1. Swatting the Shuttlecock
The shuttlecock is otherwise known as the shuttle or birdie. It's a light, aerodynamic cone-shaped projectile with a plastic skirt or real goose feathers attached to a leather and cork or rubber base. In badminton, you swat the shuttlecock back and forth between 2 players using a racket. Sometimes the swatting occurs between 2 teams of doubles. The winners are determined based on a point system. The first side to score 15 points wins the game. A match is the best of 3 games.
2. Hopping Around a Giant Rectangle: the Badminton Court
When you play badminton, you'll be playing in a rectangle court that is 44 feet and 11.6 inches long and 16 feet and 11.9 inches wide. This court is for singles. If you're playing with doubles, the court is slightly larger with an extension of 1.5 feet on both sides. The net in a badminton court is directly in the center of the length of the court. The net is 61 inches off the ground on either side and dips slightly to 60 inches in the center.
3. Badminton Can Enhance Quality of Life
Badminton is strenuous exercise that involves a lot of jumping and running. This sport can help improve your cardiovascular fitness, which can ultimately make you feel healthier and happier and more accepting of your body. Also, since you're moving around so much when you play badminton, it's also a great way to lose weight. On average you'll burn 100 to 200 calories for a half-hour session of badminton.
4. The Badminton Racket Grip
Think about how you would firmly shake someone's hand when it comes time to hold a badminton racket. Just as you wouldn't want to crush someone's hands, neither do you want to hold the racket in a death squeeze. This is the Forehand Grip. A variation of this grip is the Orthodox Forehand Grip where you form a v-shape with your thumb and index finger on the top edge of the handle. The index finger in higher up the handle than the thumb and the fingers are not bunched in a fist, but slightly spread along the handle. Another common grip is the Frying Pan Grip which involves turning the face of the racket 90 degrees so that it's horizontal to the floor. The v-shape of the index finger and thumb should run down the flat back edge of the handle.
5. Move Those Feet
Good footwork in badminton will make sure the birdie goes where you want it to go. It will also allow you to return a shot. Since you'll be traveling from one side of the court to the other, don't stand there like a statue while you wait for a return shot. Bounce around on your toes so you're always ready to move.
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