Origins of the Game

The sport of badminton has its origins in ancient civilizations in Europe and Asia.
The ancient game, known as Battledore (bat or paddle) and Shuttlecock, probably
originated more than 2,000 years ago, when the ancient Chinese played “ti jian zi”. In
the 1600s, Battledore and Shuttlecock was an upper class pastime in England and
many European countries. Battledore and Shuttlecock was simply two people hitting a
shuttlecock back and forth with a simple bat for as many times as they could without
allowing it to hit the ground.

Contemporary Badminton

A contemporary form of badminton, a game called Poon, was played in the

1800s in India, 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 introduced it
as a game for the guests of the Duke of Beaufort at his stately home “Badminton” in
Gloucestershire, England, where it became popular. (In this sense, the sport
“badminton” is named after a place named “Badminton”; it has nothing inherently “bad”.)
In March 1898, the first Open Tournament was held at Guildford, and the first “All
England” Championships were held in the following year. Denmark, the USA, and
Canada became ardent followers of the game during the 1930s.

IBF Established in 1934

In 1934, the International Badminton Federation (IBF), now known as Badminton

World Federation (BWF), was formed. The initial members include England, Wales,
Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Canada, New Zealand, and France, with India
joining as an affiliate in 1936. The first major IBF tournament was the Thomas Cup (the
world men’s team championships) in 1948. Since then, the number of world events has
increased with the addition of the Uber Cup (the world womens team championships),
World Championships (the world individual championships), Sudirman Cup (the world
mixed team championships), World Junior Championships, and World Grand Prix
Finals.

Commonwealth Games Sport 1966

Badminton was introduced as a Commonwealth Games program sport in

Kingston Jamaica in 1966 and has been part of every Commonwealth Games program
since then. Initially all five disciplines were included – singles (men, women), doubles

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(men, women), and mixed doubles. In later Commonwealth Games, the Teams Event
was also included in the program.

Olympic Games Sport — 1992

Badminton is a relatively new Olympic Games sport. After being a demonstration

sport in Munich in 1972, badminton became an Olympic sport in Barcelona in 1992 with
the singles and doubles disciplines introduced for the first time in the Olympic Games.
In Atlanta in 1996, a mixed doubles event was included, and this is the only mixed
doubles event in all of the Olympic sports. The following countries have won medals in
badminton at an Olympic Games since its introduction in 1992 — China, Denmark,
India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Russia.

Strong counties in recent years

Although initiated in England, competitive men’s badminton has traditionally been

dominated in Europe by Denmark. Since 1970s, Asian countries have become
dominant in international competitions. China, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and
South Korea are the nations, which have consistently produced world-class players in
the past few decades, with China being the greatest force recently.

Court

Badminton court is where badminton is played. It has a rectangular shape, and

the dimensions are shown in Figure 1.1. The length of the court is 13.40 m, and the
width is 6.10 m for singles and 5.18 m for doubles. The diagonal of the full court has a
length of 14.723 m, and that of the half court has a length of 8.469 m for singles and
9.061 m for doubles. All lines have a thickness of 4 cm and are considered interior
during play. The net has a height of 1.550 m over the sidelines for doubles and of 1.524
m at the center of the court. The blue and green rectangles indicate service courts for
singles and doubles, respectively. Due to symmetry of the court, there are four possible
service courts for both singles and doubles — the left and right service courts on both
sides. In terms of materials, there are mainly two types of badminton courts [3], namely,
wooden board courts and PVC/PU courts, as shown in Figure 1.2 (a) and (c). The
structure of wooden board courts is shown in Figure 1.2(b), which includes, from bottom
to top, cushion pads, wooden sleepers, and maple boards. The cushion pads and
suspending maple boards allow absorption of the shock induced by the players’
movement so that less shock is absorbed by the players’ body (primarily the legs).
Wooden board courts are widely used in universities and badminton clubs because of
their satisfactory performance and relatively.

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 Dimensions of badminton court in units of centimeter. The length of the court is
13.40 m, and the width is 6.10 m for singles and 5.18 m for doubles. The diagonal of the
full court has a length of 14.723 m, and that of the half court has a length of 8.469 m for
singles and 9.061 m for doubles. All lines have a thickness of 4 cm and are considered
interior during play. The net has a height of 1.550 m over the sidelines for doubles and
of 1.524 m at the center of the court. The blue and green rectangles indicate service
courts for singles and doubles, respectively. Due to symmetry of the court, there are
four possible service courts for both singles and doubles.

Simplified Rules

Similar to any other sports, there are rules governing the game of badminton.

Scoring System

 A match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.

 Every time there is a serve, there is a point scored.
 The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.
 At 20 all, the side, which gains a 2 point lead first, wins that game.
 At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point wins that game.
 The side winning a game serves first in the next game.

Interval and Change of Ends

 When the leading score reaches 11 points, players have a 60-second interval.
 A 2-minute interval between two games is allowed.

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  In the third game, players change ends when the leading score reaches 11
points.

Singles

 At the beginning of the game (0-0) or when the servers score is even, the server
serves from the right service court. When the servers score is odd, the server
serves from the left service court.
 If the server wins a rally, the server scores a point and then serves again from
the alternate service court.
 If the receiver wins a rally, the receiver scores a point and becomes the new
server. They serve from the appropriate service court – left if their score is odd,
and right if it is even.

Doubles

 A side has only one “service”.

 The service passes consecutively to the players.
 At the beginning of the game (0-0) or when the score is even, the server serves
from the right service court. When it is odd, the server serves from the left
service court.
 If the serving side wins a rally, the serving side scores a point and the same
server serves again from the alternate service court.
 If the receiving side wins a rally, the receiving side scores a point. The receiving
side becomes the new serving side.
 The players do not change their respective service courts until they win a point
when their side is serving.

Lets

 If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to the score.
Lets may occur because of some unexpected disturbance, such as a shuttle from
a neighboring court landing on the court or the shuttle touching an overhead rail
(commonly seen in small halls).
 If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let shall be called;
yet, if the receiver attempts to return the shuttle, the receiver shall be judged to
have been ready.

Badminton World Federation

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for
the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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Founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member
nations (Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Scotland and Wales), the BWF has since expanded to 176 member nations
around the world. On 24 September 2006, at the Extraordinary General Meeting
in Madrid, it was decided to adopt the new name Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Its head office was located in Cheltenham, UK since its founding, but on 1 October
2005, was relocated to Kuala Lumpur. Its current president is Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen.
International Events

The international badminton events include the Badminton at the Summer

Olympics, World Championships, World Junior Championships, Thomas Cup, Uber
Cup, and Sudirman Cup. They are considered the most important events in the
badminton field, because “World Champion” titles are awarded to the final winners in
each of the five categories (i.e., men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles,
women’s doubles, and mixed doubles). The six international badminton events are
discussed below.

