Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor.

In the 5th century BC, the people in china then played a game called ti jian zi. A direct translation from this word 'ti jian zi' is kicking the shuttle. As the name suggest, the objective of the game is to keep the shuttle from hitting the ground without using hand. Whether this sport has anything to do with the History of Badminton is up for debate. It was however the first game that uses a Shuttle.

About five centuries later, a game named Battledore and Shuttlecockwas played in china, Japan, India and Greece. This is a game where you use the Battledore (a paddle) to hit the Shuttlecock back and forth. By the 16th century, it has become a popular game among children in England. In Europe this game was known as jeu de volant to them. In the 1860s, a game named Poona was played in India. This game is much like the Battledore and Shuttlecock but with an added net. The British army learned this game in India and took the equipments back to England during the 1870s.

In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort held a lawn party in his country place, Badminton. A game of Poona was played on that day and became popular among the British society's elite. The new party sport became known as "the Badminton game". In 1877, the Bath Badminton Club was formed and developed the first official set of rules.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed in 1934 with 9 founding members. –

England

Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Denmark

Holland

Canada

New Zealand

France

Since then, major international tournaments like the  Thomas Cup (MEN) and Uber Cup (WOMEN) were held. Badminton was officially granted Olympic status in the 1992 Barcelona Games. From 9 founding members, IBF now have over 150 member countries. The future of Badminton looks bright indeed.

The badminton shuttlecock, also referred to as a birdie, acts similarly to a ball in other racket sports.

However, the design of the birdie creates more drag as it is propelled through the air due to its feathered shape.

The shuttlecock is made up of a cone shape with a hard cork at its tip.

Shuttlecocks can be made from a variety of materials -- more expensive models are actually made from feathers, and less expensive models are made from plastic.

The badminton racket is one of the most important tools a player has in the game. Badminton rackets are much lighter than most other sports rackets because they are made from materials such as carbon fiber or lighter metals such as aluminum. Strings that are stretched across the opening of the racket in a checkerboard pattern, which acts as the hitting surface. Badminton rackets can vary widely in cost depending on whether they are purchased as part of a basic backyard set or as more expensive professional models.

The body of the racket itself is called the frame. It consists of the head, the stringed area, the throat, the shaft and the handle.

According to BWF laws, the length of the frame should be no longer than 680mm or wider than 230mm.

The weight of a fully strung frame should be within 80 and 100g.

Frames can come in different shapes, with larger or smaller sweet spots, and can be more or less flexible, depending on the materials used and their construction.

The head of the racket is the ring of material that holds the strings in place. It can be oval or more rounded, and has holes in its perimeter though which the strings are laced.

The stringed area is made up of nylon or carbon fiber string that is interwoven to form the face of the racket. Its dimensions, according to BWF rules, must not exceed 280mm in length or 220mm in width.

The throat connects the head to the shaft. It may be a separate triangular piece at the base of the head, or may actually be integrated into the head itself.

The shaft is the long rod between the throat and handle. Often made of a composite material such as graphite, the shaft can be stiffer or more flexible based on the needs of the player.

The handle connects to the shaft and is used to hold the racket.

The handle is covered with a material called the grip.

There are two types of grips: towel grips are good for absorbing moisture, but may need to be changed frequently and synthetic grips are less absorbent but more durable.

The post is made of hardwood or iron tube. The circumference is 0.80 cm. The height is 1.54 m.

The net divides the badminton court into two sides.

A badminton net is placed lower than a volleyball net at five feet and one inches high on the sides and five feet high in the center.

The net length may vary depending on whether doubles or singles are playing, with singles reaching 17 feet and doubles reaching 22 feet.

The court is on a wooden or cemented floor free of obstacles, and spacious enough.

The size of the court for singles is 12.30x5.80 m.

The back court is 4.72 m and the front court is 1.98 m from the net to the end line.

For doubles, the size is12.30x6.00 m.

1) Hold the neck of the racket in your left hand (reverse all instructions if you are left-handed).

2)Hold the racket face perpendicular to the ground.

3)"Shake hands" with the racket, placing your right hand in the middle of the grip. Wrap your fingers around the grip, with your thumb on the side of the handle pointing forward toward the head of the racket.

4) Wrap your fingers around the grip, with your thumb on the side of the handle pointing forward toward the head of the racket.

5) Allow your forefinger and third finger to spread as much as feels comfortable on the grip.

6) Check to see that the "V" of your thumb and forefinger is on the top notch of your eight-sided handle.

7) Start with your hand in the proper forehand grip position (see Section 1), with the racket face perpendicular to the ground and the "V" of your thumb and forefinger on the top of the eight-sided handle.

8) Slide your hand counter-clockwise on the grip, so the "V" of your thumb and forefinger is over the top-left bevel of the eight-sided grip.

9) Place the pad of your thumb against the side bevel of the grip, still pointing forward.

10) Use your thumb to support the racket during your quick drives and deep clears.

Smash (hitting the shuttle down fast and steeply)

Drop shot (hitting the shuttle so that is falls into the other players front court)

Net roll (hitting a shot from the net that spins over the net)

Lift (hitting the shuttle from the net, up high into the opponents back court)

Drive (hitting the shuttle flat across the top of the net)

Block (stopping a smash from hitting the ground on your side and hitting back over the net)

Backhand serve (serving the shuttle with a backhand motion)

Forehand serve (serving the shuttle with a forehand motion)

Clear (hitting the shuttle from the back of your court, high into the other players back court)

Badminton can be played by two or four players.

In a singles, two single players (two men or two women) play against each other. A doubles consists of two opposing pairs of players.

The game therefore has five disciplines: ladies' singles, ladies' doubles, men's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles.

