Introduction:
Badminton is called as the game of two players using shuttlecocks and rackets. Badminton is played by one person who throws his shuttlecock towards the opponent’s court, while he stands behind his net ready to catch the ball if it drops short. A player may use either racket or shuttlecock depending upon the type of badminton being played. In India, the badminton rules were first formulated in 1860 by James Jephcott F.R.G.S. (1822-1902), the British Indian sports official.
A shuttle-cock is the
racket, generally wooden, used in badminton. Its head is covered with cloth and
contains feathers attached to rubber bands around its rim. The netting of the
racket is called a throat. There are two types of shuttles commonly used in
badminton: One is open-ended; the other is closed-ended. Each type consists of
four parts: A handle (or shaft), a grip, a head, and a stringing. The strings
are attached at the end of the head where they attach to a cross bar or bridge.
These strings are called'strings'. The stringing is done using gut, nylon,
cotton, etc.
The shuttlecock is
thrown across the court by the player, who holds the racket loosely in his hand
and hits the ball with full force. If it contacts the ground first, it is said
to have fallen short. If it bounces off the back of the opposite side's net, it
is said to fall long. If it touches any part of the opponent's body before
bouncing out of bounds, it is deemed to have been touched. The point of contact
between the racket and the shuttlecock is called the service line. When the
ball bounces through the service line, the serve is considered valid, and if
the opponent returns the ball, he may hit it anywhere on the court, except
behind him.
Racket
Rackets are the
equipment used in badminton to strike the shuttlecock. The rackets are
constructed of wood, fiberglass, graphite, carbon fiber, plastic, steel,
titanium, aluminum, brass, gold, silver, copper, nickel, and so on. Different
materials make different sounds when struck. A racket should be able to produce
a sound loud enough to alert the opponent and let him know when the shuttlecock
has landed in play. The weight of the racket and its length determine how much
spin, speed, and power it generates. Most rackets have a head size of 58 cm,
although some top players use rackets whose heads are larger than 60 cm.
There are two basic
types of rackets: The double-headed racket, which has a single piece of wood
with a handle at both ends, and the multi-piece racket, which is made up of
several pieces that fit together. Double-headed rackets offer the best control
when striking the shuttlecock. However, the multi-piece rackets are lighter,
more durable, and easier to move. Also, multi-piece rackets allow the player to
change the feel of the racket, as well as the balance. The main advantage of
the multi-piece racket is that it can be adjusted after each game to provide
optimum performance.
The type of racket
used by a player is determined by his skill level, personal preference, and
technique. In general, beginners use a soft racket, while intermediate players
use a stiffer racket. Players who excel at doubles use a stiff racket.
Net
The net is a
structure that surrounds the playing area. In badminton, it serves to keep the
shuttlecock and other objects away from the players' bodies. At times, a net
may obstruct the view
There is no doubt that badminton is one of the most popular
sports played around the world, especially in Asian countries. Badminton is
played using rackets (also known as shuttlecocks) and shuttlecocks. Rackets are
used to hit shuttlecocks while playing badminton. In order to play good
badminton, you should have knowledge about these two essential items. There are
many types of shuttlecocks; however, the ones used for badminton are usually
round-shaped. These shuttlecocks are made out of polyurethane and plastic
material. However, the type of racket used for hitting the shuttlecocks is made
out of wood or metal.
The Rules of Badminton:
A badminton match
begins with each player choosing a side before the start. Each player then hits
the shuttlecock over the net from the center of their own half of the court.
The objective is to get the shuttlecock past the opponent's opponent's racquet
and onto the opposing court. If the shuttlecock touches down in the air or
lands out of bounds, the opposite side wins; otherwise, the point is lost. Once
the shuttlecock has been struck, the player must wait until it bounces twice
before returning it. After a successful return, the player may hit the shuttle
again in order to gain another point. However, once the shuttle is returned,
the player cannot hit it again until it has bounced at least three times. All
other points scored count double. There are four major types of badminton,
known as singles, doubles, mixed doubles and team games. These are based on the
number of players and whether they play with rackets or shuttlecocks.
Singles:
This type of
badminton involves only one player. Both of them use rackets, though the winner
is decided by the higher scoring point.
Doubles:
Each player uses both
a racket and a shuttlecock. Each of the two competitors scores a point by
hitting the shuttlecock across the net, which then bounces back toward its
original position. If the shuttlecock misses the intended target and falls
outside the playing area, it goes out of bounds and no further action is taken.