Badminton at the Summer Olympics

Badminton had its debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics and has been contested
in 6 Olympiads. 63 different nations have appeared in the Olympic badminton
competitions, with 19 appearing all 6 times. It is governed by the BWF. The 1972
Summer Olympics in Munich saw the first appearance of badminton, as a
demonstration sport. Two decades later the sport debuted in competition at the
Barcelona 1992 games, where 4 events were held, with singles and doubles events for
both men and women. Four medals were awarded in each event, including two bronzes.
The next Olympics, Atlanta 1996, had 5 events with the addition of mixed doubles.
There was also a playoff between the two semifinal losers to determine the sole winner
of the bronze medal. This format has continued to 2016. The BWF’s world ranking list is
used to determine qualification for the Olympic tournament. For singles, 29 competitors
are selected. For doubles, 19 pairs are selected. The general method of selection is by
ranking, but the selection process stops once all qualification positions are filled. All
players or pairs from the top 16 places on that list qualify, but each National Olympic
Committee (NOC) can send a maximum of three players/pairs. Players and pairs
through the 64th place on that ranking qualify, with the caveat that each NOC can send
only two players/pairs from that portion of the list. Players and pairs ranked below that
only qualify if they are the highest ranked competitors from their nation. In addition, one
place in each of the singles events is awarded by the Tripartite Commission. There are
also regulations on minimum representation. Each continent must have at least one
player/pair. This is the highest ranked player/pair from that continent if none have
qualified through the standard selection process. The host nation, if it has not already

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qualified two competitors, receives two slots as well, either two singles players or one
pair. China, Denmark, Great Britain, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea are among the
countries that have sent most badminton competitors to the Summer Olympics. Olympic
badminton consists of a single-elimination tournament. Each match is played to the best
of three games. Games are to 21 points. Rally scoring is used, meaning a player does
not need to be serving to score. A player must win by two points or by being the first
player to 30 points.

BWF World Championships

The BWF World Championships, formerly known as IBF World Championships,

also known as the World Badminton Championships, is a badminton tournament
sanctioned by BWF. The tournament offers the most ranking points, together with the
Summer Olympic Games. The winners will be crowned as the “World Champions” and
awarded gold medals. However, it does not offer any prize money. The tournament
started in 1977 and was held once every three years until 1983. However, the IBF faced
difficulty in hosting the first two events as the World Badminton Federation, which later
merged with the IBF to form one badminton federation, hosted the same tournament a
year after the IBF World Championships with the same goals. Started 1985, the
tournament became bi-annual and played once every two years until 2005. Starting
2006, the tournament was changed to an annual event on the BWF calendar with the
goal to give more chances for the players to be crowned as official “World Champions”.
However, the tournament will not be held once every four years to give way to the
Summer Olympic Games. So far, only 20 countries have achieved at least a bronze
medal in the tournament: ten in Asia, eight in Europe, one in North America, and one in
Oceania. Africa is the only continent that has not won a medal. China, Indonesia,
Denmark, and South Korea are the most successful countries in terms of winning
medals in the BWF World Championships.

BWF World Junior Championships

The BWF World Junior Championships (also known as the World Junior
Badminton Championships) is a tournament organized by BWF since 1992 to crown the
best junior badminton players (under 19 years old) in the world. The title winners are
considered world junior champions. Some successful junior players continue to be
successful in the adult stage. China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand are the most
successful countries in terms of winning medals in the BWF World Junior
Championships.

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Thomas Cup

The Thomas Cup (also known as the World Men’s Team Championships) is an
international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the
BWF. The championships have been conducted every two years since the 1982
tournament, amended from being conducted every three years since the first
tournament held in 1948-1949. The Thomas Cup is named after Sir George Alan
Thomas, a highly successful English badminton player of the early 1900s, who
proposed the idea of holding the “Thomas Cup”, as a result of inspirations by the
tennis’s Davis Cup and football’s (or soccer’s) World Cup first held in 1930. The final
phase of the tournament involves twelve teams competing at venues within a host
nation and is played concurrently with the final phase of the world women’s team
championships, the Uber Cup (first held in 1956–1957). Since 1984, the two
competitions have been held jointly at the various stages of play. Of the twenty-eight
Thomas Cup tournaments held since 1948–1949, only four nations have won the title.
Indonesia is the most successful team, having won the tournament thirteen times.
China, which did not begin to compete until the 1982 series, follows Indonesia with nine
titles, while Malaysia has won five titles. Thomas Cup and, to a lesser extent, Uber Cup
are possibly the world’s “biggest” and most prestigious regularly held badminton events
in terms of player and fan interest. For many they trump major tournaments for
individual competitors such as the venerable All England Championships, the BWF
World Championships, and even the badminton competitions at the Summer Olympics.
Japan became the fourth nation to win the Thomas Cup after beating Malaysia 3-2 in
the 2014 finals. The 2016 tournament was held in Kunshan, China.

Uber Cup

The Uber Cup (also known as the World Women’s Team Championships) is a
major international badminton competition contested by women’s national badminton
teams. First held in 1956–1957 and contested at threeyear intervals, it has been
contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled times and venues were
merged with those of the Thomas Cup (the World Men’s Team Championships). The
Uber Cup is named after a former British women’s badminton player, Betty Uber, who in
1950 had the idea of hosting a women’s event similar to that of the men. She also made
the draw for the 1956–1957 inaugural tournament, which took place at Lytham St.
Annes in Lancashire, England. The cup follows a similar format to that of the men’s
competition of the Thomas Cup. As of the 2014 tournament, China is the most
successful country, having won the Uber Cup thirteen times. Japan is the second,
having won it five times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each having won
three times. The 2016 tournament was held in Kunshan, China.

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Sudirman Cup

The Sudirman Cup is the World Mixed Team Championships, which takes place
every two years. There are five matches in every round: men and women’s singles, men
and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. The Sudirman Cup is named after Dick
Sudirman, a former Indonesian badminton player and the founder of the Badminton
Association of Indonesia (PBSI). The first Sudirman Cup tournament took place in Bung
Karno Stadium, Central Jakarta, Indonesia in May 24–29, 1989. Until 2003 the
Sudirman Cup always took place alongside the World Badminton Championships
(Individuals) before becoming a stand alone Championships for the first time in
Eindhoven, Netherlands in 2003. There is no prize money in Sudirman Cup; players
play for their respective countries and to earn BWF world ranking points and national
prestige. The Sudirman Cup is an international competition that does not stage a
qualification round. The competing teams are divided into 7 groups based on their
performances. Only teams in group 1 will have a chance to lift the trophy as the teams
in the other groups fight for promotion. The teams who finish last in the group will be
relegated to the lower group, except the final group. Indonesia initially won the
tournament in 1989. Throughout the history of the tournament, seven countries have
reached through to the semifinal round in all tournaments of the Sudirman Cup,
including China, Denmark, England, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan.

