Badminton

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, or if a fault has been called by either the umpire or service judge or, in their
absence, the offending player, at any time during the rally.

The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered (or plastic, mainly in uncompetitive games)
projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently than the balls used
in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the
shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top
speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind,
competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual
recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men's and women's
singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair consists of a man
and a woman. At high levels of play, especially in singles, the sport demands excellent
fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, explosive strength, speed and precision. It is
also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of
sophisticated racquet movements.

History and development

Game of battledore and shuttlecock in 1804

The beginnings of badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was
created by British military officers stationed there.[2] Early photographs show Englishmen
adding a net to the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock. The sport is related
to ball badminton, which originated in Tamil Nadu, and is similar to Hanetsuki which
originated in Japan. Being particularly popular in the British garrison town Poona (now
Pune), the game also came to be known as Poona.[2][3] Initially, balls of wool referred as ball
badminton were preferred by the upper classes in windy or wet conditions, but ultimately the
shuttlecock stuck. This game was taken by retired officers back to England where it
developed and rules were set out.

Although it appears clear that Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of
Beaufort, has given its name to the sports, it is unclear when and why the name was adopted.
As early as 1860, Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, Badminton
Battledore a new game, but unfortunately no copy has survived. [4] An 1863 article in The
Cornhill Magazine describes badminton as "battledore and shuttlecock played with sides,
across a string suspended some five feet from the ground".[5] This early use has cast doubt on
the origin through expatriates in India, though it is known that it was popular there in the
1870s and that the first rules were drawn up in Poonah in 1873. [4][5] Another source cites that
it was in 1877 at Karachi in (British) India, where the first attempt was made to form a set of
rules.[6]

As early as 1875, veterans returning from India started a club in Folkestone. Until 1887, the
sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in British India. The Bath
Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. J.H.E.
Hart drew up revised basic regulations in 1887 and, with Bagnel Wild, again in 1890. [4] In
1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to
these regulations, similar to today's rules, and officially launched badminton in a house called
"Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year.[7] They
also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton
competition in the world, in 1899.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation)
was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland,
New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in
1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.

While initiated in England, competitive men's badminton in Europe has traditionally been
dominated by Denmark. Asian nations, however, have been the most dominant ones
worldwide. Indonesia, South Korea, China, and Malaysia along with Denmark are among the
nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades, with
China being the greatest force in both men's and women's competition in recent years.

Rules
The following information is a simplified summary of badminton rules based on the BWF
Statutes publication, Laws of Badminton.[8]

Playing court dimensions

The court is rectangular and divided into halves by a net. Courts are usually marked for both
singles and doubles play, although badminton rules permit a court to be marked for singles
only.[8] The doubles court is wider than the singles court, but both are of same length. The
exception, which often causes confusion to newer players, is that the doubles court has a
shorter serve-length dimension.

The full width of the court is 6.1 metres (20 ft), and in singles this width is reduced to
5.18 metres (17 ft). The full length of the court is 13.4 metres (44 ft). The service courts are
marked by a centre line dividing the width of the court, by a short service line at a distance of
1.98 metres (6 ft 6 inch) from the net, and by the outer side and back boundaries. In doubles,
the service court is also marked by a long service line, which is 0.76 metres (2 ft 6 inch) from
the back boundary.

The net is 1.55 metres (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and 1.524 metres (5 ft) high in the
centre. The net posts are placed over the doubles sidelines, even when singles is played.

The minimum height for the ceiling above the court is not mentioned in the Laws of
Badminton. Nonetheless, a badminton court will not be suitable if the ceiling is likely to be
hit on a high serve.

Equipment rules

Badminton rules restrict the design and size of racquets and shuttlecocks. Badminton rules
also provide for testing a shuttlecock for the correct speed:

3.1
To test a shuttlecock, use a full underhand stroke which makes contact with
the shuttlecock over the back boundary line. The shuttlecock shall be hit at an
upward angle and in a direction parallel to the side lines.
3.2
A shuttlecock of the correct speed will land not less than 530 mm and not
more than 990 mm short of the other back boundary line.