The score is again determined by which competitor has achieved the highest
score.
Mixed Doubles:
Two players compete
together in this variation of badminton. One of them uses rackets and the other
uses a shuttlecock. The player who uses the shuttlecock serves the ball over
the net and then returns it to his opponent. The same method is followed by the
second player. Points are gained by bouncing the shuttlecock correctly.
Team Games:
In team badminton,
two teams of two people take turns serving the ball over the net. Each player
on the court tries to intercept the ball with his racket and send it back over
the net. Points are scored according to the rules given above.
In badminton, it's a well known fact that the shuttlecocks
are very important for the game. As we know that the shuttlecock is hit by the
player who wants to play the game, therefore, the shuttlecock is very crucial.
The role of
shuttlecocks is to give us information about the state of the game. If the
shuttlecock goes out of control and hits the ground, the players have lost
their concentration while playing the game. And if the shuttlecock moves in a
straight line, then it indicates that the player is not interested in the game.
So, it’s important for the players to understand how the shuttlecock works.
There are two types
of shuttlecocks, they are wooden and plastic. Both these types of shuttlecocks
have different features. Generally, wooden shuttlecocks are stronger than
plastic ones. In addition, wooden shuttlecocks last longer than plastic ones.
But, there is no difference between them in terms of performance.
A racket is a tool used by the players to hit the shuttlecock. There are many types of rackets according to their function. These rackets act as an indicator of the condition of the game. If a player uses wrong type of racket, he/she may lose his/her interest towards the game. A good quality racket gives reliable feedback.
If the shuttlecock is
hit correctly, it returns back without any loss of speed and direction. In this
case, the player can get a point. On the contrary, if the shuttlecock gets
blocked in the court, it is called as a fault. The player loses his/her point
and points given to the opponent. Moreover, if the shuttlecock touches the net,
it is called as an out. In this situation, the player loses his/her game. If
the shuttlecocks move in a straight line, the player wins the match. However,
if the shuttlecocks go beyond the boundary, then the player loses the match.
AT LAST!!!
It is clear from the
above discussion that both shuttlecocks and rackets are very important for the
badminton game. If you want to learn about the game, you should understand the
working of these tools properly.
The role of shuttlecocks and rackets is not only restricted
to games like badminton however they have been utilized by many others for
different purposes. Shuttlecocks are made to help players maintain balance
while hitting a racket in order to hit the ball back. These serve as great
training tools and give players a chance to practice their strokes without
having to go outside and play with real balls. As far as rackets are concerned
they tend to vary depending upon the type of game being played. While some use
them for serving, others use them for hitting the shuttlecocks which then
return towards the player.
Badminton is a type of racket game played between two teams of two players each. The object of the game is to hit the opponent's shuttlecocks back and forth using a rackets. Each player uses a badminton racket with a net over it. Badminton is one of the oldest racket sports games and originated in India. It is now widespread throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
In badminton, the aim is for the server (the person who hits the ball) to make contact with the enemy's racquet before receiving the ball. The goal of the receiver is to return the shuttlecock to the server before he/she gets it. Points are scored by either side when the shuttlecock lands, bounces or rebounds off anything, except the floor or another racket. If the shuttlecock goes out of bounds, both sides lose 1 point. If it goes into the service box, the server loses 2 points. If it goes out of the court without touching the ground, the server loses 5 points. A match consists of 12 regular sets of four points each. After the third set, if the score is tied 4-4, then the remaining three sets are sudden death. Sudden death means that if the server wins any of the first three sets, he/she wins the match. If the server loses the first set, and if he/she wins the second and third sets and if the receiver wins the fourth set, the server still wins the match.
There are two types
of badminton: singles and doubles. Singles are played by two individuals, while
doubles is where two pairs compete. There are five positions in singles: left
hand partner, right hand partner, backhand partner, front hand partner and
server. Players take turns serving, and in order for the server to win, she
must reach her partner’s side of the baseline. Once the server reaches his/her
partner’s side, the server must hit the shuttlecock towards the opposing team’s
side of center line. Both players may hit the shuttlecock. However, if the
server returns it back, the server loses 1 point.
In doubles, the position of partners change compared to singles. Partners take turns serving and the server wins by getting the shuttlecock into the opponents corner. When the server gets the shuttlecock, the server then sends the shuttlecock to her partner. Then, the player receives the shuttlecock and sends it back. Partners may hit the shuttlecock themselves, but, if the server does it, the server loses 1 pt.
