Badminton in India – Looking back at the History, Skills of badminton, badminton Rules, Dimensions of badminton court, Famous badminton players and a lot more

Badminton in India has never looked so promising for our current and future generation shuttlers. For long Indian badminton players like Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand had been the flag bearers of the country in the sport. But, times have changed, facilities have improved, and fan support is on an all-time high level. And with the inception of the Premier Badminton League, India truly has become the home of modern badminton.

A look at the History of Badminton in India and the world

There are various racket sports in the world. And like many other racket sports, badminton also has a long history! The sport gets its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England, which was the home of the Duke of Beaufort. The sport was played there in the last century.

However, before Badminton House, there was a game called ‘Poona’ (now called the city of Pune). This was the place, where the sport of badminton in India was played by British army. And before Poona, there was Jeu De Volant, played on the European Continent. Going further back, the origins of badminton can be traced in China. It was called Ti Jian Zi, the ancient art of Shuttle kicking.

So, as you can see, it’s not easy tracking the lineage of the sport, which we now call as Badminton!

Evolution of Badminton in India – Thomas Cup and Olympics recognition

The origins of badminton dates back at least two thousand years. However, badminton as a game was very late to be recognized as an Olympic Sport. The popularity of Badminton as a world sport surged tremendously after badminton’s Olympic debut at the 1992 Barcelona games. For the first time ever sports fans all over saw shuttlers fighting it out for their country and winning medals.   

The first major tournament for badminton as a sport was the Thomas Cup (world men’s team championships) in 1948. There are many world tournaments known as ‘Superseries’ or ‘BWF world tour.’ But even after all these years, badminton is not so different from its ancient predecessors. Nor it has varied from the game played by elite society of Britishers in England and India in the mid-1800s.

However, one major change has taken over the game, which is speed of the game. To give you an interesting fact – the fastest smash ever recorded was by Great Britain’s Simon Archer. His smash clocked over 160 mph (260 km/hr)!

Badminton as a Recreational Fitness activity  

No matter which sport you indulge in, it has always been a great recreational activity as well as fitness option for people of ages. Right from small kids, children, youngsters, adults to the elderly, indulging in sports serves as the best bet, when it comes to being healthy. In India as well, playing sports is an age-old tradition, right from our Vedic days.

Historically, cricket has been India’s most-watched, played and loved sports for all ages and gender. But, badminton has seen serious upsurge since the 2000’s. Badminton in India manages to have a strong group of dedicated followers.  Although it is an indoor game, badminton in India is played on outdoor courts as well, due to lack of indoor courts.

The game of Badminton, if played as a recreation activity for minimum time period of 30 minutes; will improve your overall hygiene. Plus, it will help you lower your resting heart BPM (beats per minute).

The physical benefits of the game are not only improving your heart rate and keeping you healthy. Badminton comes with a multiple health benefits, as it is a total body workout keeping your muscles working from head to toe. You won’t realize it quickly, but while practicing or playing a match of badminton, your whole body is functioning and working.

Shifting your muscle movements through the field and aiming the shuttle for the stroke, your body is working out and keeping every muscle active without even thinking about it. The shuttle game lets the muscle fibres activate, which releases hormones into your body helping you to increase the tone as well as mass of your muscles.

What started as a recreational game in various clubs and Gymkhanas, badminton today is played as a serious professional sport in India. Regional level, national level, and Yonex India superseries, along with BWF world tour are now a yearly event in badminton sports calendar. Such events are periodically conducted to unravel new talent.

How Badminton in India is different from Tennis

Badminton just like tennis is a racquet sport. Both the games involve two players in singles and four in the doubles category. The opponents compete against each other trying to keep the subject-shuttlecock/tennis ball in the air and passing it from one court to other partitioned by a net.

Badminton and tennis are two separate sports mainly differentiated by the object used to play. In badminton, a shuttlecock (a small cone shaped attached with feathers) is used to play whereas in tennis, a tennis ball is used as an object to pass over the net.

How did Badminton In India come into existence?  

We already traced the origin of badminton in the world through different continents. However, most sports historians credit the origin of modern badminton in ‘Poona’, India. British Army officers posted in Pune (earlier Poona), India, gave badminton its present form in the 19th century and played it competitively.