Scoring system and service

Serving

Each game is played to 21 points, with players scoring a point whenever they win a rally
regardless of whether they served [8] (this differs from the old system where players could
only win a point on their serve and each game was played to 15 points). A match is the best of
three games.

At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand in diagonally opposite service courts
(see court dimensions). The server hits the shuttlecock so that it would land in the receiver's
service court. This is similar to tennis, except that a badminton serve must be hit below waist
height and with the racquet shaft pointing downwards, the shuttlecock is not allowed to
bounce and in badminton, the players stand inside their service courts unlike tennis.

When the serving side loses a rally, the serve immediately passes to their opponent(s) (this
differs from the old system where sometimes the serve passes to the doubles partner for what
is known as a "second serve").

In singles, the server stands in their right service court when their score is even, and in her/his
left service court when her/his score is odd.

In doubles, if the serving side wins a rally, the same player continues to serve, but he/she
changes service courts so that she/he serves to a different opponent each time. If the
opponents win the rally and their new score is even, the player in the right service court
serves; if odd, the player in the left service court serves. The players' service courts are
determined by their positions at the start of the previous rally, not by where they were
standing at the end of the rally. A consequence of this system is that, each time a side regains
the service, the server will be the player who did not serve last time.

Scoring

When the server serves, the shuttlecock must pass over the short service line on the
opponents' court or it will count as a fault.

If the score reaches 20-all, then the game continues until one side gains a two point lead (such
as 2422), up to a maximum of 30 points (3029 is a winning score).

At the start of a match, the shuttlecock is cast and the side towards which the shuttlecock is
pointing serves first. Alternatively, a coin may be tossed, with the winners choosing whether
to serve or receive first, or choosing which end of the court to occupy, and their opponents
making the leftover the remaining choice.

In subsequent games, the winners of the previous game serve first. Matches are best out of
three: a player or pair must win two games (of 21 points each) to win the match. For the first
rally of any doubles game, the serving pair may decide who serves and the receiving pair may
decide who receives. The players change ends at the start of the second game; if the match
reaches a third game, they change ends both at the start of the game and when the leading
player's or pair's score reaches 11 points.

The server and receiver must remain within their service courts, without touching the
boundary lines, until the server strikes the shuttlecock. The other two players may stand
wherever they wish, so long as they do not block the vision of the server or receiver.

Lets

If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to the score. Lets may occur
because of some unexpected disturbance such as a shuttlecock landing on court (having been
hit there by players on an adjacent court) or in small halls the shuttle may touch an overhead
rail which can be classed as a let.

If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let shall be called; yet, if the
receiver attempts to return the shuttlecock, he shall be judged to have been ready.

Equipment

Badminton racquets

Racquets

Badminton racquets are lightweight, with top quality racquets weighing between 70 and
95 grams (2.4 to 3.3 ounces) not including grip or strings. [9][10] They are composed of many
different materials ranging from carbon fibre composite (graphite reinforced plastic) to solid
steel, which may be augmented by a variety of materials. Carbon fibre has an excellent
strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives excellent kinetic energy transfer. Before the
adoption of carbon fibre composite, racquets were made of light metals such as aluminium.
Earlier still, racquets were made of wood. Cheap racquets are still often made of metals such
as steel, but wooden racquets are no longer manufactured for the ordinary market, because of
their excessive mass and cost. Nowadays, nanomaterials such as fullerene and carbon
nanotubes are added to rackets giving them greater durability[citation needed].

There is a wide variety of racquet designs, although the laws limit the racquet size and shape.
Different racquets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players. The traditional
oval head shape is still available, but an isometric head shape is increasingly common in new
racquets.