There are ladies' doubles (two pairs of ladies playing against each other), men's doubles (two pairs of two men playing against each other) and mixed doubles (two pairs consisting of one man and one woman playing against each other).

In normal play, the court is 13.40m long and 5.10m (singles) or 6.10m (doubles) wide.

The height of the net is 1.524m over the centre of the court, but 1.55m over the side lines of the doubles court.

The singles court always covers the full length of the court, from base line to base line, both in normal play and for the service. Similarly, singles are always played on the narrow court.

The Referee shall be in overall charge of the tournament.  They shall ensue that the tournament is conducted in accordance with the Laws of Badminton, the Rules and Regulations of the BWF and any other regulations pertinent to the specific competition.  They should ensure that the players are given facilities and playing conditions of an adequate standard and safety, approval of the programme of play and practice schedule and overall control of and ensure that there is an adequate panel of technical officials of requisite ability and appropriate international representation.

The Umpire has authority over a particular match and shall be in charge of the court and its immediate surrounds. 

The Umpire shall ensure the match is conducted in accordance with the Laws of Badminton, the Rules and Regulations of the BWF and any other regulations pertinent to the specific competition. 

The Umpire makes rule calls regarding service faults and other player faults or lets. 

The Umpire also keeps a record of any incidents of misconduct and reports them to the Referee. 

The Umpires jurisdiction shall exist from entering the court before the match until leaving the court after the match and they shall report to and act under the authority of the Referee.

The Umpire keeps the match score which he or she announces after each point. 

The linejudge is responsible for a service, side or baseline during a particular match and decides whether the shuttle has landed in or out of court. 

Linejudges call the shuttle ‘in’ or ‘out’ using the appropriate verbal call and hand signals.

If they are unsighted they signal to this effect and the Umpire shall make the decision or if no decision can be given a let shall be called.

When a player wins a rally, a point is added to his score.

There are three games in a match; the player with an aim to score 21 points wins each game. In case, a score reaches 20 points, the player would continue until the other achieves a two point lead or his score reaches 30.

A match starts with a coin toss between the players. The winner of the toss may either choose to serve or receive first. He may also choose a particular end he wishes and desires to occupy. Once the choice is made, the opponents have to agree with the remaining choice.

In subsequent games, the winners of the previous game are offered to serve first.

In case of the first rally of a doubles game the serving pair can decide on who would serve. The players change ends during the start of the second game.

In case, a third game proceed the players would change ends at the start of the game as well as the point where the winning pair's score reaches 11 points.

In case of singles, the serve must stand in his right service court when his score is even.

Additionally, we know that badminton is played either singles or doubles. There is a difference in scoring between these two.

During the doubles, only one player of the pair can serve. The service is passed on consecutively to the players. The one, who serves at the beginning of the game, serves from the right court if the score is even. If the serving side wins a rally, the serving side scores a point. Here, the same server serves again from the alternate service court.

If the receiving side wins a rally, the receiving side scores a point. This side also becomes the new serving side. Now, the serve passes to the player who did not receive at the beginning of the game. If players serve from or receive in the wrong service court, the error is rectified when the mistake is discovered but the score is not corrected.

It is worthwhile here to note that badminton scoring is changing nowadays. For example, setting at 13 all has not been done for some years now with setting at 14 all only. In addition to that there are changes to the overall system as well involving playing games to 21, having one service hand only in doubles and winning a point on every rally. So that means if your opponents serve and lose the rally, you win the serve and a point.

Attacking clear : An offensive stroke hit deep into the opponent's court.

Backcourt : Back third of the court, in the area of the back boundary lines.

Backhand : The stroke used to return balls hit to the left of a right-handed player and to the right of a left-handed player.

Base position : The location in the centre of the court to which a singles player tries to return after each shot; also called "centre position"

Baseline : The back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.

Carry : An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "sling" or "throw".

Centre line : A line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.

Clear : A shot hit deep into the opponent's court.

Doubles : A game where a team of two players play against another team of two. 

Doubles sideline : The side boundary of a doubles court.

Drive : A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.

Drop shot : A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net in the opponent's court.

Fault : A violation of the playing rules.

Feint : Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the serve; also called a "balk".

Flick : A quick wrist-and-forearm rotation used to surprise an opponent by changing an apparently soft shot into a faster passing shot.

Forecourt : The front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.

Forehand : The stroke used to return a ball hit to the right of a right-handed player and to the left of a left-handed player.

Game : The part of a set completed when one player or side has scored enough points to win a single contest.

Hairpin net shot : A shot made from below and very close to the net and causing the shuttle to rise, just clear the net, then drop sharply down the other side so that the flight of the shuttlecock resembles the shape of a hairpin.

Halfcourt shot : A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles play against the up-and-back formation.

High clear : A defensive shot hit deep into the opponent's court.

Kill : Fast downward shot that cannot be returned.

Let : A minor violation of the rules allowing a rally to be replayed.

Long Service Line : In singles, the back boundary line. In doubles a line 2-1/2 feet inside the back boundary line. The serve may not go past this line.

Midcourt : The middle third of the court, halfway between the net and the back boundary line.

Net shot : A shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.

Passing shot : A shot which passes the opposing player or team.

Push shot : A gentle shot played by pushing the shuttlecock with a little wrist motion.

Rally : The exchange of shots that decides each point.

Serve : The stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of each rally; also called a "service“

Service court : The area into which a service must be delivered. Different for singles and doubles.

Short service line : The front line of the service courts 1.98 metres from the net. Singles : A game where one player plays against another player.

Singles sideline : The side boundary of a singles court.

Set : To choose to extend a game beyond its normal ending score if the score is tied with one point to go.

Smash : A hard-hit overhead shot that forces the shuttle sharply downwards into the opponent's court.

Wood shot : A legal shot in which the shuttle hits the frame of the racket.