The sport for most of 19th century was known as Poona, due to its inception in the city. Poona as a sport was developed from the children’s game, ‘battledore and shuttlecock.’ The main aim of the game was to keep the cork stuffed with feathers – shuttlecock, in the air for as long as possible, using a paddle, called a battledore. The group or team that managed to keep the shuttle in the air for a long time was declared the winner. Though this cooperative, non-competitive game was comparable to its predecessor, the only transformation was the addition of a net.

The making of a Shuttlecock

The shuttlecock during that time was often cited as a bird, because it is usually made out feathers. Shuttlecocks in the 19th century consisted of 16 real feathers. Even today, the same format of shuttlecocks is used for competition purpose. However, as of now, there are plastic ones also available. It is said the best shuttles are those that are made from feathers taken from the left wing of a goose.

When the British mastered the game in India, as was their nature, they took the equipment with them back to England during the 1870s. Three years later, in 1873, the Duke of Beaufort hosted a lawn party in his country place called Badminton.

The game of Poona was played on that day. It soon became a popular and entertaining pastime among the British elites. It was from that point of time that the sport received its present name, Badminton. Among the British elites it got recognition as party sport or more popularly, “the Badminton game”.

In 1877, the first club dedicated to the sport called the Bath Badminton Club was formed. The club is credited for developing the first official set of rules for playing Badminton.

Facts you are unaware off

Badminton as a sport has a multicultural history. Even if the rules of the modern game were developed in England, it is now the most dominant sport in Asian Countries.

From 1992 to 2008, Asian countries won 69 of the 76 medals in Olympic competition. The dominant countries are China, India, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea, followed by Great Britain and Denmark.

Interesting facts about the famous racket sport in the world

• The fastest racquet sport in the world is badminton. The shuttlecock speed reaches more than 200 miles per hour
• The Duke of Beaufort is credited with developing the modern version of the Poona game. He took it back from India as a game to entertain his guests
• The first official badminton club was ‘The Bath Badminton Club’, established in 1877
• The game of Badminton was introduced in the United States in the late 19th century. It gained popularity in the 1930s
• 16 feathers are used to make the shuttlecock, which weighs between 4.74 and 5.5 grams
• Badminton didn’t get Olympic recognition up until 1992
• Badminton was originally not called badminton. It went by the name Shuttlecock and Battledore. It was eventually named badminton after the Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England.
• As a badminton player you require strength, endurance, agility, muscle power, quick reflexes, and speed endurance.
• The longest match was 124 minutes and was played between Sun Jun from China and Peter Rasmussen from Denmark.
• The shortest badminton match ever recorded was at the 1996 Uber Cup in Hong Kong. The match lasted only six minutes. Ra Kyung-min (South Korea) crushed Julia Mann (England) 11-2, 11-1 in that match.
• Only three countries have won the Thomas Cup since the competition was established in 1848. They are China, Indonesia and Malaysia.
• There are over 150 member nations that belong to the International Badminton Federation.
• The weight of a badminton racket is between 70 and 95 grams. This does not include the weight of the strings or grip.
• The Premier Badminton League played in India is the only league, where players don’t represent their country and rather play for a state or city Franchisee.     

Badminton in India has had its share of ups and downs. Even if the game originated in India, it was our South Asian neighbouring countries that dominated the sport. England and Denmark have had their fair share of world class shuttlers. India post the 2000 era has produced high quality players, who have won Olympic medals and BWF world events. And as the popularity soars day in and day out, Badminton in India is destined to take over this cricket crazy nation.   

List of Top 10 Famous Indian Badminton Players

How to play badminton like a pro: Tips and Tricks 

Badminton is one of the best leisure sports. Children and old adults play badminton to maintain fitness and flexibility. But for competitive events, a professional mindset is important. These are some of the tips and tricks to play badminton on a higher level.

1. Practice the footwork: You might think it’s a game to run around the court but it’s not. A professional badminton player doesn’t just run around, they do calculated footwork and practice it to reach all corners of the court. Speed is important but what’s even more important is the balance to return to a stationary position after reaching any corner.

2. The wrist is the key: The wrists are your magic wand. For an experienced player, the arm is predominantly used for deception where the wrist actually directs the shuttlecock.

3. Reach the cock as soon as you can: The faster you send the cock to the other court, the harder it gets for your opponent to find their balance. In this game, the difference between aggressive play and defensive play is a matter of milliseconds.

4. The serve is an opportunity for a head start: Your serve might earn you or lose you points within seconds. A good service would either pass close to the net or travel to a far precise corner.