Open Events

Badminton open events are divided into seven categories, namely, the Superseries
Premier, Superseries, Grand Prix Gold, Grand Prix, International Challenge,
International Series, and Future Series. They are discussed below following an order of
decreasing number of World Ranking points awarded to them.

World Ranking System

The BWF World Ranking and BWF World Junior Ranking are introduced to determine
the strength of the badminton players. The BWF World Ranking is used to determine
the qualification for entry and seeding for the BWFsanctioned tournaments. The points
awarded are based on the final results of each tournament participated the players
during the past 52 weeks. The BWF World Junior Ranking is for players under 19 years
old. These ranking systems encourage players to play more tournaments and remain
active all the time. They are reasonable in the following two aspects. First, they ensure
a prosperous badminton field as well as the entertainment for the audience. It seems
true that people without passion are by human nature lazy. They would do nothing or go
along the least resistive path, unless there are some irresistible incentives or
unbearable pressure. With the current ranking systems, if a player stops playing

8
tournaments for a few months, his/her rank will likely go down, no matter how well the
player played in the past. Second, this ranking system promotes the growth of young
players, especially when they are competing with more senior players. Otherwise, if the
rank is based on all the accumulated points of the players, young players will have to
play and wait for a much longer time to be ranked among the top. A detailed description
of the rules related to the badminton world ranking system is available in Appendix B. It
is seen that the points from tournaments at different levels differ greatly and that the
points awarded to different players (e.g., the winner, runner up, 3/4, 5/8, etc.) differ
greatly as well. This point system results in a many-level pyramid or hierarchy of the
badminton players — those best players play top-level tournaments, earn the most
points, and remain top in the ranking list, while other players play appropriate
tournaments and earn the corresponding points based on their levels of skills. This
situation is similar to that in academia, where the best researchers publish in top
journals and have large impacts, while the other researchers publish in the numerous
other journals and make minor or incremental (but important) contributions.

EQUIPMENTS

Shuttle

Shuttle (also called shuttlecock, birdie, or bird) is the object that is

hit back and forth in badminton between the two half courts separated

by a net. In general, there are two types of shuttles, namely, feather shuttle

and nylon (or plastic) shuttle, as shown in Figure 2.1 (a) and (c). Feather shuttles are
widely used by players at all levels, while nylon shuttles are mainly used by some
amateur players in casual play. In the later part of this section, a comparison of these
two types of shuttles is given. The specifications of feather shuttles are shown in Figure
2.1(b), which are extracted from Item 2 of the Laws of Badminton (Appendix A). A
feather shuttle is mainly composed of 16 pieces of duck or goose feathers and a cork
base, which is usually made of soft wood and covered with a thin layer of leather. The
mass of a shuttle is between 4.74 and 5.50 g. The geometric features are: L = 62–70 mm,
D = 58–68 mm, and d = 25– 28 mm. Another characteristic of shuttle is the nominal speed,

9
which is usually indicated with a number between 75 (slow) and 79 (fast). These numbers have
nothing to do with the actual flying speed of shuttles (in units of m/s); instead, they are just a
representation of the relative flying speeds of shuttles. Shuttles of different nominal speeds are
used in different places, because the actually flying speed of shuttle depends on the
atmospheric pressure and humidity, with a higher shuttle speed under a lower atmospheric
pressure or humidity. For example, shuttles used in Singapore should have a higher nominal
speed than those used in Beijing, because of the higher atmospheric pressure and humidity in
Singapore.

feathers, with straight, stiff feathers indicating good quality and curved, flexible feathers
indicating poor quality. For nylon shuttles, they are mainly composed of a skirt and a
cork base. For both feather and nylon shuttles, there is a color band at the top of the
cork (near the base of the feathers or skirt), which indicates the shuttle speed as
follows: green — slow speed, blue — middle speed, and red — fast speed [27]. Those
color bands also adjust the shuttles’ center of mass. The major differences between
feather and nylon shuttles are: (1) under the same impact, a feather shuttle has a higher
initial speed, flies higher, and decelerates faster than a nylon shuttle (in other words,
nylon shuttles have flatter trajectories than feather shuttles), as shown in Figure (2)
nylon shuttles are more economic because of their better durability than feather
shuttles; (3) badminton strings typically last longer when played with feather shuttles
than with nylon shuttles.

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Flying trajectories of feather and nylon shuttles in (a) a clear shot and (b) a lift shot.
Under the same impact, a feather shuttle has a higher initial speed, flies higher, and
decelerates faster than a nylon shuttle (in other words, nylon shuttles have flatter
trajectories than feather shuttles) shuttles, especially when the focus was not on playing
games but on training or exercising.

Badminton shuttles have a magic yet essential characteristic. That is, regardless of its
initial orientation after being hit by the racket, a shuttle will turn to fly cork first and
remain in the cork-first orientation. An example time evolution of a shuttle after being hit
by a racket is shown in Figure 2.4, where the shuttle first flips, then oscillates a little bit,
and finally stabilizes to fly in the cork-first orientation. Although the actual time evolution
of a shuttle after being hit by a racket could vary depending on many factors, such as
the hitting power, hitting angle, shuttle quality, wind speed, and so on, in the end, the

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shuttle will turn to fly in the cork-first orientation until redirected by another stroke. In
fact, this characteristic is essential for badminton play and shuttle durability. Otherwise,
playing badminton would be much harder and less predictable, and shuttles would
break much easier due to being hit on the feathers instead of the cork, which is
commonly done by many beginning badminton players.

