Badminton: Olympic event, Badminton gains popularity
Badminton is a very famous sport all over the world. Before playing badminton one has to be fully aware of the rules of the game. Badminton is played in singles as well as doubles. More practice and effort can result in a better badminton player. Badminton players are valued a lot in their country. There are many badminton clubs in the world. Competition between the badminton players from all over the world is worth watching.
After cricket and football, badminton has become one of the popular games played at the international level. Badminton players always want to give their best so that they can be selected as international badminton players. The players must abide by the rules of badminton if they want to be successful in achieving a prestigious badminton game. Badminton was first played in the 17th century.
In 1992 badminton became an Olympic sport. It consists of five main events:
men’s singles
women’s singles
men’s doubles
women’s doubles
mixed doubles( in which there is one male and female in each pair)
Badminton players gain points by striking the shuttlecock without touching the net .The players stand on the opposite sides of a net which is placed at center. The match may be played by a single player on each side or by two players on each side. Badminton is played with specially designed racquets. The game set up consists of a rectangular court which is split into two halves with a net. The other important item of the badminton sport besides the racquet is a shuttlecock. The shuttlecock is made up of feathers which can be hit more easily and smoothly than it would be with a ball.
Badminton players should posses some qualities like self confidence and practice. These two characteristics can lead the players in the right direction towards success and prosperity. In addition to these two characteristics it is very important for the badminton player to show presence of mind and he should be focused on the position of the shuttlecock and his opponent. This vigilant behavior depicts the player’s motivation and dedication towards the badminton competition. If one wins a badminton match he not only gets fame and attention but also the prize. The prize depends on the terms and conditions of the type of competition so it may vary.
The game of badminton starts with the first hit of the shuttlecock made by one of the players. The other player is supposed to hit the shuttlecock heading towards him but should be careful that it doesn’t hit the net.
The highest governing body of badminton is the Badminton World Federation. Five regional confederations associated with the Badminton World Federation are as follows:
Asia: Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)
Africa: Badminton Africa Confederation (BAC)
America: Badminton Pan Am (BPA)
Europe: Badminton Europe (BE)
Oceania: Badminton Oceania (BO)
Shuttlecock
The shuttlecock is a very important item for playing badminton. The shuttlecock is also known as bird. It has a conical shape. There is a round cork base in which the sixteen overlapping feathers are embedded. The cork is covered by synthetic material or thin leather.
Synthetic shuttles are more durable than the feather shuttles because the feather shuttles break easily and are not so reliable where as the synthetic shuttles are made up of nylon.
There are three types of nylon shuttles.
Green
Blue
Red
These three types are differently used as they have different speeds. The green nylon shuttle has slow speed. The blue nylon shuttle has middle speed and the red nylon shuttle has the fastest speed. The use of these shuttles depends on the temperature. In hot temperatures slow speed shuttles are mostly used while in cold temperature fast speed shuttles are preferred. The speed of these shuttlecocks can be checked by observing the coloured strips fastened around the cork.
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