7 things we bet you didn’t know about badminton

Rackets, nets, a feathery object, and swift back and forths – sounds familiar? That’s right, we’re talking about the world’s fastest racquet sport – Badminton.

Badminton is a sport that requires its players to have strength, endurance, agility, power, and superhuman reflexes. It’s a game every one of us have played for fun, if not competitively. But let’s see if you know these rare facts about the beloved game.

It used to be played with feet

Surprising, isn’t it? Badminton used to be played with the players’ feet. The game called Ti Ziang Ji, played by the Chinese, involved using feet to hit the shuttlecock. Even today, this game is played in China.

It wasn’t called badminton at first

Originally, in its primitive state, the sport was called ‘battledore’ and ‘shuttlecock’. British army officers who were introduced to the sport made their own adaptations and called it ‘poona’ for ‘the game from Pune’, which is where the garrison was stationed.

Soldiers returning from India took the game back home with them. This caught the attention of the then Duke of Beaufort, who introduced the game at his lawn-party to the guests in 1873. He called it ‘the Badminton game’ after his estate – the Badminton House. The name clearly stuck, didn’t it?

It comes down to feathers and guts

High-quality shuttlecocks are made using the feathers obtained from the same wing – the left wing, as it ensures a better aerodynamic performance. 16 feathers are used to make a shuttlecock, which weighs between 4.74 and 5.5 grams.

Although many players have switched to synthetic rackets, some still choose rackets with strings made from the dried stomach lining of cats or cows.

It became an Olympic sport recently

Although it has been played across the world for many years, Badminton was elected into the Olympic circle only recently. It was at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 that it was included in the Olympics for the first time.

It can last for mere minutes or for hours

A badminton match once lasted just 6 minutes – Ra Kyung-Min (South Korea) crushed Julia Mann (England) 11-2, 11-1, at the 1996 Uber Cup in Hong Kong, in the shortest badminton match ever played.

The longest badminton match lasted 124 minutes, between Peter Rasmussen of Denmark and Sun Jun of China.

It’s a game your heart will love

Playing badminton regularly keeps hearts healthy, strengthens the muscles of the heart, and reduces clogging of blood vessels.  

Also, thanks to its flexible pace, Badminton is a great activity for those with heart conditions.

So, the next time you’re wondering if you should sign up for badminton training, remember you’ll be actively conditioning your heart by participating.

It’s an Asian-dominated sport

It’s true, Asians have always dominated this sport. A staggering 70% of badminton international competitions are won by either Indonesian or Chinese players.

As for the prized Thomas Cup, only three countries have ever won it since the competition was established in 1848 - China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Also, ever since it was included in the Olympics, Asian players have taken home 93 out of the 103 Olympic medals.

If you’re looking for a sign to take up badminton, this is it! Badminton for beginners is a great place to start.

Here’s to smashing it at Badminton classes!