Racket

Racket is an essential piece of equipment in badminton,Which is used

to hit the shuttle for example, the racket shall not exceed 680 mm in overall length
and 230 mm in overall width, the stringed area shall not exceed 280 mm in overall
length and 220 mm in overall width, and the racket shall be free of attached objects and
protrusions. A badminton racket consists of a head, a stringed area, a T-joint, a shaft, a
top cap, a handle, an inner grip, an over grip, and a butt cap, as shown in Figure 2.5.
Based on the weight before stringing, badminton rackets can be divided into four
categories: U (95–99 g), 2U (90–94 g), 3U (85–89 g), and 4U (80–84 g). Commonly
seen rackets are 3U or 4U. Over the history of badminton, the material for rackets has
evolved from wood to steel, to aluminum alloy, to titanium alloy, to carbon fiber, and
finally to high strength carbon fiber. There are rackets at different levels on the market.
General speaking, the more advanced the material, the higher the price. In addition, the
T-joint is a good indicator of the racket quality. Low quality rackets usually have
separate T-joints, whereas high quality rackets have integrated T-joints. Commonly
seen racket brands include Yonex, Li-Ning, Victor, Yodiman, RSL, Kawasaki, Kason,
Sotx, Wilson, and Finnex. As a side story, the racket shown in Figure 2.5 is the author’s
favorite one. It was bought from Alex Kho and has no paint. The handle was once
broken, which made the racket remaining unused for a long time. The author got the
handle repaired in the December 2015 while traveling in Taiwan; since then, the racket
resumed its service.

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Comparison of two types of badminton racket heads: (a) Traditional oval head, (b)
Isometric head. The rounded square head provides an approximately 26% larger sweet
spot than the traditional oval head. The isometric head provides a slightly larger sweet
spot than the rounded square head.

Strings
String is installed in the racket head and makes direct
contact with shuttle. Badminton strings typically have
a diameter of 0.65–0.70 mm and a length of 10 m (for
one racket). They could come with different colors.
Badminton strings usually consist of three parts: a core, a middle layer, and a coating
layer. Different badminton strings differ mainly by the middle and coating layers,
particularly the latter. According to the structure of the coating layer, badminton strings
can be divided roughly into three types: (a) those with a medium color coating, (b) those
with a thick coating (usually metal, e.g., Titanium), and (c) those with a thin color
coating, as shown in Figure 2.8. The roughness of the string surfaces increases in the
order: (b) < (a) < (c). With a string of a rougher surface, players feel a better “grab” of
the shuttle, which is particularly good for slicing shots. With a string of a smoother
surface, players feel a better “bounce” of the shuttle, which is particularly good for clear
shots. Overall the difference between rough and smooth strings is small, and only those
who have excellent control of shuttle can appreciate the subtleties.
Commonly seen badminton strings are from Yonex, Gosen, Ashaway, or Alpha, among
which Yonex is probably the most popular brand. Figure 2.9 shows 14 types of strings
from Yonex, including Aerosonic, BG 65, BG65 Titanium, BG66, BG66 Force, BG66

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Ultimax, BG68 Titanium, BG70 Pro, BG80, BG80 Power, BG85, Nanogy 95, Nanogy
98, and Nanogy 99. Each type of string has some unique features.
Another topic about badminton string is the string tension, which is expressed in
units of pounds (lb), such as 22, 25, 28, and 32 lb. A larger number means a higher
tension. With a high tension, the resilience of the string bed becomes worse, but one
gains better control of shuttle. A general guideline is as follows: 20–22 lb for beginners,
22–24 lb for intermediate players, 24–27 lb for high-level amateur players, and 28+ lb
for professional players. To handle a string with a high tension, the player is required to
have good wrist strength; otherwise, the quality of the shots could be deteriorated, and
the player’s wrist could even get injured. In addition, a string with a higher tension
usually lasts shorter than that with a lower tension. This should be taken into
consideration when choosing the string tension.

Overgrip

Overgrips are wrapped around the racket handles to allow players to grip the
handles with comfort and to improve the performance of badminton play. Generally
speaking, overgrips have five functions, as follows.
(1) They increase the friction between the hand and the handle- Overgrips
are normally slip resistant. This feature ensures that the racket does not fly
off the hand during play, which is important for both badminton
performance and safety.
(2) They allow an easy and comfortable gripping of the racket- Overgrips
are usually made of soft materials. This makes gripping the racket much
more comfortable than gripping the handle directly.
(3) They absorb sweat from the hand- During badminton play, one’s hand
sweats, which reduces the friction between the handle and hand. With an
overgrip, the sweat can be absorbed, thus providing a better gripping of the
racket.

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 (4) They protect the handle- As a layer covering the handle, an overgrip
provides a protection to the handle, for example, against the handle’s
colliding with the floor or the wall. Usually, badminton handles are covered
with an innergrip and an overgrip. The innergrip prevents sweat from
sipping into the wood handle. Otherwise, the sweat would make the handle
easy to break. The overgrip provides an additional layer of protection.
(5) They adjust the handle size-Badminton racket handles usually come in
one of the five sizes, which are denoted as G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5, as
shown in Figure 2.11. The larger the number, the smaller the handle. The
circumferences of the five handle sizes, including the original grip, are 4.00,
3.75, 3.50, 3.25, and 3.00 in, or 10.16, 9.53, 8.89, 8.26, and 7.62 cm,
respectively. (Note that some brands may use G1 to represent the smallest
handle size and G5 the largest handle size.) Commonly seen rackets have
a handle size of G3 or G4. Because the handle sizes are not continuous,
overgrips can be used to adjust the handle sizes to fit the hands of different
players.
In terms of materials, there are mainly two types of overgrips, namely, PU
overgrips and towel overgrips. PU overgrips are widely used by amateur players
because they are economic, durable, and easy to use. They have good anti-slip
features, although their sweat-absorbing capabilities are less satisfactory than
towel overgrips. PU overgrips can have sticky or dry surfaces; they can also have
varying thicknesses, colors, and levels of corrugations. Towel overgrips are
mainly used by professional players because of their better sweat-absorbing
capabilities. They need to be used together with grip powder to achieve the best
performance. They also need to be replaced frequently, which costs time and
money. Commonly seen brands of overgrips include Alpha, Kimony, Yonex, Li-
Ning, Wilson, Kason, Victor, and Ashaway. Figure 2.12 shows some example
overgrips on the market, including both PU overgrips and towel overgrips. When
deciding which overgrip to use, usually one needs to consider the following
aspects.
(1) Thickness- If the handle is small with respect to a player’s hand, a thick
overgrip should be used. Otherwise, a thin overgrip should be used.
Compared to a thin overgrip, a thick overgrip adds more weight to the racket
and moves the balance point of the racket toward the handle. This
consideration is important because control-type players would prefer a balance
point closer to the handle while power-type players would prefer a balance
point closer to the racket head.

