, competitive badminton is
   always played indoors.

General Description

   The players strike the shuttlecock with their rackets so that it passes
   over the net and into the opponents' half of the court. The rally ends
   once the shuttlecock touches the ground: every stroke must be played as
   a volley. In doubles, either player of a pair may hit the shuttlecock
   (except on service), but only a single stroke is allowed before the
   shuttlecock passes again into the opponents' court. Players are awarded
   a point if the shuttlecock lands on or within the marked boundary of
   their opponents' court, or if their opponent's stroke fails to pass the
   net or lands outside the court boundary.

   A rally begins with the service, in which the serving player must
   strike the shuttlecock so that, if left, it would land in the
   diagonally opposite service court. In doubles, only one player, the
   receiver, may return the service (thereafter either player may hit the
   shuttlecock); the order of doubles service is determined by the Laws,
   which ensure that all the players shall serve and receive in turn. If
   the server wins the rally, he will continue serving; if he loses the
   rally, the serve will pass to his opponent. In either case, the winner
   will add a point to his score.

   A match consists of three games; to win each game players must score 21
   points (exceptions noted below). There are five events: men's singles,
   women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles
   (each pair is a man and a woman).

History and development

   Battledore and Shuttlecock, an antecedent to the modern game of
   Badminton. 1854, from the John Leech Archive
   Enlarge
   Battledore and Shuttlecock, an antecedent to the modern game of
   Badminton. 1854, from the John Leech Archive

   Badminton is widely believed to have originated in ancient Greece about
   2000 years ago. From there it spread via the Indo-Greek kingdoms to
   Indian and then further east to China and Siam (now Thailand).

   In England since medieval times a children's game called Battledore and
   Shuttlecock was popular. Children would use paddles (Battledores) and
   work together to keep the Shuttlecock up in the air and prevent it from
   reaching the ground. It was popular enough to be a nuisance on the
   street of London in 1854 when the magazine Punch published a cartoon
   depicting it.

   In the 1860s, British Army officers in Pune, India, began playing the
   game of Battledore and Shuttlecock, but they added a competitive
   element by including a net. As the city of Pune was formerly known as
   Poona, the game was known as Poona at that time.

   About this same time, the Duke of Beaufort was entertaining soldiers at
   his estate called " Badminton House", where the soldiers played Poona.
   The Duke of Beaufort’s non-military guests began referring to the game
   as "the badminton game", and thus the game became known as "badminton".

   In 1877, the first badminton club in the world, Bath Badminton Club,
   transcribed the rules of badminton for the first time. However, in
   1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first proper
   set of rules, similar to that of today, and officially launched
   badminton in a house called 'Dunbar' at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth,
   England on September 13 of that year. They also started the All England
   Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the
   world, in 1899.

   The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was established in 1934
   with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New
   Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as
   an affiliate in 1936. The IBF now governs international badminton and
   develops the sport globally.

Scoring system development

   In the traditional scoring system, games were played to 15 points,
   except for women's singles which was played up to 11. A match was
   decided by the best of three games. Only the serving players were able
   to score a point. In doubles, both players of a pair would serve before
   the service returned to the other side: in order to regain the service,
   the receiving pair had to win two rallies (not necessarily
   consecutively).

   In 1992, the IBF introduced new rules: setting at 13-all and 14-all.
   This meant that if the players were tied at 13-13 or 14-14 (9-9 or
   10-10 for women's singles), the player who had first reached that score
   could decide elect to set and play to 17 (or to 13 for women's
   singles).

   In 2002 the IBF, concerned with the unpredictable and often lengthy
   time required for matches, decided to experiment with a different
   scoring system to improve the commercial and especially the
   broadcasting appeal of the sport. The new scoring system shortened
   games to 7 points and decided matches by the best of 5 games. When the
   score reached 6-6, the player who first reached 6 could elect to set to
   8 points.

   Yet the match time remained an issue, since the playing time for the
   two scoring systems was similar. This experiment was abandoned and
   replaced by a modified version of the traditional scoring system. The
   2002 Commonwealth Games is the last event used this scoring system.

   In December 2005 the IBF experimented again with the scoring system,
   intending both to regulate the playing time and to simplify the system
   for television viewers. The main change from the traditional system was
   to adopt rally point scoring, in which the winner of a rally scores a
   point regardless of who served; games were lengthened to 21 points.
   However, the new scoring system makes the game duration significantly
   shorter. The experiment ended in May 2006, and the IBF ruled that the
   new scoring system would be adopted from August 2006 onwards. This
   scoring system is described in full in Scoring system and service,
   below.

