There has been badminton since the mid-18th century. A small town called Poona became the center of badminton’s popularity in India. Badminton was mostly played by British military officers in India when it was still a British colony. When Badminton was invented in British India, it was known as “battledore and shuttlecock” instead of Badminton, which was just a game played for fun. The fastest sport in the world is badminton.
After wooden rackets, aluminum rackets were invented in the 1970s, and now we use high module graphite rackets which are more durable and shock-absorbing. In addition, it is lightweight. These days, rackets come in different weights, including lightweights, heavyweights, headlights, head-heavy, and even balanced rackets. It is also possible to customize the grip size to match your hand type, and the tension of the racket can hold up to 35 pounds, which is much more than it was in the past. Power, control, and everything else are better with these rackets.
When compared to olden times, shuttlecocks travel faster. There are four to five grams in a shuttle. There are 16 goose feathers from the left wing of the bird attached to the left cork base by thread and glue on the highest quality shuttles. A shuttle can be speeded up or slowed down based on a person’s level. In order to play badminton at a high level, you need to be physically strong, to be muscularly powerful, to be agile, to be mobile, to be fast, and to be able to accelerate and decelerate rapidly. There was a shorter rally in the 60s, and as players developed their physical aspects with the help of sports science (which continues to develop) like stamina, strength, and speed, rallies became longer and longer until, finally, the longest rallies were over 100 strokes in length! That’s a relief!
With respect to strength, Malaysia’s Tan Boon Heong holds a Guinness Book record of 493 km/hr for the fastest hit in the world. Nowadays, sports science is also helping players evolve and achieve new heights.
There is a greater emphasis on offensive play and precision in shots nowadays. Players are also capable of diving and defending smashes. There is a much greater degree of athleticism and agility among badminton players. Badminton rallies were also won through deception. A professional can also assist badminton players with their minds, nutrition, and recovery in order to improve their performance.
Several countries were founding members of the International Badminton Federation (IBF), which is now known as the Badminton World Federation: Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. Affiliation with India began in 1936. International badminton is now governed by the BWF, which is responsible for developing the sport globally. A variety of badminton events have been added to the Olympic program since 1992: singles for men, doubles for women, and mixed doubles, a pair of men and women. The sport requires players to have excellent physical fitness: they must have aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed, and precision at the highest levels. As a technical sport, it requires good motor coordination, as well as the ability to move the racket with sophistication. In Malaysia and Indonesia, badminton finals are attended by 15,000 spectators, making it the most popular sport in the region. A few years ago, BWF also introduced the Instant Review System, which is a graphical system that provides the referee with information about whether the shuttle is in or out.
This concludes our list of badminton facts from then and now. Badminton will also evolve over time as science and technology continue to develop.