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(2) Surface condition- The surface of overgrips could be sticky or dry and flat or
corrugated. Overgrips with sticky surfaces provide better anti-slip features than
those with dry surfaces. Overgrips with corrugated surfaces are generally
thicker and provide slightly better anti-slip features than those with flat
surfaces.
(3) Budget- It is recommended that amateur players consider PU instead of towel
overgrips, because PU overgrips are more economic and much easier to use.
Depending on the quality, the price of a PU overgrip could vary from less than
$1 (USD) for those poor quality ones to more than $5 (USD) for those good
quality ones. Since this cost is little as compared to that of rackets and shuttles
and one overgrip could usually last for one or two months or even longer
depending on how frequently one plays badminton, the cost of overgrips is
often not a critical concern. It is recommended that players use good quality
over grips.

Badminton Shoes
Badminton shoes deserve a separate consideration. They
improve the performance of badminton play, reduce the
possibility of injuries, and
wear much slower than other types of shoes
(e.g., casual walking shoes and running shoes).
While it is generally fine to wear any type of
T-shirt or shorts, badminton shoes are believed
to be a must, especially if one plans to play badminton for a long time or play
badminton games. Badminton shoes are generally characterized by three
features, namely, the anti-slip capability, shock absorbing capability, and weight.
Common brands of badminton shoes include Yonex, Li-Ning, Victor, Mizuno,
Nike, and Adidas, as shown in Figure 2.15. Because Yonex, Li-Ning, and Victor
are the largest providers of badminton related products, their badminton shoes
are generally believed to have better quality than those from Mizuno, Nike and
Adidas, which are not specialized in badminton products. A pair of badminton
shoes of good quality could cost $150 (USD) or more, whereas a pair of
badminton shoes of normal quality could cost less than $60 (USD).

16
Accessories

(1) Badminton bag

Badminton bag can be used to store rackets, shuttle tubes, badminton
shoes, sports towel, clothes, and so on. It is recommended for players
with a lot of rackets for different purposes (e.g., for singles, doubles,
defensive play, smashes, and so on). A badminton bag keeps things
organized.

(2) Racket cover

Racket covers are generally designed to
hold 1–2 rackets. They are light weighted and easy to use.

(3) Head band & Wrist Band

-Head bands are used to absorb the sweat on the head.
Very few badminton players wear head bands.
-Wrist bands are used to protect the wrist and/or wipe the sweat.

(4) Grip powder

Grip powder is used together with towel overgrips to increase the friction between
the handle and the hand. It is widely used by professional players.

(5) Stencil ink & Card

-Stencil cards are used as masks to paint letters (e.g., name initials) or images (e.g.,
logos) on badminton strings after the strings have been installed.
Stencil ink is used together with stencil cards to paint letters or images on badminton
strings.

17
(6) Protective and balance tape
As the name suggests, protective and balance tapes are used to protect
the racket head and move the balance point closer to the racket head.
These tapes are usually longer than those balance weights and have
larger weights (around two grams).

(7) Knee strap

Knee straps are used to provide a support to knees and reduce the
possibility of injuries.

(8) Kinesio tape

Kinesio tapes provide a support to the joints and muscles without
affecting the circulation of blood and the range of motions [46]. They are
widely used by professional players.

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 SERVICE
Service represents the start of play. Although it may seem trivial or simple, its
importance cannot be over-emphasized. A good serve lays the foundation for the
following shots, which could lead to the final win of a point, whereas a bad serve
immediately puts the server at a disadvantage, which could result in the final loss
of a point. In this section, we discuss some rules and strategies for badminton
service.

Rules
To prevent the serving and receiving players from gaining obvious advantages
from service, there are some rules governing the badminton service, as detailed in
Item 9 of the Laws of Badminton. Some key points are as follows.
(1) The server and receiver shall stand within diagonally opposite service courts
without touching the boundary lines of the service courts.
(2) The server shall not serve before the receiver is ready.
(3) Some part of both feet of the server and the receiver shall remain in contact
with the surface of the court in a stationary position from the start of the
service until the service is delivered.
(4) The service shall be completed with one movement of the server’s racket
without delay.
(5) The shaft and head of the server’s racket shall be pointing downward at the
instant of hitting the shuttle.
(6) The whole shuttle shall be below the server’s waistline at the instant of being
hit by the server’s racket. The waist shall be considered to be an imaginary
line around the body, level with the lowest part of the server’s bottom rib.
(7) The server’s racket shall initially hit the base of the shuttle.
(8) 8 In doubles, during the delivery of service, the partners may take up any
positions within their respective courts, provided that they do not unsight the
opposing server or receiver.

Four Types of Serves

(1) a low serve, (2) a drive serve, (3) a flick serve, and (4) a high (or sob)
serve. Low serves are widely used in doubles and men’s singles. High
serves are widely used in women’s singles. Drive and flick serves are
occasionally used in all matches.

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 TYPES OF SHOTS
1. Defensive Badminton Clear/Lob

This is the most basic badminton shot. Every beginner should first master this.

The defensive badminton clear is performed to get you out of trouble.

In many instances, you’ll be under tremendous pressure by your
opponent. This happens when your opponent plays at a faster pace and is
firing continuous attacks on you.
A clear or lob is a good way to get yourself more organized while you’re under pressure
and buys you some time to work yourself back into
the rally.

Overhead Defensive Clear

Underarm Defensive Clear

The pictures above show you the flight trajectory of the defensive badminton clear. This
shot can be performed using the badminton overhead stroke and the underarm stroke.

In the picture above, you’ll realise that the shuttle travels high up and deep into your
opponent’s baseline.

The defensive clear keeps the shuttle in the air for quite a while.
This gives you some extra time before your opponent is able to hit it.

Make use of this “extra” time to reorganize your footwork and get back into position.

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2. Badminton Drop Shot

The badminton drop shot is semi-offensive. It’s performed from the

back of the court and is usually used to maintain the pace of the game.
The defensive clear (explained above) slows down the pace of the game
– because it keeps the shuttle in the air for quite a while.

The drop shot, on the other hand, maintains the pace of the game.

A drop shot performed at a steep angle lands on the ground quicker,

compared to the clear or lob. Your opponent has to rush forward to
retrieve it.
Hit the drop shot ONLY when you’re comfortable with the pace of the
game. In other words, perform a drop shot when you’re playing at a
similar pace or a faster pace than your opponent.

If you can’t keep up with your opponent’s pace, clear (or lob) the shuttle instead.

Click here for the tutorial page for badminton drop shot.
3. Badminton Smash

The smash is often known as the ‘winning shot’ in badminton. It’s used with the intention
to end a rally.

The smash is one of the most powerful badminton shots (apart from the jump smash)
that is fired from a steep angle.

However, when you decide to smash, you’re taking a risk. Smashing causes you to lose
a certain degree of balance.

Thus, make sure that your smash will win you a rally point, or at least force a very weak
return from your opponent.