Laws of the Game

   The following information is a simplified summary of the Laws, not a
   complete reproduction. The definitive source of the Laws is the IBF
   Laws publication, although the digital distribution of the Laws
   contains poor reproductions of the diagrams.

Playing court dimensions

   Badminton court, isometric view
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   Badminton court, isometric view

   The court is rectangular and divided into halves by a net. Courts are
   almost always marked for both singles and doubles play, although the
   laws permit a court to be marked for singles only. The doubles court is
   wider than the singles court, but the doubles service court is shorter
   than the singles service court.

   The full width of the court is 6.1 metres, and in singles this width is
   reduced to 5.18 metres. The full length of the court is 13.4 metres.
   The service courts are marked by a centre line dividing the width of
   the court, by a short service line at a distance of 1.98 metres from
   the net, and by the outer side and back boundaries. In doubles, the
   service court is also marked by a long service line, which is 0.78
   metres from the back boundary.

   The net is 1.55 metres (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and 1.524 metres
   (5 ft) high in the centre. The net posts are placed over the doubles
   side lines, even when singles is played.

   Surprisingly, there is no mention in the Laws of a minimum height for
   the ceiling above the court. Nonetheless, a badminton court will not be
   suitable if the ceiling is likely to be hit on a high serve.

Equipment laws

   The Laws specify which equipment may be used. In particular, the Laws
   restrict the design and size of rackets and shuttlecocks. The Laws also
   provide for testing a shuttlecock for the correct speed:

   3.1
          To test a shuttle, use a full underhand stroke which makes
          contact with the shuttle over the back boundary line. The
          shuttle shall be hit at an upward angle and in a direction
          parallel to the side lines.

   3.2
          A shuttle of the correct speed will land not less than 530 mm
          and not more than 990 mm short of the other back boundary
          line....

Scoring system and service

   A point shall be added to a player's score whenever he wins a rally.

   A match consists of the best of three games; a game is won by the first
   player to score 21 points, except if the score reaches 20 points each;
   in this case, play shall continue until one player either achieves a
   two point lead (such as 24-22), or his score reaches 30 (the score
   shall not extend beyond 30: 30-29 is a winning score).

   At the start of a match a coin toss is conducted between the players or
   pairs. The winners of the coin toss may make one of two choices: they
   may choose whether to serve or receive first, or they may choose which
   end of the court they wish to occupy. After they have made this choice,
   their opponents shall exercise the remaining choice. In less formal
   settings, the coin toss is often replaced by hitting a shuttle into the
   air: whichever side it points to shall serve first.

   In subsequent games, the winners of the previous game shall serve
   first. For the first rally of any doubles game, the serving pair may
   decide who serves and the receiving pair may decide who receives. The
   players shall change ends at the start of the second game; if the match
   proceeds to a third game, the players shall change ends both at the
   start of the game and when the leading pair's score reaches 11 points.

   In singles, the server shall stand in his right service court when his
   score is even, and in his left service court when his score is odd; his
   opponent shall stand in the diagonally opposite service court.

   In doubles, the players shall remember their service positions from the
   previous rally; the receivers shall remain in the same service courts.
   When a receiving pair wins a point and thereby regains the service,
   they shall not change their service court positions. If their new score
   is even, then the player in the right service court shall serve; if
   their new score is odd, then the player in the left service court shall
   serve. Thereafter, if they continue to win points, the server shall
   alternate between the service courts, so that he serves to each
   receiver in turn.

   There are several notable consequences of this system. First, rally
   point scoring ensures that the start of the game is fairer than under
   the older scoring system; without rally point scoring, serving at the
   start of the game is a significant advantage. Second, there is no
   "second server", unlike under the older scoring system. Third, each
   time a pair regains the service, the service court laws ensure that the
   server shall be the player who did not serve last.

   The server and receiver must remain within their service courts, so
   that their feet do not touch the boundary lines, until the server
   strikes the shuttle. The other two players may stand wherever they
   wish, so long as they do not unsight the opposing server or receiver.

Faults

   Players win a rally by striking the shuttle onto the floor within the
   boundaries of their opponents' court. Players also win a rally if their
   opponents commit a fault. The most common fault in badminton is when
   the players fail to return the shuttle so that it passes over the net
   and lands inside their opponents' court, but there are also other ways
   that players may be faulted. The following information lists some of
   the more common faults.

   Several faults pertain specifically to service. A serving player shall
   be faulted if he strikes the shuttle from above his waist (defined as
   his lowest rib), or if his racket is not pointing downwards at the
   moment of impact. This particular law changed in 2006: previously, the
   server's racket had to be pointing downwards to the extent that the
   racket head was below the hand holding the racket; now, any angle below
   the horizontal is acceptable.

