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This article is about the sport. For ,see Badminton (disambiguation).
Filipino badminton player Kennevic Asuncion


The shuttlecock is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from the balls used in most racket sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Because shuttlecock flight is strongly affected by wind, competitive badminton is always played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

Badminton is an Olympic sport with five competitive disciplines: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair is a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, strength, and speed. It is also a technical sport, requiring good hand-eye coordination and the development of sophisticated racket skills.


History and Development

Battledore and Shuttlecock 1854, from the John Leech Archive.

Badminton was known in ancient times; an early form of sport played in ancient Greece and Egypt. Badminton came from a game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which two or more players keep a feathered shuttlecock in the air with small rackets. The game was called "Poona" in India during the 18th Century, and British Army Officers stationed there and they took a competitive Indian version back to England in the 1860's where it was played at country houses as an upper class amusement. Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer published a booklet, "Badminton Battledore - a new game" in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived. The new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire owned by the Duke of Beaufort. During that time, the game was referred to as "The Game of Badminton," and, the game's official name became Badminton.

Philippine Badminton

In Philippines, it was in the 1920 when British and American exptriates introduced badminton in the country. As early as 1950's, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) recocognized the Philippines as its 21st member country. Since then, Filipino's have been playing badminton in international tournaments. In 1949 national rangkings produced Adriano Torres, first national Men's single champion. In 1952, the Philippine Badminton Association (PBA) was created and became the first national badminton group, organized by 28 badminton clubs. Johnny Yan and Stephen Cheng were the countries first doubles champions at the Hong Kong Open heln on 1962. In the 1966 Triagular Meet in Vietnam, the Philippine team achieved its first team championship in the Men's division namely Amando Yanga, Conrado Co, Jaime Gapas, Renato Navarro, and Danny So. In 1981, the Philippine badminton team participated in the Southeast Asian (SEA) games. The country hosted the event. In 1984, the Philippines made its first appearance in the Thomas Cup tournament. The eighties to the mid-nineties saw a new crop of luminaries in the game - Renato Reyes, Jessie Alonzo, Salvador "Badong" Banquiles, Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr. and Naresh Ramnani. And in 1992 Melvin Llanes became the first Philippine champion at the Prince Asian Juniors Championship for the 16-under age group. It was in 1992 when the Philippines first played in the Uber Cup games, resulting in a victory over Tanzania. It was duplicated in 1998 when the Philippine ladie's team defeated Mauritius at the Uber Cup Asian Zonal Championship.

In 1995 Australian International Champioships (IBF-sanctioned international tournament), Weena Lim and Kennie Asuncion were the first Philippine entry (ladies double) to win a gold medal, and in 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Weena became the first Philippine badminton player to qualify and participate in the prestigious game.

In 1997 SEA games in Jakarta, Weena Lim and Kennie Asuncion were the first bronzr medalist in the women's doubles event.

The following is a list of RP No. 1 players in Men's Singles and the corresponding year:

1983 - Renato Reyes
1984 - Renato Reyes
1985 - Jessie Alonzo
1986 - Reyes/Alonzo
1987 - Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr.
1988 - Salvador "Badong" Banquiles
1989 - Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr.
1990 - Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr.
1991 - Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr.
1992 - Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr.
1993 - Naresh Ramnani
1994 - Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr.
1995 - Antonio "Jojo" Mance, Jr./Melvin Llanes
1996 - Melvin Llanes
1997 - Melvin Llanes
1998 - Ian Piencenaves
1999 - Ian Piencenaves
2000 - Ian Piencenaves
2001 - Kennevic Asuncion
2002 - Kennevic Asuncion
2003 - Kennevic Asuncion

Playing court dimensions

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.



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:


The basics


At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand in diagonally opposite service courts court dimensions. The server hits the shuttlecock so that it would land in the receiver's service court. This is similar to tennis, except that a badminton serve must be hit from below the waist in underhand form (upwards), the shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce, and in tennis the players stand outside their service courts.



A consequence of this system is that, each time a side regain the service, the server will be the player who did not serve last time.


