This is one of the oldest racket sports in the world, originally called shuttlecocks which was played about Eurasia before the modern Badminton game was created in the mid-19th century. The game involves a net, a birdie (light ball with ‘feathers’ on it), two teams (one to four players per team) and racquets to match the number of total players.
The game is normally played on a flat and nicely mowed lawn; there should be enough space to accommodate an eighteen-foot-long net, about a standard house door height. Then there must be about forty-five feet in length for there to be enough room for regulation sized playing fields.
How do you set up a regulation sized Badminton game?
When setting up the outer dimensions of a standard Badminton court, it should be twenty feet by forty-four feet; the playing field will need to be in the center and around forty-four feet long by eighteen feet wide. The net should be set about six feet in height without any dip in the length going across the middle of the playing area, be sure that each team has equal space to play with.
The teams will need to be split evenly, all team members will require a racquet, be sure to have the out of bounds areas clearly marked to keep the game fair. Otherwise, the set up is easy and does not take much time to get ready for a causal game.
How is the game played?
Badminton is played until one of the two teams reaches twenty-one points, unless there is a game resulting in a tie then the first team to extend a lead over their opponent by two points, wins. One team is given the first serve, which initiates the game. The receiving team will have an allowance of a single strike to get the birdie, shuttlecock over the net and within the opposing team’s boundaries.
Basically, the game is scored with both team vying for the point of each service game. Overall, there should be a minimum of twenty-one serves in each regulation Badminton game. To score a point a player must land the birdie within the regulation area or force the other team to shoot the birdie out of bounds.
When did the sport become an Olympic competition?
There are three types of competition levels that Badminton is split up into: Singles, Doubles, and mixed doubles. Each of these game types were on demonstration for the 1972 and 1988 summer Olympics, but it was in the summer of 1992 in Barcelona, Spain when the sport became an official event.
Before the rise to the Olympic stage the game of badminton had federations and leagues all around the world, including the UK parts of Asia, and throughout the Eurasian and eastern European regions. The Badminton World Federation was formed in 1934, which included countries through the previously mentioned regions but also in the United States.
This game can be casually played at a park when the family goes camping or has a get together at the local parks or can be ramped up to professional levels which certain athletes will be striving to metal in world competitions. The important thing for the casual player is to make sure the length (forty-four feet) and width (eighteen – twenty feet) are enough to accommodate up to four players on each side.
The score is twenty-one, with one point per serve to be decided by the teams that can execute the best. What started as a noble’s game has become the staple of backyard picnics, but also has reached the Olympic stage offering metals since the 1992 summer competitions.