Strings

Badminton strings are thin, high performing strings in the range of about 0.62 to 0.73 mm
thickness. Thicker strings are more durable, but many players prefer the feel of thinner
strings. String tension is normally in the range of 80 to 160 N (18 to 36 lbf). Recreational
players generally string at lower tensions than professionals, typically between 80 and 110 N
(18 and 25 lbf). Professionals string between about 110 and 160 N (25 and 36 lbf). Some
string manufacturers measure the thickness of their strings under tension so they are actually
thicker then than specified when slack. Ashaway Micropower is actually 0.7mm but Yonex
BG-66 is about 0.72mm.

It is often argued that high string tensions improve control, whereas low string tensions
increase power.[11] The arguments for this generally rely on crude mechanical reasoning, such
as claiming that a lower tension string bed is more bouncy and therefore provides more
power. This is in fact incorrect, for a higher string tension can cause the shuttle to slide off the
racquet and hence make it harder to hit a shot accurately. An alternative view suggests that
the optimum tension for power depends on the player: [9] the faster and more accurately a
player can swing their racquet, the higher the tension for maximum power. Neither view has
been subjected to a rigorous mechanical analysis, nor is there clear evidence in favour of one
or the other. The most effective way for a player to find a good string tension is to
experiment.

Grip

The choice of grip allows a player to increase the thickness of his racquet handle and choose
a comfortable surface to hold. A player may build up the handle with one or several grips
before applying the final layer.

Players may choose between a variety of grip materials. The most common choices are PU
synthetic grips or towelling grips. Grip choice is a matter of personal preference. Players
often find that sweat becomes a problem; in this case, a drying agent may be applied to the
grip or hands, sweatbands may be used, the player may choose another grip material or
change his grip more frequently.

There are two main types of grip: replacement grips and overgrips. Replacement grips are
thicker, and are often used to increase the size of the handle. Overgrips are thinner (less than
1 mm), and are often used as the final layer. Many players, however, prefer to use
replacement grips as the final layer. Towelling grips are always replacement grips.
Replacement grips have an adhesive backing, whereas overgrips have only a small patch of
adhesive at the start of the tape and must be applied under tension; overgrips are more
convenient for players who change grips frequently, because they may be removed more
rapidly without damaging the underlying material.
Shuttlecocks with feathers

A shuttlecock with a plastic skirt

Shuttlecock

Main article: Shuttlecock

A shuttlecock (often abbreviated to shuttle; also called a birdie) is a high-drag projectile, with
an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen overlapping feathers embedded into a
rounded cork base. The cork is covered with thin leather or synthetic material.

Synthetic shuttles are often used by recreational players to reduce their costs as feathered
shuttles break easily. These nylon shuttles may be constructed with either natural cork or
synthetic foam base, and a plastic skirt.

Shoes

Badminton shoes are lightweight with soles of rubber or similar high-grip, non-marking
materials.

Compared to running shoes, badminton shoes have little lateral support. High levels of lateral
support are useful for activities where lateral motion is undesirable and unexpected.
Badminton, however, requires powerful lateral movements. A highly built-up lateral support
will not be able to protect the foot in badminton; instead, it will encourage catastrophic
collapse at the point where the shoe's support fails, and the player's ankles are not ready for
the sudden loading, which can cause sprains. For this reason, players should choose
badminton shoes rather than general trainers or running shoes, because proper badminton
shoes will have a very thin sole, lower a person's centre of gravity, and therefore result in
fewer injuries. Players should also ensure that they learn safe and proper footwork, with the
knee and foot in alignment on all lunges. This is more than just a safety concern: proper
footwork is also critical in order to move effectively around the court.
Strokes

A player flies high at the Golden Gate Badminton Club (GGBC) in Menlo Park, 2006

Forehand and backhand

Badminton offers a wide variety of basic strokes, and players require a high level of skill to
perform all of them effectively. All strokes can be played either forehand or backhand. A
player's forehand side is the same side as their playing hand: for a right-handed player, the
forehand side is their right side and the backhand side is their left side. Forehand strokes are
hit with the front of the hand leading (like hitting with the palm), whereas backhand strokes
are hit with the back of the hand leading (like hitting with the knuckles). Players frequently
play certain strokes on the forehand side with a backhand hitting action, and vice versa.