   Neither the server nor the receiver may lift a foot until the shuttle
   has been struck by the server. The server must also initially hit the
   base (cork) of the shuttle, although he may afterwards also hit the
   feathers as part of the same stroke. This law was introduced to ban an
   extremely effective service style known as the S-serve or Sidek serve,
   which allowed the server to make the shuttle spin chaotically in
   flight.

   Each side may only strike the shuttle once before it passes back over
   the net; but during a single stroke movement, a player may contact a
   shuttle twice (this happens in some sliced shots). A player may not,
   however, hit the shuttle once and then hit it with a new movement, nor
   may he carry and sling the shuttle on his racket.

   It is a fault if the shuttle hits the ceiling.

Lets

   If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to
   the score. Lets may occur due to some unexpected disturbance such as a
   shuttle landing on court (having being hit there by players on an
   adjacent court).

   If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let shall
   be called; yet if the receiver makes any attempt to return the shuttle,
   he shall be judged to have been ready.

   There is no let if the shuttle hits the tape (even on service).

Equipment

   Badminton racquets
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   Badminton racquets

   Racquet: A racquet is a vital piece of equipment in badminton.
   Traditionally racquets were made of wood. Later on, aluminium or other
   light metals became the material of choice. Badminton racquets are
   composed of carbon fibre composite ( graphite reinforced plastic), with
   titanium composites ( nanocarbon) added as extra ingredients. Carbon
   fibre has an excellent strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives
   excellent kinetic energy transfer. They are two types of racquet:
   isometric (square) and oval. Racquets normally weigh between 80-95 g
   but weight differs between manufacturers, as it can affect how fast the
   racquet can swing.

   Grip: Grip is the interface between the player's hand and the racquet.
   Type, size and thickness are three characteristics that affect the
   choice of grip. There are two types of grips: synthetic and towel.
   Synthetic grips are less messy and provide excellent friction. Towel
   grips are usually preferred as they are usually more comfortable and
   absorbent of sweat. Both have disadvantages as synthetic grips can
   deteriorate if too much sweat is absorbed and towel grips need to be
   changed often.

   String: Perhaps one of the most overlooked areas of badminton equipment
   is the string. Different types of string have different response
   properties. Durability generally varies with performance. Most strings
   are 21 gauge in thickness and strung at 18 to 30 lbf (80 to 130
   newtons) of tension. Racquets strung at lower tensions (18 to 21 lbf or
   80 to 95 N) generate greater power while racquets strung at higher
   tensions provide greater control (21 lbf, over 95 N). Simply, a higher
   tension rewards hard hitting, while it robs power from a light hitter.
   Conversely, a lower tensioned string helps light hitter with a better
   timed trampoline effect.
   Shuttlecocks with feather skirts
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   Shuttlecocks with feather skirts
   A shuttlecock with a plastic skirt
   Enlarge
   A shuttlecock with a plastic skirt

   Shuttlecock: A shuttlecock has an open conical shape, with a rounded
   head at the apex of the cone, they are made of cork and overlapped by
   sixteen goose feathers. There are different speeds and weights, but for
   easy classification, 75 is regarded as slow and 79 is the fastest
   shuttlecock. The feather shuttle is fairly brittle and thus for
   economical reasons this has been replaced by the use of a plastic
   (usually nylon) or rubber head and a plastic (usually nylon) skirt for
   practice use.

   Shoes: Because acceleration across the court is so important, players
   need excellent grip with the floor at all times. Badminton shoes need
   gummy soles for good grip, reinforced side walls ( lateral support) for
   durability during drags, and shock dispersion technology for jumping;
   badminton places a lot of stress on the knees and ankles. Like most
   sports shoes, they are also light weight. They have a thin but well
   supported sole with good lateral support to keep the player’s feet
   close to the ground, allowing for speed and ankle bending directional
   changes with lower chance of injury; light weight for faster foot
   movement.

Basic strokes

   There are many strokes in badminton; below is a list of basic strokes,
   which is divided into strokes played from the forecourt, midcourt, and
   rearcourt (the forecourt is the part of the court near the net, the
   rearcourt is the part of the court farthest away from the net, and the
   midcourt is the area in between them).

   This list does not include every possible stroke, but only the strokes
   that are commonly played from that part of the court. The descriptions
   also assume that the players are of a very high standard and are making
   sensible choices of strokes.