When the server serves the shuttlecock must pass over the service line or it will count as a fault







Several faults pertain specifically to service. A serving player shall be faulted if he strikes the shuttlecock 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.



It is a fault if the shuttlecock hits the ceiling.





Equipment and Technology

Badminton rackets



Badminton rackets are light, with top quality rackets weighing between about 70 and 100 grams (without strings). They are composed of carbon fibre composite (graphite reinforced plastic), which may be augmented by a variety of materials. Carbon fibre has an excellent strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives excellent kinetic energy transfer. Before the adoption of carbon fibre composite, rackets were made of light metals such as aluminium. Earlier still, rackets were made of wood. Cheap rackets are still often made of metal, but wooden rackets are no longer manufactured for the ordinary market, due to their excessive weight and cost.

There is a wide variety of racket designs, although the racket size and shape are limited by the Laws. Different rackets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players. The traditional oval head shape is still available, but an isometric head shape is increasingly common in new rackets.


Badminton strings are thin, with high performing strings in the range of about 0.65 to 0.73 millimetres thickness. Thicker strings are more durable, but many players prefer the feel of thinner strings. String tension is normally in the range of 18 to 36 lbf (80 to 130 newtons). Recreational players generally string at lower tensions than professionals, typically between 18 and 25 lbf. Professionals string between about 25 and 36 lbf.

It is often argued that high string tensions improve control, whereas low string tensions increase power. The arguments for this generally rely on crude mechanical reasoning, such as claiming that a lower tension stringbed is more bouncy and therefore provides more power. An alternative view suggests that the optimum tension for power depends on the player: the faster and more accurately he can swing his racket, the higher the tension for maximum power. Neither view has been subjected to a rigorous mechanical analysis, nor is there clear evidence in favour of one or the other. The most effective way for a player to find a good string tension is to experiment. Playing at high string tensions can cause injury, depending on the player's ability: few amateur players can safely play above 30 lbf, and for most players even 25 lbf is too high.


The choice of grip allows a player to increase the thickness of his racket handle and choose a comfortable surface to hold. A player may build up the handle with one or several grips before applying the final layer.

Players may choose between a variety of grip materials. The most common choices are polyurethane synthetic grips or toweling grips. Grip choice is a matter of personal preference. Players often find that sweat becomes a problem; in this case, a drying agent may be applied to the grip or hands, or sweatbands may be used, or the player may choose another grip material or change his grip more frequently.

There are two main types of grip: replacement grips and overgrips. Replacement grips are thicker, and are often used to increase the size of the handle. Overgrips are thinner (less than 1mm), and are often used as the final layer. Many players, however, prefer to use replacement grips as the final layer. Toweling grips are always replacement grips. Replacement grips have an adhesive backing, whereas overgrips have only a small patch of adhesive at the start of the tape and must be applied under tension; overgrips are more convenient for players who change grips frequently, because they may be removed more rapidly without damaging the underlying material.

Shuttlecocks with feathers
A shuttlecock with a plastic skirt


Main article: Shuttlecock

A shuttlecock (often abbreviated to shuttle) is a high-drag projectile, with an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen overlapping goose feathers embedded into a rounded cork base. The cork is covered with thin leather.

Shuttles with a plastic skirt are often used by recreational players to reduce their costs: feathered shuttles break easily.



Compared to running shoes, badminton shoes have little lateral support. High levels of lateral support are useful for activities where lateral motion is undesirable and unexpected. Badminton, however, requires powerful lateral movements. A highly built-up lateral support will not be able to protect the foot in badminton; instead, it will encourage catastrophic collapse at the point where the shoe's support fails, and the player's ankles are not ready for the sudden loading. For this reason, players should choose badminton shoes rather than general trainers or running shoes. Players should also ensure that they learn safe footwork, with the knee and foot in alignment on all lunges.