In the forecourt and midcourt, most strokes can be played equally effectively on either the
forehand or backhand side; but in the rearcourt, players will attempt to play as many strokes
as possible on their forehands, often preferring to play a round-the-head forehand overhead (a
forehand "on the backhand side") rather than attempt a backhand overhead. Playing a
backhand overhead has two main disadvantages. First, the player must turn their back to their
opponents, restricting their view of them and the court. Second, backhand overheads cannot
be hit with as much power as forehands: the hitting action is limited by the shoulder joint,
which permits a much greater range of movement for a forehand overhead than for a
backhand. The backhand clear is considered by most players and coaches to be the most
difficult basic stroke in the game, since precise technique is needed in order to muster enough
power for the shuttlecock to travel the full length of the court. For the same reason, backhand
smashes tend to be weak.

Position of the shuttlecock and receiving player

The choice of stroke depends on how near the shuttlecock is to the net, whether it is above
net height, and where an opponent is currently positioned: players have much better attacking
options if they can reach the shuttlecock well above net height, especially if it is also close to
the net. In the forecourt, a high shuttlecock will be met with a net kill, hitting it steeply
downwards and attempting to win the rally immediately. This is why it is best to drop the
shuttlecock just over the net in this situation. In the midcourt, a high shuttlecock will usually
be met with a powerful smash, also hitting downwards and hoping for an outright winner or a
weak reply. Athletic jump smashes, where players jump upwards for a steeper smash angle,
are a common and spectacular element of elite men's doubles play. In the rearcourt, players
strive to hit the shuttlecock while it is still above them, rather than allowing it to drop lower.
This overhead hitting allows them to play smashes, clears (hitting the shuttlecock high and to
the back of the opponents' court), and dropshots (hitting the shuttlecock so that it falls softly
downwards into the opponents' forecourt). If the shuttlecock has dropped lower, then a smash
is impossible and a full-length, high clear is difficult.

A player prepares for a vertical jump smash

Vertical position of the shuttlecock

When the shuttlecock is well below net height, players have no choice but to hit upwards.
Lifts, where the shuttlecock is hit upwards to the back of the opponents' court, can be played
from all parts of the court. If a player does not lift, his only remaining option is to push the
shuttlecock softly back to the net: in the forecourt this is called a netshot; in the midcourt or
rearcourt, it is often called a push or block.
When the shuttlecock is near to net height, players can hit drives, which travel flat and
rapidly over the net into the opponents' rear midcourt and rearcourt. Pushes may also be hit
flatter, placing the shuttlecock into the front midcourt. Drives and pushes may be played from
the midcourt or forecourt, and are most often used in doubles: they are an attempt to regain
the attack, rather than choosing to lift the shuttlecock and defend against smashes. After a
successful drive or push, the opponents will often be forced to lift the shuttlecock.

Other factors

When defending against a smash, players have three basic options: lift, block, or drive. In
singles, a block to the net is the most common reply. In doubles, a lift is the safest option but
it usually allows the opponents to continue smashing; blocks and drives are counter-attacking
strokes, but may be intercepted by the smasher's partner. Many players use a backhand hitting
action for returning smashes on both the forehand and backhand sides, because backhands are
more effective than forehands at covering smashes directed to the body. It is very good tool to
play hard shots which are directed towards the body.

The service is restricted by the Laws and presents its own array of stroke choices. Unlike in
tennis, the servers racket must be pointing in a downward direction to deliver the serve so
normally the shuttle must be hit upwards to pass over the net. The server can choose a low
serve into the forecourt (like a push), or a lift to the back of the service court, or a flat drive
serve. Lifted serves may be either high serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted so high that it
falls almost vertically at the back of the court, or flick serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted
to a lesser height but falls sooner.