Strokes played from the forecourt

     *

        Serve
                The serve begins a rally. Serves are subject to several
                service laws that limit the attacking potential for
                service. The overall effect of these laws is that the
                server must hit in an upwards direction; "tennis serves"
                are prohibited. The serve is always cross court
                (diagonal).

              Low serve

                The low serve travels into the receiver's forecourt, to
                fall on or just after the opponents short service line.
                Low serves must travel as close to the net tape as
                possible, or they will be attacked fiercely. In doubles,
                the straight low serve is the most frequently used service
                variation.

              High serve

                The high serve is hit very high, so that the shuttle falls
                vertically at the back of the receiver's service court.
                The high serve is never used in doubles, but is common in
                singles.

              Flick serve

                Although the flick serve is hit upwards, the trajectory is
                much shallower than the high serve.

              Drive serve

                Drive serves are hit flat to the back of the receiver's
                service court. The drive serve is almost never used in
                elite games, because it relies on the receiver being
                unprepared. If the receiver reacts well, then the drive
                serve will be severely punished.

     *

        Netshot
                A netshot is played into the opponent's forecourt, as
                close to the net as possible.

     *

        Net kill
                The net kill is a shot which aims to kill the shuttle into
                the floor very close to the opponent's side of the net.
                The trajectory is almost vertical. It is commonly used to
                punish a poor low serve. The net kill is executed with a
                sudden, powerful 'tapping' motion produced by the wrist.
                This technique helps to eliminate the danger of hitting
                the net.

     *

        Long kill
                The long kill is a net kill that is not so steep and
                therefore travels towards the rearcourt. A long kill is
                only used if a steeper kill cannot be played. It is
                similar to a net drive, but much more aggressive. The long
                kill can be played when returning a poor low serve.

     *

        Net drive, net push, net lift
                These strokes are all the same as their midcourt
                counterparts, which are described below.

Strokes played from the midcourt

   With the exception of the smash, all midcourt strokes are played with
   the shuttle either near the ground, or about net height, or slightly
   higher than net height. If the shuttle is ever high in the midcourt, a
   powerful smash will be played to finish the rally.
     *

        Drive
                A drive is played when the shuttle is near net height, at
                the side of the player's body. Drives pass with pace into
                the opponent's midcourt or rearcourt. Although drives are
                played with pace, very high shuttle speed is not desirable
                because the shuttle will go out at the back. The
                trajectory of a drive is approximately flat.

              Half-court drive

                A drive played from in front of the body, usually hitting
                the shuttle from nearer the net than an ordinary drive.

     *

        Push
                A push is played from the same situation as a drive, but
                played softly into the opponent's forecourt or front
                midcourt.

              Half-court push

                A push played from in front of the body, usually hitting
                the shuttle from nearer the net than an ordinary push.

     *

        Lift
                A lift is played upwards to the back of the opponent's
                court. Midcourt lifts are most commonly played in response
                to a smash or well-placed push.

              Defensive lift

                A lift that is hit very high, so that the player gains
                time for recovery to a good base position. Defensive
                lifts, because of the flight characteristics of a
                shuttlecock, force the opponent to hit from the extreme
                back of the court.

              Attacking lift

                A lift that is hit more shallowly, so that the opponent is
                forced to move very quickly to prevent the shuttle from
                travelling behind him. Attacking lifts, because of the
                flight characteristics of a shuttlecock, may be
                intercepted slightly earlier than defensive lifts.

     *

        Smash
                See the smash entry under rearcourt strokes, below. A
                midcourt smash is especially devastating.

Strokes played from the rearcourt

   In the rearcourt, most strokes are played overhead. If the shuttle has
   dropped low in a player's rearcourt, so that he is unable to play an
   overhead stroke, then he is at a great disadvantage and is likely to
   lose the rally. The following strokes are all played from overhead:
     *

        Clear
                A clear travels high and to the back of the opponent's
                rearcourt.

              Defensive clear

                A clear that is hit very high, so that the player gains
                time for recovery to a good base position. Defensive
                clears, because of the flight characteristics of a
                shuttlecock, force the opponent to hit from the extreme
                back of the court.

              Attacking clear

                A clear that is hit more shallowly, so that the opponent
                is forced to move very quickly to prevent the shuttle from
                travelling behind him. Attacking clears, because of the
                flight characteristics of a shuttlecock, may be
                intercepted slightly earlier than defensive clears.

     *

        Smash
                A smash is a powerful stroke, played so that the shuttle
                travels steeply downwards at great speed into the
                opponent's midcourt.

              Jump smash

                A smash where the player jumps for height. The aim of a
                jump smash is to hit the smash at a steeper angle. Jump
                smashes are most common in men's doubles.