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 In order to minimise your risks and ensure your smash works towards your advantage,
you should:

1. Get behind the shuttle as early as possible so that you are able to hit the shuttle
when it is still high up. This allows you to smash the shuttle at a steep angle.
2. Maintain extremely good body balance before you smash.
3. Make sure that your opponent is off-guard. This means that your opponent is not
ready to retrieve the smash.

If you do not satisfy the conditions above, hit the drop shot instead and wait for another
chance.

You’ll be taking unnecessary risks if you fire a smash without satisfying the conditions
above.

Without you knowing, you may be giving your opponent the chance to counter your
smash!

4. Jump Smash

This is a more powerful version of the badminton smash. It is also one of the hardest
badminton shots to perform.

To hit this shot, you will simply need to jump and hit the smash in mid air. This will:

 Create a steeper angle for your smash

 Enable you to inject more power into your smash

The badminton jump smash is the most powerful offensive shot in badminton.

Remember, the conditions for performing a smash (mentioned above in “badminton

smash”)?

You’ll need to satisfy those conditions before performing the jump smash.

5. Badminton Net Shot (Tumbling/Spinning Net Shot)

Badminton shots along the net (known as “net shots”) are used to create opportunities
and dominate the front of the court.

It is a very important skill to help you win badminton rallies. A

good net shot can force your opponent to perform a high lift/clear, so
that you can play a winning smash.

A tumbling net shot enables the shuttle to tumble across just slightly above the net.

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A tight spinning net shot will force your opponent to lift to the mid court area.

An extremely good net shot (shuttle lands on the top of the net and then drops to the
other side) can sometimes be the ‘killer shot’.

6. Net Kill
The net kill is a useful skill to end a rally when if your opponent
executes a poor quality net shot (net shot that is too high).

When your opponent plays a net shot that is too high, strike with a net kill!

The picture above shows you the flight trajectory for the badminton net kill.

7. Net Lift

In some instances, your opponent might be very good at net play. They may perform
extremely good badminton shots along the net.

When you’re finding it difficult to retrieve your opponent’s badminton shots along the
net, perform the defensive net lift.

If your opponent is playing extremely well along the net, do not

hesitate to perform the high lift. This can prevent your opponent from
striking with a net kill.

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The net lift sends the shuttle high up to your opponent’s baseline.
It is similar to the underarm defensive clear but the net lift is
usually performed very closely to the net.

Therefore it is important that you practise to lift the shuttle high enough so that the
shuttle won’t hit the net.

8. Drive

Drives are fast and furious badminton shots exchanged horizontally across the net. One
of the main reasons to hit the drive is to increase the pace of the game.

Use this only when you’re comfortable with the pace of the rally.

If for some reasons you are not performing well or making many unforced errors, DO
NOT play drives with your opponent.

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 Training techniques for Badminton
The type of training used by badminton players is generally related to the
standard of the player. For younger players with less well-developed skill levels, most
training is likely to be devoted to playing games. With higher skill levels should come
greater dedication to the game and increased use of the many potential types of training
that will help competitive performance.

Simply, Badminton training can be initially categorized into on-court and off-court
work. On court work would mean training with badminton movements with a racket and
usually (although not always) with a shuttle. Off-court work is usually additional work
that has the aim of enhancing some particular aspect of fitness. After an initial section of
warm up and warm down, the purpose of this section is to outline types of training, while
a later section will give examples of how these techniques can be used to enhanced
fitness.

Warm up & warm down

Any exercise is a considerable stress on the human body and the body should be given
time to adapt to exercise and also to recover from exercise. Warm-up and warm-down
are similar in principle and similar exercises can mostly be used for both purposes.
Warm-up and warm-down are easily ignored as they may not appear to have a direct
bearing on the training session in hand but both elements should be part of every
training session and time should be allocated (at least 10 minutes each) to allow this to
happen.

A warm-up has psychological and physiological goals. Firstly, it should involve dynamic
movements that help to increase body temperature. This is initially achieved by general
activity such as gentle jogging for around five minutes. Secondly, it should involve some
stretching which will help to prepare the muscles for the stresses ahead. After jogging,
some stretching should be performed. This should particularly concentrate on muscles
that are to be used in the activity. Stretching in a warm-up should involve some dynamic
flexibility work– i.e., movements through a complete range of motion. Finally, warm-up
has psychological advantages as it should allow the player to mentally prepare for
subsequent training or competition.

Warm–down is the opposite of warm–up and is performed after completion of an

exercise session. The purpose of warm down is to maintain a slightly elevated
metabolism which will help to promote recovery from the exercise that has just taken
place. Moderate intensity activity is an excellent way to promote recovery of previously
active muscle so a few minutes jogging is to be recommended after completion of a
session. Like warm-up, this should also be followed by some stretching. Stretching after
exercise is not as common a practice as it should be. This is a very important way to
further promote the recovery from exercise and to help reduce injury risk.

Examples of on-court fitness training types

Games

Playing games will nearly always have some fitness benefit as well as the obvious
technical and tactical benefits. But it should be appreciated that sole use of games will
not be effective in promoting one specific area of fitness.

Shadow play (Badminton without a shuttle)

Because shadow play is not concerned with the outcome of a shot, shadow movement
routines are often used to work on footwork or fitness.

Example to enhance movement speed (suitable for all levels)

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Players are required to move around the court for ten seconds at their maximum speed.
This is then followed by around 40-50 seconds recovery. This routine can be repeated
for 10 – 20 minutes.

Multifeed

A feeder begins with many shuttles, ready to hit or throw (‘feed’) them to a player.
Shuttles are quickly directed to different positions around the court. Like shadow play,
multifeed routines can be used to stress many different aspects of fitness (and other
requirements for the game, generally).

Example to enhance speed / endurance (suitable for highly trained players)

Feeder feeds 30 shuttles to random positions around the court. Player must return each
shuttle before moving straight onto the next shuttle. A 30-second recovery is given
before the next set of 30 shuttles is fed. Such a routine would be extremely hard, if done
correctly, and it is unlikely for such a routine to last more than 10 – 15 minutes.

Conditioned games

A variation on standard games. Conditioned games may be used to stress

certain aspects which need to be worked upon in training.

Example to enhance on-court endurance

Rally length could be artificially lengthened by making players hit 10 shots each before
playing out the point in the usual way. This could be an effective way of improving
specific Badminton endurance and consistency of shot production.

Conditioned drills

This would be any drill with a specific aim using principles not covered already.
Such drills would be more specific than shadow play or multifeed work but less specific
than a conditioned game mentioned above.

Example to enhance movement speed in singles player (advanced) 2 v 1.

