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Introduction to the sport
The sport of badminton is comprised of competitive singles or doubles matches played indoors on badminton courts. We use special badminton racquets and birdies (also called shuttlecocks). In America, outdoor or casual badminton is somewhat common, while the sport side is more often familiar with those from Asia or Europe. The equipment, location, and style of play is very different between the two.
Badminton is the fastest-racquet sport and is also considered to be the world's #2 most played sport behind soccer. There are regional tournaments and leagues throughout much of Asia and Europe, as well as countless people playing in schools, gyms, or clubs. Badminton is said to have roots in the game of battledore and shuttlecock dating back to ancient Greece, China, Japan, and India. However, the contemporary game only became an Olympic Sport in 1992.
Obviously, at our club we choose to play the competitive, sport style of badminton. So you might be interested in learning more. An easy introduction to useful information is available at the Wikipedia site. Also, a good website to explore is Badminton Central and its forums. Many of the top players in the U.S. use this site as a resource and place for discussion.
Women's players in a finals at the All England Open
Peter Gade remains one of the most popular badminton athletes
Interesting Badminton videos
One additional point we want to make is that badminton is a sport that generally anyone can play and become good at. Many continue to play it throughout their lifetime. We've selected a few short videos to illustrate more of the sport.
Quite an amazing play in Mixed Doubles
Video links:
305kph jump smash - http://youtube.com/watch?v=5r590F7mRTw
Backhand smash - http://youtube.com/watch?v=ualwAwHjopU
Defense tactics - http://youtube.com/watch?v=skmpJldLPQk
Pro women singles - http://youtube.com/watch?v=I62i1QWgNtc
Fedex China commercial featuring famous Chinese badminton players.
Top image courtesy of http://www.olympicsportstyle.com. Other two images courtesy of http://news.bbc.co.uk.