Deception

Once players have mastered these basic strokes, they can hit the shuttlecock from and to any
part of the court, powerfully and softly as required. Beyond the basics, however, badminton
offers rich potential for advanced stroke skills that provide a competitive advantage. Because
badminton players have to cover a short distance as quickly as possible, the purpose of many
advanced strokes is to deceive the opponent, so that either he is tricked into believing that a
different stroke is being played, or he is forced to delay his movement until he actually sees
the shuttle's direction. "Deception" in badminton is often used in both of these senses. When a
player is genuinely deceived, he will often lose the point immediately because he cannot
change his direction quickly enough to reach the shuttlecock. Experienced players will be
aware of the trick and cautious not to move too early, but the attempted deception is still
useful because it forces the opponent to delay his movement slightly. Against weaker players
whose intended strokes are obvious, an experienced player may move before the shuttlecock
has been hit, anticipating the stroke to gain an advantage.

Slicing and using a shortened hitting action are the two main technical devices that facilitate
deception. Slicing involves hitting the shuttlecock with an angled racquet face, causing it to
travel in a different direction than suggested by the body or arm movement. Slicing also
causes the shuttlecock to travel much slower than the arm movement suggests. For example,
a good crosscourt sliced dropshot will use a hitting action that suggests a straight clear or
smash, deceiving the opponent about both the power and direction of the shuttlecock. A more
sophisticated slicing action involves brushing the strings around the shuttlecock during the
hit, in order to make the shuttlecock spin. This can be used to improve the shuttle's trajectory,
by making it dip more rapidly as it passes the net; for example, a sliced low serve can travel
slightly faster than a normal low serve, yet land on the same spot. Spinning the shuttlecock is
also used to create spinning netshots (also called tumbling netshots), in which the shuttlecock
turns over itself several times (tumbles) before stabilizing; sometimes the shuttlecock remains
inverted instead of tumbling. The main advantage of a spinning netshot is that the opponent
will be unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has stopped tumbling, since hitting the
feathers will result in an unpredictable stroke. Spinning netshots are especially important for
high level singles players.

The lightness of modern racquets allows players to use a very short hitting action for many
strokes, thereby maintaining the option to hit a powerful or a soft stroke until the last possible
moment. For example, a singles player may hold his racquet ready for a netshot, but then
flick the shuttlecock to the back instead with a shallow lift when she or he notices the
opponent has moved before the actual shot was played. A shallow lift takes less time to reach
the ground and as mentioned above a rally is over when the shuttlecock touches the ground.
This makes the opponent's task of covering the whole court much more difficult than if the
lift was hit higher and with a bigger, obvious swing. A short hitting action is not only useful
for deception: it also allows the player to hit powerful strokes when he has no time for a big
arm swing. A big arm swing is also usually not advised in badminton because bigger swings
make it more difficult to recover for the next shot in fast exchanges. The use of grip
tightening is crucial to these techniques, and is often described as finger power. Elite players
develop finger power to the extent that they can hit some power strokes, such as net kills,
with less than a 10 cm (4 in) racquet swing.

It is also possible to reverse this style of deception, by suggesting a powerful stroke before
slowing down the hitting action to play a soft stroke. In general, this latter style of deception
is more common in the rearcourt (for example, dropshots disguised as smashes), whereas the
former style is more common in the forecourt and midcourt (for example, lifts disguised as
netshots).

Deception is not limited to slicing and short hitting actions. Players may also use double
motion, where they make an initial racquet movement in one direction before withdrawing
the racquet to hit in another direction. Players will often do this to send opponents in the
wrong direction. The racquet movement is typically used to suggest a straight angle but then
play the stroke cross court, or vice versa. Triple motion is also possible, but this is very rare in
actual play. An alternative to double motion is to use a racquet head fake, where the initial
motion is continued but the racquet is turned during the hit. This produces a smaller change
in direction, but does not require as much time.

Strategy
To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of strokes in the right situations.
These range from powerful jumping smashes to delicate tumbling net returns. Often rallies
finish with a smash, but setting up the smash requires subtler strokes. For example, a netshot
can force the opponent to lift the shuttlecock, which gives an opportunity to smash. If the
netshot is tight and tumbling, then the opponent's lift will not reach the back of the court,
which makes the subsequent smash much harder to return.