One player plays rallies against two players on the other side of the net. The two
players usually cover half a court each playing ‘side by side’. The lone player will be
forced to move more quickly in this condition. Such a session with three players could
involve rotation of players playing alone against the pair.

Examples of off-court types of fitness training

Strength Training

The purpose of weight training is usually to increase muscle strength. In order to

achieve successful strength gains, specific muscles must perform movements while
working against a resistance. Weight training is a skill and, like all skills, development of
optimal strength for a player may take a very long time (often a matter of years). Players
should start with light resistances so that they become skilled at the movements
required (qualified instructors should be used for this purpose). Once a movement is
learned (this may take at least 8-10 sessions), the resistance can be increased so that
real strength development can commence.

Sufficient strength is vital for many aspects of successful Badminton play. A

strong player is likely to move more quickly and powerfully and is also likely to hit
harder. Effective strength training will lead to a player having greater control of
movement. Strength training is also very effective in overcoming imbalances in muscle
strength. Badminton is an asymmetrical sport and this can cause unequal muscle
strength. Such imbalances are not uncommon and may lead to imbalances in

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movement style and then go on to cause injury. Good muscle strength will also help to
protect joints and, thus reduce the risk of injuries. At international level, all elite players
perform strength training and the benefits are also likely to transfer to players of a lower
level of ability. One common concern about weight training is that it will cause excessive
increase in muscle mass (‘bulking up’). This is extremely unlikely to occur if a player is
performing an otherwise well-rounded Badminton training programme.

Weight training should only be undertaken under the supervision of qualified instructors.
Players who are still growing should not normally undertake weight training.

Aerobic training

The purpose of aerobic training is to develop the ability to transport oxygen and
food energy around the body (i.e., cardiovascular fitness). Aerobic activity is quite
simply any exercise that raises the heart rate significantly for fairly prolonged periods of
time. Badminton itself is an aerobic activity and using games as aerobic training is
totally acceptable. However, aerobic training should also be done away from the court.
Any activity which uses large muscles (e.g., legs, arms) will help aerobic fitness
provided that total exercise duration is above about 20 minutes. Suitable activities would
include running, swimming cycling and many fitness classes.

Aerobic (or endurance) fitness is essential for Badminton. Aerobic exercise

involves the heart & lungs transporting oxygen and food energy to the working muscles.
These help to promote recovery from exercise as well as restoring muscle energy
supplies for the next bout of activity. A player with good aerobic fitness will be able to
play very hard without getting as tired as a lessfit opponent. Once a player is tired then
mistakes will become more frequent and, as a consequence, aerobic fitness is likely to
be closely related to success in long games. Good aerobic fitness is also likely to mean
a player can do more training over prolonged periods of time. In this way aerobic
fitness, like strength, underlies all training activities. A common concern about
endurance training is that it will cause a player to become slow. This is because
continuous endurance training is usually performed at fairly low intensity (i.e., a speed
that can be continued for 30 minutes). A lot of continuous endurance training could
certainly detract from speed and agility but appropriate endurance training (detailed
later) should involved a range of activities and training intensities and should not result
in decreased movement speed.

Speed & Agility Training

Speed and agility are quite closely linked to strength. Speed, in particular is
usually improved when strength and power are enhanced. Both speed and agility are
vital to Badminton performance. A successful player must move quickly when
necessary but changes in direction are equally important in the game due to the nature
of the movements required in a rally. While some people seem to be naturally fast and
agile, these are both skills that can be acquired. It is important to remember that speed
and agility will not be improved if a player is training while tired. Speed and agility must
be trained when a player is relatively fresh, but after a good warm up.

Flexibility Training

This is essential for our sport and good flexibility is both a requirement for
success in the sport but is also likely to be related to a reduced risk of getting injured.
Flexibility training involves stretching a joint through its whole range of motion. This can
be done using slow movements where a stretch is held for a period of time up to 30
seconds. This kind of stretching (‘static’) is performed at the limit of a muscle’s range of
motion. Alternatively, flexibility can also be performed using dynamic movements. Both
of these types of flexibility training should be incorporated into every player’s regular
training schedule.

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Core Stability Training

Core stability refers to strength of the postural muscles in the torso. These
muscles help to stabilise the spine, pelvis and shoulders. Although these areas may not
appear to be directly responsible for dynamic movements in badminton, strength here
promotes effective movements in connected areas (i.e., arms, lower body). A ‘strong
core’ can be likened to the foundations of a house. If the core strength is good then the
quality and power of other movements in the arms, trunk and legs will be increased.
Core stability training will help to promote overall balance and muscle control as well as
reducing injury risk and muscle imbalances. The training procedures for core stability
usually involve slow, often static, muscle contractions which may involve some use of
additional equipment such as gym balls. Muscular contraction with an emphasis on
control is the key to successful core stability training.

Circuit Training

Circuit training is a general term used that describes training where different
exercises are performed at high intensity for quite short periods, followed by quite short
rest periods. Circuit training is excellent for badminton fitness as it can be used to
increase muscle strength, endurance and aerobic fitness. Circuit training can be
performed using weight training exercises or by using one’s own body weight to create
a resistance. Additionally, movement drills (sprints, shadow play etc.) could be adapted
to form a part or the whole of a circuit training session. Typical work duration would be
30 seconds, with an intervening rest period of 30 seconds. With a range of exercises
(jumps, sprints, court drills, weights, sit-ups, press-ups) many different activities can be
performed one after the other to form a whole circuit training session which could last
around 20 minutes or more.

Badminton Drills

Stability and Conditioning Drill

Shuttle pumping drill

 FH and BH Bumping the shuttle in place.
 Bumping the shuttle while walking.
 Pump up once and stabilize in your racket.
Scooping the shuttle
 Lay the shuttle with heads tilted upwards.
 Lay the shuttle down by the side.
Overhead shuttle throw
 Have a group of two throw shuttle behind the singles side line.
Throwing and catching
 While partner throws the shuttle, catch it with racket face facing the
shuttles direction then lay flat.
 Alternate by hitting the shuttle.

