LESSON 11:

BRIEF HISTORY
OF BADMINTON,
FACILITIES AND
EQUIPMENT
 BADMINTON
Badminton – is a
court game that can
be played either
singles or doubles, by
men, women, or
mixed pairs, either
indoors or on outdoor
courts, as a fun or at
a highly competitive
level.
 BRIEF HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF
BADMINTON
 Badminton originated from the ancient civilizations
of Europe and Asia.
 Badminton is an ancient game known as Battledore
(bat or paddle) and Shuttlecock probably more than
2000 years ago.
 In the 1600s, Battledore and Shuttlecock was an
upper class pastime in England and many European
countries.
 Battledore and Shuttlecock was simply played by two
people hitting a shuttlecock backwards and forwards
with simple bat as many as they could without
allowing it to hit the ground.
 CONTEMPORARY
BADMINTON
 1800 – In India, a contemporary form of badminton –
a game called Poona, was played where a net was
introduced and players hit the shuttlecock across the
net.
 British officers in the mid-1800s took this game back
to England, and was introduced as a game for the
guests of the Duke of Beaufort at his stately home
“Badminton” in Gloucestershire, England where it
became popular.
 March 1898 – the first Open Tournament was held at
Guildford. Then, the first ‘All England’ Championships
were held the following year. Denmark, USA and
Canada became ardent followers of the game during
the 1930s.
 IMPORTANT DATES IN THE
HISTORY OF BADMINTON
YEAR EVENTS
1873 The sport of Badminton established in
England and India
1879 New York Badminton Association, first
association in the world, founded
1893 English Badminton Association, first
association in the world, founded
1899 First All England Badminton Championship
held, with winner traditionally considered
world champion
1903 First International completion, contested
between England and Ireland in Dublin
YEAR EVENTS
1907 Badminton Gazette, published the
first badminton journal
1934 IBF, governing body of International
Badminton, founded
1936 ABA, governing body of badminton
in the U. S, founded
1937 First U.S National Junior
Championships held, Chicago
1948 Thomas Cup, International Team
Competition for Men, started
YEAR EVENTS
1956 Uber Cup, International Team
Competition for Women, started
First Intercollegiate Badminton
1969 Championship for Women held, New
Orleans, LA
First Intercollegiate Badminton
1975 Championships for Men held, Toledo,
OH
WBF founded; governs world badminton
1977 championships on alternate years to
Thomas Cup
1977 ABA changed name to USBA: offered
individual memberships
YEAR EVENTS
1981 First World Games held, included
first participation by People’s
Republic of China in open
international competition, San Jose,
CA
1989 Sudirman Cup, world mixed team
championship, established

1992 Badminton full medal sport in

Olympic Games, Barcelona, Spain

1996 Mixed doubles a medal event in

Olympic Games, Atlanta, GA
 FACILITIES AND
EQUIPMENT
1. Racket – Badminton
racket is quite light and
can be made of wood,
aluminum, metal or
synthetic materials such
as graphite or carbon. A
synthetic racket is quite
popular now because of
its extreme lightness
and strength.
A badminton racket
weighs roughly 98-100
grams (3 ½ oz), and is 68
cm. in length.
THE SECTION OF THE BADMINTON RACKET
230 mm
220 mm

280 mm

680 mm

ferrule

butt
Fig. 1 Illustration of Badminton Racket
 Stringed Area – is intended to hit the shuttle. It
is of uniform pattern and does not exceed 280 mm
(11 in.) in length and 220mm (8 5/8 in.) in width.
 Head – bounds the stringed area.
 Throat – (if present) connects the shaft to the
head.
 Shaft – connects the handle to the head.
 Ferrule – firmly connects the shaft and the
handle.
 Handle – is intended for the player’s grip.
 Butt – is located at the tip of the handle.
 Frame – includes head, the throat, shaft, and the
handle. It is no more than 680mm. (2ft 2 ¼ in.) or
wider than 230 (9 in.).
SHUTTLECOCK
2. Shuttlecock – is
the official name
given to the shuttle or
bird. It is made up of
16 goose feathers and
is firmly fixed in a
leather covered cock
head. It weights from
4.74 – 5.50g (75-85
grains) it may be
made of feathers,
plastic or nylon.
 Consists of
16 goose
feathers
- Its length
is 62-70mm.
(2 ¼ - 2 1/2 ).

- Shall be
25mm – 28mm
Fig. 2 Illustration of Shuttlecock
3. Court – although courts can be set outdoors,
competitive badminton is generally played indoor
where the wind and other elements will not affect the
shuttle. The official badminton court is 20 ft. wide,
while the singles court is 17 ft. wide.
 Backcourt – also called the rear court. The backcourt is
8 ft. of the court, including the back alley.
 Baseline – also called the backline; back boundary line
at each end of the end of the court parallel to the net and
the doubles long service line.
 Long Service Line, in Singles – the back boundary
line (baseline); in Doubles, the line 2 ½ ft. inside the
back boundary line. Any serve landing behind this line is
out.
 The Mid-Court – the middle third of the court from the
short service line to the back third, a distance of about 7
½ ft.
 Service Court – area into where the service must be
declined. A service may be made to the right or left
service court depending on the score.
 Short Service Line – the line 6 ½ ft. from and parallel
to the net. A service must land on or behind it to be legal.
Fig. 3 Illustration of Court
 Serving Court-Singles – is bound by the short service
line, the long service line, the center line, the singles
sideline, and the back boundary line of the court. The
server must stand within this court, with his feet not
touching any lines. The server should serve diagonally
over the net of his opponent’s singles service court in
order to have a legal serve.
Fig. 4 & 5 Illustration of Badminton Courts
for Singles and Doubles
 SERVING COURT – DOUBLES
 The serving court for doubles is bound by the short service
line, the centerline, the doubles sideline and the long
service line. The server must stand within this court, with
his feet not touching any lines. The line server must serve
diagonally over the net into his opponent’s doubles service
court in order to have a legal serve.
 The area from the net to the short service line is known as
the “forecourt.” From the short, service line to, roughly, the
doubles long service is the “mid-court”, and the remainder
to the back boundary line is called the “rear court.”
 In doubles, the spaces between the parallel sidelines,
between the parallel doubles sidelines, between the
parallel doubles long service line, and the back boundary
line are known as “tramlines.” The spaces at the rear court
in the corners between the sidelines are the “back boxes.”
4. Posts – should stand 1.55m
(5 ft. 1 in) in height from the
surface of the court. They must
be placed on the doubles
sidelines. For singles as well
as for doubles, they must also
be firm to take the necessary
tension when the net is
strained across to its full
height. There should be no gap
between the post and the net
through which a shuttle could
pass. This can be ensured by
the use of hooks down the
inside of the ports and a draw-
cord along the bottom of the
net.
5. Net – At all times this should be strained
tightly so that its height from the floor is 1.524m
(5ft) long, should be kept by the umpires chair to
facilitate regular testing to ensure that the net is
still at its correct central height and has not
sagged.
 “ When I am playing
badminton there are only two
people in the world, myself
and my opponent. ”
- Erland Kops