     *

        Dropshot
                A dropshot is played downwards into the opponent's
                forecourt. Dropshots are usually disguised as smashes or
                clears, so that the opponent cannot anticipate the
                dropshot.

Advanced strokes

   Francesca Setiadi, Canada, flies high at the Golden Gate Open in San
   Francisco, 2006
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   Francesca Setiadi, Canada, flies high at the Golden Gate Open in San
   Francisco, 2006

   Advanced strokes are typically variations on a basic stroke. Often the
   purpose of an advanced stroke is to deceive the opponent, but advanced
   strokes may also be used to manipulate the flight path of the
   shuttlecock by introducing spin. Spin may cause the shuttlecock to
   follow a curved path and to dip more steeply as it falls.

   A common technique for advanced strokes is slicing, where the shuttle
   is hit with an angled racket face. Often players brush the racket face
   around the shuttlecock to achieve more spin from their slice. Slices
   can be used to deceive opponents about the direction in which the
   player is going to hit the shuttle, and to make apparently powerful
   strokes that travel slowly (a dropshot may be disguised as a smash).

   The lightness of modern rackets allows good players to play many
   strokes with a short swing. This skill provides opportunities for
   deception, because the player may pretend to play a soft stroke (such
   as a netshot), but then accelerate the racket at the last moment to
   play a more powerful stroke (such as a lift). This form of deception
   may also be reversed: players may pretend to play a powerful stoke, but
   then decelerate the racket at the last moment to play a soft stroke. In
   general, the former type of deception is more common towards the front
   of the court, whereas the latter type of deception is more common
   towards the back of the court.

   Another technique for deception is double motion. In this technique,
   the player will make an initial motion towards the shuttlecock and then
   quickly withdraw the racket to hit the shuttlecock in a different
   direction. The aim is to show the opponent one direction but then
   quickly place the shuttlecock elsewhere. Some players may even use
   triple motion, although this is much rarer.

   The following lists are not comprehensive; the scope for advanced
   strokes in badminton is large, in particular for deceptive strokes.

Sliced strokes

     *

        Sliced dropshot
                A sliced dropshot allows the player to deceive his
                opponent about both the power and direction of the stroke.
                For example, the opponent may expect a straight clear or
                smash, but receive a crosscourt dropshot instead. Slicing
                the shuttlecock heavily will cause it to follow a curved
                path and dip more sharply as it crosses the net. There are
                two types of sliced dropshots - the normal slice and the
                reverse slice. The normal slice is played so that the
                shuttle goes left while the receiver thinks it goes right,
                however the reverse slice requires more of a brushing
                motion in order to slice the shuttle to the right while
                the opponent thinks the drop is being played to the left.

     *

        Sliced smash
                A sliced smash allows the player to deceive his opponent
                about the direction of his smash. Slicing a smash also
                allows players to hit in directions that they might
                otherwise find impossible given their body position on the
                court.

     *

        Spinning netshot (also called a tumbling netshot)
                Slicing underneath the shuttlecock allows the player to
                spin the shuttlecock so that it turns over itself several
                times as it crosses the net. The opponent will be
                unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has
                corrected its flight. The spin also makes the shuttlecock
                fall tighter to the net.

     *

        Sliced low serves
                Slicing the low serve may be used both for the straight
                low serve and for the wide low serve to the left side
                lines (for a righthander).

              Sliced straight low serve

                The purpose of slicing this serve is to not to change the
                direction, but to make the shuttle dip more steeply as it
                passes the net. The slicing may also cause the shuttle to
                wobble or shake in the air (introducing precession to the
                shuttle's flight), making it harder for the receiver to
                time and control his reply.

              Sliced wide low serve

                The purpose of slicing this serve is to deceive the
                opponent into believing that a straight serve, either low
                or flicked, is being played. For a righthander, the racket
                head will move at least slightly from left to right, but
                the shuttlecock will be sent to the left.

Deceptive strokes from the net

     *

        Deceptive lift (hold and flick)
                The player holds the racket ready for a netshot, but at
                the last moment flicks the shuttlecock to the rearcout
                instead. This is mainly used in singles.

     *

        Deceptive crosscourt netshot (breaking the wrist)
                The player holds the racket ready for a straight netshot,
                but at the last moment turns the racket face sideways to
                play the shuttle across the net instead. This is so called
                since the action required to perform this manoeuvre looks
                as if the wrist has been twisted badly in the opposite
                direction to the original movement; hence the name -
                breaking the wrist.

