The sport of badminton has roots in games that were played as early as the fifth century, and is a descendant of the Indian sport of poona. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort held a lawn party in his English country place, Badminton. Poona was played at the party and became known as "the Badminton game." In 1877, the Bath Badminton Club was formed and developed the first official set of badminton rules.
Court
A badminton courts is a rectangle shape that is 44 feet in length. Singles badminton matches play on a court that is 17 feet wide; doubles games play on a court that is 22 feet wide. Badminton courts are lined clearly with 40mm wide lines, usually colored in white or yellow. Every badminton court is separated length-wise by a net. The net height is 5 feet and 1 inch on the end of the court, and 5 feet tall at the center court point.
Shuttle
The shuttle is unique to badminton, and is composed of natural or synthetic materials. All shuttles are required to follow a similar flight path to a feathered shuttle, which is made up of 16 feathers fixed in the base according to specific rules; the feathers must be of the same length and be 62 to 70mm long. The badminton shuttle base is made from cork and covered with a thin leather layer. A badminton shuttle must weigh from 4.74 to 5.5g.
Racket
Badminton rackets are inspected by match officials, and must be no more than 680mm in length and 230mm in overall width. Badminton players must grip the handle of the racket during play, and the hand should not contact the shuttle.
Scoring
Badminton matches are played in a best-of-three-games format, with a winner being declared if a two-set lead is achieved. Only the badminton player serving can score a point; if the receiving player wins the point she is allowed to serve the next one. In the classic scoring system, 15 points must be achieved to win a game in doubles and men's singles. In the female singles format, 11 points must be achieved to win a game. If the score reaches 14 to 14, the side that reached 14 points first is allowed to play to 15, or set the game to 17. If the score in a female game reaches 10 to 10, the side that reached 10 first can set the game to 11 or 13 points.
Faults
A service fault is called if the shuttle hits the net, or if the server's foot touches or leaves the service area of the court. A fault is called in play if the shuttle lands outside the court boundary lines, or if the shuttle hits the net or passes underneath. A fault results in a point or service being awarded to the opposition.
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