Deception is also important. Expert players prepare for many different strokes that look
identical, and use slicing to deceive their opponents about the speed or direction of the stroke.
If an opponent tries to anticipate the stroke, he may move in the wrong direction and may be
unable to change his body momentum in time to reach the shuttlecock.

Doubles

Both pairs will try to gain and maintain the attack, smashing downwards when possible.
Whenever possible, a pair will adopt an ideal attacking formation with one player hitting
down from the rearcourt, and his partner in the midcourt intercepting all smash returns except
the lift. If the rearcourt attacker plays a dropshot, his partner will move into the forecourt to
threaten the net reply. If a pair cannot hit downwards, they will use flat strokes in an attempt
to gain the attack. If a pair is forced to lift or clear the shuttlecock, then they must defend:
they will adopt a side-by-side position in the rear midcourt, to cover the full width of their
court against the opponents' smashes. In doubles, players generally smash to the middle
ground between two players in order to take advantage of confusion and clashes.

At high levels of play, the backhand serve has become popular to the extent that forehand
serves have become fairly rare at a high level of play. The straight low serve is used most
frequently, in an attempt to prevent the opponents gaining the attack immediately. Flick
serves are used to prevent the opponent from anticipating the low serve and attacking it
decisively.

At high levels of play, doubles rallies are extremely fast. Men's doubles is the most
aggressive form of badminton, with a high proportion of powerful jump smashes.

A mixed doubles game Scottish Schools under 12s tournament, Tranent, May 2002

Singles

The singles court is narrower than the doubles court, but the same length. Since one person
needs to cover the entire court, singles tactics are based on forcing the opponent to move as
much as possible; this means that singles strokes are normally directed to the corners of the
court. Players exploit the length of the court by combining lifts and clears with drop shots and
net shots. Smashing tends to be less prominent in singles than in doubles because the smasher
has no partner to follow up his effort and is thus vulnerable to a skillfully placed return.
Moreover, frequent smashing can be exhausting in singles where the conservation of a
player's energy is at a premium. However, players with strong smashes will sometimes use
the shot to create openings, and players commonly smash weak returns to try to end rallies.

In singles, players will often start the rally with a forehand high serve or with a flick serve.
Low serves are also used frequently, either forehand or backhand. Drive serves are rare.

At high levels of play, singles demands extraordinary fitness. Singles is a game of patient
positional manoeuvring, unlike the all-out aggression of doubles.

Mixed doubles

In mixed doubles, both pairs typically try to maintain an attacking formation with the woman
at the front and the man at the back. This is because the male players are usually substantially
stronger, and can therefore produce smashes that are more powerful. As a result, mixed
doubles require greater tactical awareness and subtler positional play. Clever opponents will
try to reverse the ideal position, by forcing the woman towards the back or the man towards
the front. In order to protect against this danger, mixed players must be careful and systematic
in their shot selection.[12]

At high levels of play, the formations will generally be more flexible: the top women players
are capable of playing powerfully from the back-court, and will happily do so if required.
When the opportunity arises, however, the pair will switch back to the standard mixed
attacking position, with the woman in front.

Governing bodies
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the internationally recognized governing body of
the sport. Five regional confederations are associated with the BWF:

Asia: Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)

Competitions
A men's doubles match. The blue lines are those for the badminton court. The other coloured
lines denote uses for other sports such complexity being common in multi-use sports halls.

The BWF organizes several international competitions, including the Thomas Cup, the
premier men's international team event first held in 19481949, and the Uber Cup, the
women's equivalent first held in 19561957. The competitions take place once every two
years. More than 50 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within continental
confederations for a place in the finals. The final tournament involves 12 teams, following an
increase from eight teams in 2004.

The Sudirman Cup, a gender-mixed international team event held once every two years,
began in 1989. Teams are divided into seven levels based on the performance of each country.
To win the tournament, a country must perform well across all five disciplines (men's doubles
and singles, women's doubles and singles, and mixed doubles). Like association football
(soccer), it features a promotion and relegation system in every level.