     *

        Racket head fakes
                The player begins a stroke from the net in one direction,
                but then slightly alters the direction by rotating the
                racket head during the hitting. This can be used to make
                it harder for opponents to return net drives and pushes. A
                more pronounced racket head fake may be produced by using
                double motion, but this requires that the player have more
                time to perform the lengthier deception.

Specialised net kill techniques

     *

        Short-action net kill
                This is a technique for killing shuttecocks that are close
                to the net tape. The player uses a very short forwards
                tapping motion to avoid hitting the net tape (which is a
                fault). The tapping action makes use of sudden tightening
                of the fingers to create power.

     *

        Brush net kill
                This is a more difficult technique for killing
                shuttlecocks that are extremely close to the net tape. The
                player swipes the racket nearly parallel to the tape
                instead of hitting forwards. With a slight turning of the
                racket face during the swipe, the shuttlecock may be
                struck steeply downwards and in the direction of the
                swipe. For both forehand and backhand brush net kills, the
                swiping action is inwards to the centre.

Strategy

   To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of strokes
   in the right situations. These range from extraordinarily powerful
   jumping smashes to soft, delicate tumbling net returns. The smash is a
   powerful overhead stroke played steeply downwards into the middle or
   rear of the opponents' court; it is similar to a tennis serve, but much
   faster: the shuttlecock can travel at 300 km/h (186 mph). This is a
   very effective stroke, and pleases the crowds, but smashing is only one
   part of the game. Often rallies finish with a smash, but setting up the
   smash requires subtler strokes. For example, a netshot can force the
   opponent to lift the shuttle, which gives an opportunity to smash. If
   the netshot 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 make the preparation for
   many different strokes look identical, so that their opponents cannot
   guess which stroke will be played. For many strokes, the shuttlecock
   can be sliced to change its direction; this allows a player to move his
   racket in a different direction to the trajectory of the shuttlecock.
   If an opponent tries to anticipate the stroke, he will move in the
   wrong direction and may be unable to change his body momentum in time
   to reach the shuttlecock. In badminton you use your wrist a lot and
   pressing of fingers to a full-body smashes and clears.

   Doubles: In doubles, each side has two players. Both sides will try to
   gain and maintain the attack, hitting downwards as much as possible.
   Usually one player will strive to stay at the back of the court and the
   other at the front, which is an optimal attacking position: the back
   player will smash and occasionally drop the shuttlecock to the net, and
   the front player will try to intercept any flat returns or returns to
   the net. Typical play involves hitting the shuttle in a trajectory as
   low and flat as possible, to avoid giving away the attack. A side that
   hits a high shot must prepare for a smash and retreat to a side-by-side
   defensive position, with each player covering half of the court. The
   first serve is usually a low serve to force the other side to lift the
   shuttle. A "flick serve", in which the player will pretend to serve low
   but hit it high to catch the receiver off-guard, is sporadically used
   throughout the game. Doubles is a game of speed, aggression, and
   agility.
   A mixed doubles game. Scottish Schools mixed doubles under 12s
   tournament - Tranent (near Edinburgh), May 2002
   Enlarge
   A mixed doubles game. Scottish Schools mixed doubles under 12s
   tournament - Tranent (near Edinburgh), May 2002

   Singles: Players will serve high to the far back end of the court,
   although at the international level low serves are now frequently used
   as well. The singles court is narrower than the doubles court, but the
   same length. Since one person needs to cover the entire court, singles
   tactics are based on forcing the opponent to move as much as possible;
   this means that singles shots are normally directed to the corners of
   the court. The depth of the court is exploited by combining clears
   (high shots to the back) with drops (soft downwards shots to the
   front). Smashing is less prominent in singles than in doubles because
   players are rarely in the ideal position to execute a smash, and
   smashing out of position leaves the smasher very vulnerable if the shot
   is returned. At high levels of play, singles demands extraordinary
   fitness. It is a game of patient tactical play, unlike the all-out
   aggression of doubles.

   Mixed doubles: In this discipline, a man and a woman play as a doubles
   pair. Mixed doubles is similar to "level" doubles where pairs are of
   the same gender. In mixed doubles, both pairs try to maintain an
   attacking formation with the woman at the front and the man at the
   back. This is because the male players are substantially stronger, and
   can therefore produce more powerful smashes. As a result, mixed doubles
   requires greater tactical awareness and subtler positional play. Clever
   opponents will try to reverse the ideal position, by forcing the woman
   towards the back or the man towards the front. In order to protect
   against this danger, mixed players must be careful and systematic in
   their shot selection.

