Badminton-An overlooked game

Badminton is a sport that dates back to before the 1800’s and originated in ancient Egypt and Greece from a game called battledore and shuttlecock.  Through the ages the sport was brought to England where it was first recorded as being played at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire that was owned by the Duke of Beaufort.  And so Badminton was born and evolved into its own new and exciting sport in 1873. 

Badminton is a game that can be played recreationally or professionally, there is a strange calm about playing this game amongst friends and family that is very different however than that of the Olympic sport of badminton.  Badminton which is the art of sending a shuttlecock over a net by hitting it with a racket until a point is scored by one of the opposing teams.  The game is played with two teams of either one person or two people on each team.  The teams take turns hitting the shuttlecock, which is a feathered projectile with unique aerodynamic qualities, over the net to one another.  Each team is only allowed to hit the shuttlecock once before sending it sailing across the net to the opposing team.  Once the shuttlecock has rested on the ground the rally between the two team’s ends and a new serve is begun by the point scoring team.  A point is scored when the shuttlecock lands on the ground and ends the rally. 

Most badminton games are played to the score of 21 and points are scored one at a time every time the shuttlecock comes to rest on the ground.  Whenever a team scores a point the shuttlecock is returned to them for an underhand serve to start the beginning of the next rally.  Badminton games played for recreation can be played one game at a time and up to however many points you desire.  The only problem with badminton as an outdoor game is the shuttlecock is easily affected by the wind and so it is important to only plan to play on calmer days or you will be spending much of your time trying to track down your shuttlecock.