PT Playbook: Badminton Basics

Badminton is distinguished from other racquet sports, all of which use a ball of some size, by two features: the use of a shuttlecock (birdie) and the fact the shuttlecock cannot touch the ground during a rally. It’s also considered the world’s fastest racquet sport since the shuttlecock (a small bouncy ball with a cone of feathers glued to it) can leave a player’s racquet at a mind boggling 200 miles per hour!

Competitive badminton is far different from the game played in the backyard at family gatherings.  Similar to tennis, it is played with two to four players (singles or doubles). The shuttlecock is volleyed over a five-foot high, narrow net and only the serving team scores points.

The lightning-fast sport demands constant, highly concentrated actions: running, jumping, twisting, stretching, running backwards and striking. Besides explosiveness, quick reflexes and rapid hand-eye coordination, competitive badminton players must also possess superb aerobic endurance.

In a typical two-game singles match, top players will cover nearly every inch of the court and travel the equivalent of a mile. The flight characteristics of the shuttlecock and the pace created by constant volleying combine to make badminton one of the most exciting sports to play and watch.

According to most sources, badminton was first played 2,000 years ago in ancient Greeced, India and China. By the 1600s, it had become a genteel pastime practiced by noble classes in many European countries. Having been a demonstration and exhibition sport in 1972 and 1988 respectively, the sport was finally granted Olympic status for the 1992 Barcelona Games.

For those interested in something more than the occassional friend game, there are badminton clubs where enthusiasts can meet like-minded players and improve their skills. To find a club near you, visit USA Badminton

U.S. sends women’s badminton team to Iran

In what may be referred to as badminton diplomacy, the Obama administration is sending a women’s badminton team to Iran this week as part of a broad bid to engage the Iranian people through educational and cultural exchanges.

The 12-member team — four coaches and eight female players including 2008 U.S. Olympians Eva Lee (Orange, Calif.) and Mesinee “May” Mangkalakiri (Garden Grove, Calif.) will travel to Tehran, Iran to compete in the Fajr International Badminton Tournament, February 5-8, 2009, at the invitation of the Iranian Badminton Federation, the State Department said in a statement.

It said the U.S. squad was invited by the Iranian Badminton Federation and that they hoped to extend an invitation to Iran’s national team to come to the United States in July. This week’s trip is being sponsored by the State Department, which since 2006 has promoted people-to-people exchanges with Iran.

The United States cut diplomatic ties with Tehran during the 1979-1981 hostage crisis in which a group of militant Iranian students held 52 U.S. diplomats hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran for 444 days.

The nations have remained at odds over many issues, including U.S. accusations that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but in an effort to pursue greater engagement, the two countries have held sports exchanges in recent years.

More than 250 Iranians, including artists, athletes, and medical professionals, have participated in exchange programs in the United States, the department said.

Previous sports exchanges, which started in Jan. 2007, have included wrestlers and weightlifters as well as basketball, table tennis and water polo players. Since then, the department has sent 32 American athletes to Iran and brought 75 Iranian athletes and coaches to the United States, it said.

The badminton trip is the first to take place under the Obama administration, which is considering new approaches to Iran. Those include direct official dialogue and the appointment of a special envoy to deal with Iran, which has not had diplomatic relations with the U.S. since 1979.

The event is sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and results will count toward each player’s international ranking.

Anyone remember Ping Pong diplomacy?

UPDATE: U.S. Women’s Badminton Team refused visas to enter Iran.