Governing bodies

   The International Badminton Federation (IBF) is the internationally
   recognised governing body of the sport. The IBF headquarters are
   currently located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

   Five regional confederations are associated with the IBF:
     * Asia: Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC)
     * Africa: Africa Badminton Federation (ABF)
     * Americas: Pan American Badminton Confederation (North America and
       South America belong to the same confederation; PABC)
     * Europe: European Badminton Union (EBU)
     * Oceania: Oceania Badminton Confederation (OBC)

Competitions

   a men's double match
   Enlarge
   a men's double match

   There are several international competitions organized by the IBF. The
   Thomas Cup, a men's event, and the Uber Cup, a women's event, are the
   most important ones. The competitions take place once in two years.
   More than 50 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within
   the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The
   final tournament now involves 12 teams after an increase in 2004 (8
   teams).

   The Sudirman Cup is a mixed team event which is hosted once in two
   years starting from 1989. It is divide into seven group based on the
   performance of each country. Only the group that comes out best can win
   the event. The goal of the competition is to see the balance between
   the performances of men's badminton and women's badminton. Like soccer,
   it features the promotion and relegation system in every group.

   In the individual competitions, badminton became a Summer Olympics
   sport at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Before that, it was a
   demonstration event in the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Only the 32
   best badminton players in the world can participate in the competition
   based on their IBF ranking and each country can only submit three
   players to take part. The IBF World Championships is another event for
   players to show their true abilities. Only the best 64 players in the
   world, and a maximum of 3 from each country, can participate in any
   category. All these competitions are graded 7-star tournaments as well
   as the World Junior Championships.

   In the regional events of each continent, mainly the competitions in
   Asia and Europe are gaining attention by the media because of the
   world's highest ranked players are participating in these continents.
   The Asian Badminton Championships (open for Asia players) and the
   European Badminton Championships (open for European players) are the
   two major regional events in the world.

   As of the start of 2007, the IBF introduces the New Tournament
   Structure, known as Super Series. The 6-star tournament (level 2) will
   play in 12 countries with a minimum prize of USD$200,000 ( All-England,
   China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea,
   Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland). The participants limited to 32
   players form previous 64. The players have to collect the points in
   ability to play in season-ending masters event, aas well as in China
   with a grand prize of USD$500,000.

   With the introduction of the Super Series, IBF also standardized all
   the badminton events that start in 2007. The Grand Prix Gold open
   tournament (level 3, 4-star) will be offering USD$125,000 in prize
   money. 10 countries will be selected to organise a tournament in this
   event. The Grand Prix Gold event will combine with Grand Prix event
   (3-star), which offer the prize money of USD$50,000.

   The fourth level event (A-star), known as International Challenge,
   offers USD$15,000. The International Series, offer USD$5,000, as the
   competition tries to gather more junior players into the tournament.
   The 28 and 55 tournaments are scheduled for both events respectively.

Records

   The most powerful stroke in badminton is the smash, which is hit
   steeply downwards into the opponents' midcourt. The maximum speed of a
   smashed shuttlecock exceeds that of any other racket sport projectile.
   The recordings of this speed measure the initial speed of the
   shuttlecock immediately after it has left the player's racket.

   Men's doubles player Fu Haifeng of China set the official world smash
   record of 332 km/h (206 mph) on June 3, 2005 in the Sudirman Cup. The
   fastest smash recorded in the singles competition was 298 km/h (185
   mph) by Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark.

Comparisons with other racquet sports

   Badminton is frequently compared to tennis. The following is a list of
   uncontentious comparisons:
     * In tennis, the ball may bounce once before the player hits it; in
       badminton, the rally ends once the shuttlecock touches the floor.
     * In tennis, the serve is dominant to the extent that the server is
       expected to win most of his service games; a break of service,
       where the server loses the game, is of major importance in a match.
       In badminton, however, the serving side and receiving side have
       approximately equal opportunity to win the rally.
     * In tennis, the server is allowed two attempts to make a correct
       serve; in badminton, the server is allowed only one attempt.
     * In tennis, a let is played on service if the ball hits the net
       tape; in badminton, there is no let on service.
     * The tennis court is larger than the badminton court.
     * Tennis rackets are much heavier than badminton rackets, which may
       weigh as little as 75 grams. Tennis balls are also heavier than
       shuttlecocks.
     * The fastest recorded tennis stroke is Andy Roddick's 153 mph serve;
       the fastest recorded badminton stroke is Fu Haifeng's 206 mph
       smash.

