Badminton is a game in which opposing players use rackets to hot a shuttle, back and forth over net. British officials in India learned the game, known as poona, and took it to England. Game is played on court or lawn with lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock. Historically, the shuttlecock (also known as a “bird” or “birdie”) was a small cork hemisphere with 16 goose feathers attached and weighing about 5 grams. These types of shuttles are still used in modern play, but shuttles made from synthetic materials are also allowed by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The game is named for Badminton, the country estate of the dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England,  where it was first played about 1873. The roots of the sport can be traced to ancient Greece, China, and India, and it is closely related to the old children’s game battledore and shuttlecock. The first unofficial all-England badminton championships for men were held in 1899, and the first badminton tournament for women was arranged the next year.

BWF, the world governing body of the sport, was formed in 1934. Badminton is also popular in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Denmark. The BWF’s first world championships were held in 1977. A number of regional, national, and zonal badminton tournaments are held in several countries. The best-known of these is the All-England Championships. Other well-known international tournaments include the Thomas Cup (donated 1939) for men’s team competition and the Uber Cup (donated 1956) for women’s team competition.

Badminton first appeared in the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1972 and as an exhibition sport in 1988. At the 1992 Games it became a full-medal Olympic sport, with competition for men’s and women’s singles (one against one) and doubles (two against two). Mixed doubles was introduced at the 1996 Games.

Play consists entirely of volleying (hitting) the shuttlecock back and forth across the net without letting it touch the floor or ground within the boundaries of the court. It flies slowly when hit gently. But when hit hard and time perfectly, it may travel at more than 300 kilometers per hour. However, the shuttle decelerates quickly after a short distance.

The badminton racket can be up to 68 centimeters long, and it usually weight about 100 grams. The badminton net is 152 centimeters high at the center and 155 centimeters high at the posts. The size of the court is in rectangular divided into two equal parts by a net suspended posts. A number of line further divide the court into various sections. All lines are 4 centimeters wide.

The four common storks in badminton are known as clear, also called lob; drop; drive; and smash. In the clear, the shuttle soars in a high arc and falls into the court behind the opponent. In the drop, the shuttle falls gently and just clears the net. The drive is hard stroke hit on a straight line. The smash is a hard stroke hit sharply downward.  All four can be forehand or backhand strokes. Much deception is possible in placing shots and in controlling the shuttle, which often will stop short in its flight and plunge down the court.

As far as scoring is concern, only the side that is serving can score a point. The server scores (1) when the opponent lets the shuttle drop to the ground, (2) by a fault. A fault occurs when the opponent touches the net or shuttle returns the shuttle into or under the net hits it out of the playing area, or the shuttle is caught and held on the racket and then slung during a stroke. A men's single's game is consist of 15 points. If the score is tide at 13 all, the side first  making that total has choice of playing 5 more points or just to 15. If the score is then tied at 14 all, the side has the choice of playing 3 more points or just to 15 points. A women's single's game is consist of 11 points. There is choice of 3 more points if the score is tide at 9 all, and 2 more if the score is tied at 10 all. Both men's and women's doubleshe play 15 points. A match is best of three games.

In international play, athletes compete in best-of-three-games matches. A game is played to 21 points, provided that the winner has at least a 2-point advantage. If a 2-point advantage is never reached, the first player or team to score 30 points wins. Points were only awarded to the serving side until 2006, when the BWF adopted the “rally scoring” system, under which either side can score at any time.