Badminton was a demonstration event in the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics. It became an
official Summer Olympic sport at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and its gold medals now
generally rate as the sport's most coveted prizes for individual players.

In the BWF World Championships, first held in 1977, currently only the highest ranked 64
players in the world, and a maximum of four from each country, can participate in any
category. In both the Olympic and BWF World competitions restrictions on the number of
participants from any one country have caused some controversy because they sometimes
result in excluding elite world level players from the strongest badminton nations. The
Thomas, Uber, and Sudirman Cups, the Olympics, and the BWF World (and World Junior
Championships), are all categorized as level one tournaments.

At the start of 2007, the BWF introduced a new tournament structure for the highest level
tournaments aside from those in level one: the BWF Super Series. This level two tournament
series, a tour for the world's elite players, stages twelve open tournaments around the world
with 32 players (half the previous limit). The players collect points that determine whether
they can play in Super Series Final held at the year end. Among the tournaments in this series
is the venerable All-England Championships, first held in 1900, which was once considered
the unofficial world championships of the sport.[13]

Level three tournaments consist of Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix event. Top players can
collect the world ranking points and enable them to play in the BWF Super Series open
tournaments. These include the regional competitions in Asia (Badminton Asia
Championships) and Europe (European Badminton Championships), which produce the
world's best players as well as the Pan America Badminton Championships.

The level four tournaments, known as International Challenge, International Series and
Future Series, encourage participation by junior players.[14]

Comparisons with other racquet sports

In tennis, the ball may bounce once before the player hits it; in badminton, the rally
ends once the shuttlecock touches the floor.
In tennis, the serve is dominant to the extent that the server is expected to win most of
his service games (at advanced level & onwards); a break of service, where the server
loses the game, is of major importance in a match. In badminton a server has far less
advantage, and is unlikely to score an 'ace' (unreturnable serve).
In tennis, the server is allowed two attempts to make a correct serve; in badminton,
the server is allowed only one attempt.
The tennis court is larger than the badminton court.
Tennis racquets are about four times as heavy as badminton racquets, 1012 ounces
(approximately 284340 grams) versus 23 ounces (70105 grams).[15][16] Tennis balls
are more than eleven times heavier than shuttlecocks, 57 grams versus 5 grams.
The fastest recorded tennis stroke is Ivo Karlovic's 156 mph (251 km/h) serve,[19]
whereas the fastest badminton stroke during gameplay was Fu Haifeng's 206 mph
(332 km/h) recorded smash.[20]

Comparisons of speed and athletic requirements

Statistics such as the smash speed, above, prompt badminton enthusiasts to make other
comparisons that are more contentious. For example, it is often claimed that badminton is the
fastest racquet sport.[citation needed] Although badminton holds the record for the fastest initial
speed of a racket sports projectile, the shuttlecock decelerates substantially faster than other
projectiles such as tennis balls. In turn, this qualification must be qualified by consideration
of the distance over which the shuttlecock travels: a smashed shuttlecock travels a shorter
distance than a tennis ball during a serve. Badminton's claim as the fastest racquet sport
might also be based on reaction time requirements, but arguably table tennis requires even
faster reaction times.

While fans of badminton and tennis often claim that their sport is the more physically
demanding, such comparisons are difficult to make objectively because of the differing
demands of the games. No formal study currently exists evaluating the physical condition of
the players or demands during game play.

Comparisons of technique
Badminton and tennis techniques differ substantially. The lightness of the shuttlecock and of
badminton rackets allow badminton players to make use of the wrist and fingers much more
than tennis players; in tennis the wrist is normally held stable, and playing with a mobile
wrist may lead to injury. For the same reasons, badminton players can generate power from a
short racket swing: for some strokes such as net kills, an elite player's swing may be less than
5 cm (2 in). For strokes that require more power, a longer swing will typically be used, but
the badminton racket swing will rarely be as long as a typical tennis swing.