Comparisons of speed and athletic requirements

   Statistics such as the 206 mph smash speed, below, prompt badminton
   enthusiasts to make other comparisons that are more contentious. For
   example, it is often claimed that badminton is the fastest racket
   sport. Although badminton holds the record for the fastest initial
   speed of a racket sports projectile, the shuttlecock decelerates
   substantially faster than other projectiles such as tennis balls. In
   turn, this qualification must be qualified by consideration of the
   distance over which the shuttlecock travels: a smashed shuttlecock
   travels a shorter distance than a tennis ball during a serve.
   Badminton's claim as the fastest racket sport might also be based on
   reaction time requirements, but arguably table tennis requires even
   faster reaction times.

   There is a strong case for arguing that badminton is more physically
   demanding than tennis, but such comparisons are difficult to make
   objectively due to the differing demands of the games. Some informal
   studies suggest that badminton players require much greater aerobic
   stamina than tennis players, but this has not been the subject of
   rigorous research.

   A more balanced approach might suggest the following comparisons,
   although these also are subject to dispute:
     * Badminton, especially singles, requires substantially greater
       aerobic stamina than tennis; the level of aerobic stamina required
       by badminton singles is similar to squash singles, although squash
       may have slightly higher aerobic requirements.
     * Tennis requires greater upper body strength than badminton.
     * Badminton requires greater leg strength than tennis, and badminton
       men's doubles probably requires greater leg strength than any other
       racket sport due to the demands of performing multiple consecutive
       jumping smashes.
     * Badminton requires much greater explosive athleticism than tennis
       and somewhat greater than squash, with players required to jump for
       height or distance.
     * Badminton requires significantly faster reaction times than either
       tennis or squash, although table tennis may require even faster
       reaction times. The fastest reactions in badminton are required in
       men's doubles, when returning a powerful smash.

Comparisons of technique

   Badminton and tennis techniques differ substantially. The lightness of
   the shuttlecock and of badminton rackets 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 racket swing: for some strokes such as net
   kills, an elite player's swing may be less than 10cm. For strokes that
   require more power, a longer swing will typically be used, but the
   badminton racket swing will rarely be as long as a typical tennis
   swing.

   It is often asserted that power in badminton strokes comes mainly from
   the wrist. This is a misconception and may be criticised for two
   reasons. First, it is strictly speaking a category error: the wrist is
   a joint, not a muscle; its movement is controlled by the forearm
   muscles. Second, wrist movements are weak when compared to forearm or
   upper arm movements. Badminton biomechanics have not been the subject
   of extensive scientific study, but some studies confirm the minor role
   of the wrist in power generation, and indicate that the major
   contributions to power come from internal and external rotations of the
   upper and lower arm. Modern coaching resources such as the Badminton
   England Technique DVD reflect these ideas by emphasising forearm
   rotation rather than wrist movements.

Distinctive characteristics of the shuttlecock

   The shuttlecock differs greatly from the balls used in most racket
   sports.

Aerodynamic drag and stability

   The feathers impart substantial drag, causing the shuttlecock to
   decelerate greatly over distance. The shuttlecock is also extremely
   aerodynamically stable: regardless of initial orientation, it will turn
   to fly cork-first, and remain in the cork-first orientation.

   One consequence of the shuttlecock's drag is that it requires
   considerable skill to hit it the full length of the court, which is not
   the case for most racket sports. The drag also influences the flight
   path of a lifted (lobbed) shuttlecock: the parabola of its flight is
   heavily skewed so that it falls at a steeper angle than it rises. With
   very high serves, the shuttle may even fall vertically.

Spin

   Balls may be spun to alter their bounce (for example, topspin and
   backspin in tennis), and players may slice the ball (strike it with an
   angled racket face) to produce such spin; but, since the shuttlecock is
   not allowed to bounce, this does not apply to badminton.

   Slicing the shuttlecock so that it spins, however, does have
   applications, and some are peculiar to badminton. (See Basic strokes
   for an explanation of technical terms.)
     * Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to travel in a
       different direction from the direction suggested by the player's
       racket or body movement. This is used to deceive opponents.
     * Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to follow a
       slightly curved path (as seen from above), and the deceleration
       imparted by the spin causes sliced strokes to slow down more
       suddenly towards the end of their flight path. This can be used to
       create dropshots and smashes that dip more steeply after they pass
       the net.
     * When playing a netshot, slicing underneath the shuttlecock may
       cause it to turn over itself (tumble) several times as it passes
       the net. This is called a spinning netshot or tumbling netshot. The
       opponent will be unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has
       corrected its orientation.

   Due to the way that its feathers overlap, a shuttlecock also has a
   slight natural spin about its axis of rotational symmetry. The spin is
   in an anticlockwise direction as seen from above when dropping a
   shuttle. This natural spin affects certain strokes: a tumbling netshot
   is more effective if the slicing action is from right to left, rather
   than from left to right.
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