BADMINTON HISTORY
Badminton
is believed to be traced back more than 2000 years but its modern version is
said to have been invented in 19th century in England by duke of Beaufort,
who bought this game from India.
EARLY
HISTORY
A
badminton like game was known in ancient Greece and Egypt, a game called
battledore and shuttle. In this game, two players hit the feathered shuttlecock
back and forth with rackets.
Initially, the game was played in India during
18th century, at that time it was called “Poona”. In 1860s it was
adopted by British army stationed in India. The officers took the game back too
the England, where it became popular in 1873.
Games
involving shuttlecocks have been playing for centuries across Eurasia, but
modern badminton developed in 1873 among officers of British India as a variant
of earlier game of “battledore” (an older term for “racquet”) and shuttlecock.
The
name derives from duke of Beaufort’s badminton house in Gloucestershire. In
1860, Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer published a booklet entitled badminton
battledore. An article in Cornhill Magazine describes badminton as
battledore and shuttlecock played with sides, across a string suspended some
feet from ground.
RACKET
The
first badminton rackets were made up of single piece of wood and animal’s guts
as strings. A piece of clothing was wrapped over the handle to make it more
comfortable and easier to play.
Later,
athletes began using lighter rackets made up of aluminum or steel, until carbon
fire revolutionized the way rackets built in 1950s. The graphite composite
rackets of nowadays are light and strings are made up of variety of hybrid
nylon.
SHUTTLECOCK
Shuttlecocks
have also gone through huge modifications. In beginning, they were made from unrefined
bird feathers. With the growth of this sport, the feathers became standardized.
For long time geese feathers were used for international matches and duck
feathers for club play.
From
2021, natural feather shuttlecocks were replaced by synthetics ones in all the
tournaments run by Badminton World Federation (BWF).
RULES
OF BADMINTON
Over
the years, rules of badminton have evolved. The first rules of badminton were
made in 1873. Until 1887 the badminton was played under the Pune rules, when J.H.E
hart of bath badminton club revised regulations. The badminton association of
England (BAE) published rules in 1893 and officially created this sport at a
house called “Dunbar” in Portsmouth on 13 September.
Until
2001, shuttlers played up to 15 points, where only serving side could score the
points. With the passage of time, players compete in rally point system up to
20 points. In 1983, a rule was introduced that allowed players to serve
overhead. However, it changed again in 2006. The shuttlecock should be below
the waist of server during it hit.
The
hawk eye-system was revolutionary introduction in 2014, allowing players to
challenge the judge decision by asking for a video review of the play. However,
many other rules have been added to clothing and equipment, as well as course
surface that is now covered with a synthetic mat especially built for
badminton.
DEVELOPMENT
OF BADMINTON
Badminton
has become one of most popular sports in the world, with estimated 339 million
people playing it. Since 1960s, the badminton stars have revolutionized the
gameplay by refining the skills of sport.
Badminton
has huge popularity in Asia, where seven of ten most badminton-playing
countries are. On the professional scale, prize money has increased and world
tour finals have highest payout at 2 million US dollars.
This
game developed in British India from a earlier game of battledore. European play
come to be dominated by Denmark, with recent competitions dominated by China.
At
the end, badminton is more than outdoor activity, it is ultimate form of
exercise. It improves individuals’ fitness by strengthening muscles and bones.
It also burns the fat and regulate the weight y avoiding obesity.
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