5. Exploit the backhand: One of the toughest skills to master in badminton is the backhand. The player is forced to go for a backhand shot when the cock is moving to the far end of your weaker side (the side opposite to your strong hand). Some players are exceptional with this skill but it takes them out of their center and shape and you can take advantage with a deceptive slice or powerful smash.

6. Understanding between the partners: A crucial factor in any team sport. The more you practice and play along with your partner, the more you’ll understand each other and that really helps in avoiding confusion and most importantly, the smooth movement within the court.

7. Meet it high: It’s always good to meet the cock as high as possible to find a great angle and trajectory for your shot.

8. Enjoy the creativity: Deception and fake moves are a part of professional badminton. It’s also a part of enjoying the game. Use your creativity and don’t bother about the consequences much. Try out new things because after all, it’s also fun.

9. Always hit the center of the shuttlecock: To have a better accuracy & control over the shot, a player should always focus & practice to hit the shuttle from the center of the racket,

READ | Best Badminton Tips for beginners | Upscale your game today

Basic skills of badminton

Health Benefits of Playing Badminton

1. Playing badminton can help you reduce weight, an hour’s session can burn up to 480 calories. Playing daily can result in losing about 4 kgs in a month
2. It helps in toning the muscles and maintaining a good physique. While playing badminton you make use of every muscle in your body, which is great for calves, butt, quads, and hamstring
3. Playing badminton optimizes heart function. It strengthens the heart, reducing the bad cholesterol and increasing the good cholesterol in the body
4. It reduces the risk of having diabetes by decreasing the overall production of sugar by liver. This makes you less prone to diabetes
5. Playing badminton reduces hypertension and lowers blood pressure. It helps produce chemicals to ward off stress without chemical drugs
6. Badminton improves cardio-pulmonary functions and makes the body habitual of sweating naturally which helps in releasing the toxins from the body
7. It boosts endurance and productivity and also develops the strength to endure physical stress. Making you more alert and increases concentrating at work
8. Playing badminton improves the functioning of the lungs and their capacity. It also helps in strengthening the respiratory muscles
9. It promotes the growth of cells which form bones and makes you physically stronger by increasing the bone density

READ | 9 health benefits of Playing Badminton

Badminton court dimensions

How to play badminton

Badminton rules

Singles

Singles badminton is an individual event where two players go head-to-head for three games. The player winning two games first will win the match and winning a game requires 21 points. The match starts after a coin toss to decide who serves first and which court each player should be playing at, though they will shift the courts after each game. In the third set, players shift ends after any one of them scores 11 points so that fairness is maintained. The first shot of a rally is called a serve. The serve should always be an underarm shot delivered diagonally to the other court starting below the waist height of the player. The winner of a rally earns one point along with the next serve.

As mentioned earlier, the mid-service line divides the court into two. The point system is set up in a way that every time when the point becomes an even number, the following serve should be delivered from the right side of the mid-service line and when it becomes an odd number, the serve is given from the left side. The opponent wins a point if:

• The shuttlecock lands inside your court
• The shuttlecock hit any part of your body
• You hit the cock more than once with the racket
• Your shot goes outside the entire court

A major rule while serving is that the shuttlecock should fall past the front service line on the diagonal court of the other end. If not, the point would be given to the opposition. The rally continues even if the cock hits the top of the net and moves towards the other court. After each game, a 2-minute interval is provided and after any of the players reach 11 points in a game, both players can take a break of one minute.

Doubles

This is a team event. Two pairs of shuttlers battle each other in a three-game match where each game requires the same 21 points. Doubles badminton is a modified version of singles badminton with a few differences in rules.

• After every point, the team earned it should switch across the mid-service line. The odd-even pattern of serve positions applies in doubles as well.
• In doubles, you can only serve to the area between the front and back service lines of the respective court. Any serve falling ahead of the front line or beyond the backline is considered as a fault and a point would be given to the opposite side.
• If a team gains a point from a rally served by the opposition, they don’t have to change the courts. The shift only happens when the team serving gains a point in the same rally.

If both the players/teams are tied at 20 points, the first to take two consecutive points wins the match. This goes till they tie at 29, where the first to take to 30th point wins. This particular rule is applicable for both singles and doubles.

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• Achilles tendon rupture
• Ankle sprains
• Knee ligament injuries
• Shoulder impingement
• Lower back pain

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