28
Stroke Drills: Overhead Clear
Preparation Phase
 Front foot pivot inward, heel facing side
 Torso turn to the side.
 Both hands raising up.
 Eyes on the shuttle.
Contact Phase
 Elbow rotates.
 Arm close to head.
Stroke Drills: Overhead Drop
Drop Shot
 Same technique as overhead clear.
 Instead of using elbow, focus on wrist pushing/slicing/hitting the tip of
the shuttle.
Shot types (Front, Diagonal)
 Slicing
 Hitting
 Pushing
Hitting Sequence
 Rotate body, slicing the shuttle without using excess force of elbow,
focus only on wrist follow through with back leg.
Overhead Clear Drill
Overhead Clear
 Hitting the shuttle back and forth
Overhead Drive
 Hitting the shuttle back and forth
Overhead Smash and Return
 Practice recovery and defense
Overhead Drop and Return
 Overhead drop near the net and clearing the shuttle for a return
Net Play Drill
Net Play: redirect shots
 Net drop in place.
 Diagonal Net Hook.
 Net Clear.
 Net Push/Kill : toward body or the court.

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 Advanced Skill Practice
Half Court Badminton
 Accuracy and half court control.
Front and Backcourt Drill
 Trainer drop shots the shuttle towards front court and clears the shuttle
by sending to the backcourt.
 Athlete has to hit the shuttle back to the trainer.
Modification
 Hit back to the trainer as he/she moves.
 Aim for four different angles as the trainer maintain dropping the shuttle
front and back the court.
Badminton Etiquette
(1) Safety first. Always keep the racket in hand and never let it fly off. In
situations where hitting a shuttle could cause injuries to the partner or
opponent(s) or cause a collision between rackets, the best option would be
letting the shuttle go. For amateur players, losing one point is much better
than causing injuries or breaking a racket (or even worse, breaking two
rackets at one time).
(2) Share the cost of the court and shuttles. Compared to some other sports
(e.g., running, swimming, soccer, basketball, table tennis, squash, etc.),
badminton is a relatively expensive sport. The racket, string, over grip,
badminton shoes, and other accessories could all be expensive.
Furthermore, it is repetitive investments to rent a badminton court and buy
shuttles, which are often the largest expenses in the badminton sport.
Thus, it would be good if all players can share the cost of the court and
shuttles.
(3) Actively pick up the shuttle when it falls on your side and deliver it to the
appropriate player.
(4) Take turn to play when there are other players waiting, particularly when
we are playing on a public court.
(5) Do not hit the shuttle into an opponent’s body intentionally and apologize
immediately when it happens. Although body shots are sometimes very
effective in earning points, they could possibly irritate the opponents and
result in unhappy experiences. So try to avoid playing them especially in
casual plays, where there is no incentives of prize money or title.
(6) Be on time. In this busy world, every one lives a busy life. When we have
an appointment with somebody, we should try to show up on time. In order
to avoid being late or letting the appointment occupy our schedule (more

30
 exactly, our mind), we may consider going to the badminton court alone
and find some one to play with.
(7) Try to avoid borrowing racket from others. The author once checked out a
racket from CoRec. It was broken during his play, and the staff at CoRec
asked him to pay $15. He argued that the racket had been used by many
players before he checked it out and that it just happened to break in his
hand. In the end, he was fortunate to be exempted from the payment. It
seems this argument applies to almost all situations, in which we borrow
something that has been used from others and unintentionally break it
while using it. To avoid unhappy experiences in playing badminton, the
best way would be avoiding borrowing rackets from others, particularly if
one plans to play badminton repeatedly (i.e., not just for one or two times).
(8) Clap or shake hands after playing a game and have a talk. In badminton,
the competing players are separated by a net, which limits the
communication between/among the players. As a result, the after-game
talks are good opportunities to exchange experience of playing badminton,
offer each other suggestions for mutual improvement, share recently lives,
and build friendship.
Psychology in Badminton
There has been a long debate about the influence of psychology in the matches
between Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. It is generally agreed that Lee Chong Wei has
some psychological burden when playing with Lin Dan, because he lost in most of the
matches played with Lin Dan in the past, particularly in many important matches, such
as the Olympics and World Championships finals. Although we, as amateur players, are
not playing badminton at such a high level or with so much pressure, psychology does
play an important role. Some specific aspects are as follows.
(1) Be confident and believe we will win when playing badminton matches.
Confidence has a close relationship with the quality of shots. Oftentimes,
we see a positive chain effect, that is, being confident → playing high
quality shots → being more confident → playing higher quality shots → · · ·
, or a negative chain effect, that is, being unconfident → playing low quality
shots → being more unconfident → playing lower quality shots → · · · .
Confidence matters a lot. Aiming to win is the spirit of all sports; it drives us
to improve our skills so that we can become faster, higher, and stronger
(i.e., the Olympic motto).
(2) Control the pace of the game. Every player has an intrinsic, optimal pace of
play. When the pace of a game matches the optimal pace of a player,
he/she is more likely to have the best performance.

31
 (3) Deal with frustrations properly and play in a positive manner consistently.
Occasionally the opponents are able to return the shuttle no matter how
well our shots are played. This could easily cause frustrations or other
negative effects in the following points. Probably, the best way to deal with
this kind of situations is to treat every point as an independent, new start,
play with more patience and a more positive attitude, plan the shots more
carefully, and seize the opportunities to win points when they come.
Oftentimes, how a player deals with frustrations greatly affects his/her
performance and thus the result of the match. It takes time to learn dealing
with frustrations with patience and a positive attitude. This is also one of
the biggest differences between experienced players and novices.
Prevention of Injuries
No matter for professional or amateur badminton players, injuries are disastrous. Due to
the high intensity of badminton, injuries are not uncommon. The body parts that are
prone to injuries in badminton include ankles, knees, waist, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and
fingers, most of which are joints of our body. Among all injuries, knee pain is probably
the most common one, particularly for the knee on the racket-hand side. A few
suggestions to prevent injuries are as follows.
(1) Build a stronger body through physical training exercises, as discussed in
Chapter 4, and improve badminton skills so as to use less footwork and hit
the shuttle with less pain during play. This is the most useful and long-
lasting way to prevent injuries.
(2) Warm up sufficiently before playing games.
(3) Limit playing with those who have much better skills but do not adjust their
skills according to the opponent’s skills. Challenging those high-level
players may seem interesting and rewarding, but the chance of getting
injured is much higher because we are playing at a state that is close to or
even beyond our limit.
(4) Wear protective equipment (e.g., knee brace, elbow brace, wrist brace,
etc.). Although the effectiveness of those braces is hard to evaluate, they
should be somewhat beneficial.
(5) Do some stretches and take time to cool down after play before taking a
shower or going outside. This is particularly important if the indoor and
outdoor air temperatures differ greatly. Going into a much hotter/colder
environment after play with a sweating body could easily cause
heatstroke/a cold, respectively.

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file:///C:/Users/Administrator/Downloads/Badminton%20Skills%20and%20Drills.pdf

http://zuyuanwang.net/Badminton_Book/[00]_Badminton_Book_Full.pdf

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