Technology: Badminton Training Aids

Advanced Badminton: Coach Kim Gayramon (Badminton Technology Era)
Advanced Badminton: Coach Kim Gayramon (Badminton Technology Era)
The Knight Trainer is a shuttlecock launcher innovated to improve and/or upgrade a badminton athlete’s strokes with regard to the shot making or return of shots. It allows players to learn, improve and perfect badminton skills far faster than in the past, and frees coaches to concentrate on teaching and coaching.
Dramatically accelerate the beginner's learning curve for all ages with the Knight Trainer. Simulate any shot consistently and repeatedly, allowing beginners to concentrate on coordination and technique with the shuttle arriving in the same spot, shot after shot. Coaches don't have to double as shot feeders, but can do what is most important - observe their students, coach and teach. * WATCH ON YouTube:The Knight Trainer (Philippines)
The Shadow Trainer is one of the badminton innovations, which uses light-emitting diodes (LED), instructing badminton athletes randomly, combining with traditional badminton footwork training ways. The athlete, during training can practice footwork towards ten (10) directions; that is, front, back, left, right, left front, left back, right front, right back, etc. as shown in the video attached in this section. It is the premier tool for footwork, fitness, and reflex training.
The Level of Shadow Trainer can be set (A, B, C or D). It has a Mode (Normal or Turbo) where an athlete, through the certified sports-coach assistance, can adjust the type of training with regard to the type of Training Season (Off Season, Pre Season, or In-season), so that athletes can rapidly learn and master fundamental badminton footwork, thus improving comprehensive capacity to adapt all kinds of badminton footwork. It has a Length (5-10, 20-30 as examples) where the numbers of corner (as randomly guided by the LED) must be followed and strokes are executed. * WATCH ON YouTube:The Shadow Trainer (Philippines)

Badminton Strokes

Francesca Setiadi, Canada, flies high at the Golden Gate Badminton Club (GGBC) in Menlo Park, 2006

Badminton offers a wide variety of basic strokes, and players require a high level of skill to perform all of them effectively. All strokes can be played either forehand or backhand (except for the high serve, which is only ever played as a forehand). A player's forehand side is the same side as his playing hand: for a right-handed player, the forehand side is his right side and the backhand side is his left side. Forehand strokes are hit with the front of the hand leading (like hitting with the palm), whereas backhand strokes are hit with the back of the hand leading (like hitting with the knuckles). Players frequently play certain strokes on the forehand side with a backhand hitting action, and vice-versa.











Deception is not limited to slicing and short hitting actions. Players may also use double motion, where they make an initial racket movement in one direction before withdrawing the racket to hit in another direction. This is typically used to suggest a crosscourt angle but then play the stroke straight, or vice-versa. Triple motion is also possible, but this is very rare in actual play. An alternative to double motion is to use a racket head fake, where the initial motion is continued but the racket is turned during the hit. This produces a smaller change in direction, but does not require as much time.





A mixed doubles game - Kennevic and Kennie Asuncion in action








Mixed doubles



Governing bodies

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

Five regional confederations are associated with the IBF:

  • Asia: Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)
  • Africa: Africa Badminton Federation (ABF)
  • Europe: Badminton Europe (BE)
  • Oceania: Badminton Oceania (BO)


A men's doubles match



Individual competition in badminton was a demonstration event in the 1972 Summer Olympics and 1988 Summer Olympics. It became a Summer Olympic Games sport at the Barclona Olympics in 1992. The 32 highest ranked badminton players in the world participate in the competition, and each country submitting three players to take part. In the BWF World Championships, only the highest ranked 64 players in the world, and a maximum of three from each country, can participate in any category.



Level three tournaments will consist of Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. Top players can collect the world ranking points and enable them to play in the BWF Super Series open tournaments. These include the regional competitions in Asia (Badminton Asia Championships) and Europe (European Badminton Championships), which produce the world's best players as well as the Pan America Badminton Championships.



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.


Comparisons with other racket sports


  • The tennis court is larger than the badminton court.
  • Tennis rackets are about four times heavier than badminton rackets, 10-12 ounces (approximately 284-340 grams) versus 85-93 grams.
  • 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


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:

  • 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.

Comparisons of technique



Distinctive characteristics of the shuttlecock


Aerodynamic drag and stability







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 shuttlecock. 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.

See also


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External links

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