Isle of Man Badminton Association

Ask people what the fastest racquet sport in the world is and most would say squash or even tennis. Few would come up with badminton, but those who did would be right.

Men’s doubles badminton champion, Fu Haifeng from the People’s Republic of China set the official world smash record June 3, 2005. The actual shuttle speed was measured at 332 km/h (approximately 206 mph) . Not bad for missile made from sticking goose feathers into a piece of cork!

The feathers from which the shuttle or shuttlecock, bird or birdie as it is also known is made, come from Chinese white geese and only 6 feathers from each wing can be used. Feathers are sorted from the same side of the wing. Both left & right feathers will be used but, all left feathers or all right feathers should be planted on the same shuttlecock. Shuttlecocks made from left feathers are apparently more stable in flight and r egardless of where, how or when the shuttle it hit, all shuttles will turn to fly cork first, and remain in the cork-first orientation.

The sport is extremely demanding. The shuttle travels so fast that players have to possess superb reflexes to keep it in play, together with awesome stamina.

Top players have been known to cover up to four miles in a single match. Therefore, players must be extremely agile and light on their feet to counter the unpredictable flight of the shuttle.

Rallies last for much longer than tennis - about ten shots more on average - and the shuttle is in play for roughly double the time. Badminton is similar to tennis in that the court possesses tramlines acting as boundaries and a net, which is 150 cm high and the scoring system is similar to table tennis, with each game being basically the first to 21 points and usually the best of three games.

Like tennis, most badminton tournaments comprise five events - men's singles and doubles, women's single and doubles, and mixed doubles, which was introduced at the Olympic Games in Atlanta .

Not at all. Badminton was known in ancient times; an early form of the sport was played in Ancient Greece! In Japan , the related game, Hanetsuki was played as early as the 16th century. In the west, badminton came from a game called batteldore and shuttlecock, in which two or more players keep a feathered shuttlecock in the air with small racquets. The game was called Poona in India during the 18th century, and British Army officers stationed there took a competitive Indian version back to England in the 1860s, where it was played at country houses as an upper class amusement.

The new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at Badminton House in Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke or Beaufort. During that time, the game was referred to as "The Game of Badminton," and the game's official name became Badminton.

Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India . The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic regulations were drawn up in 1887. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations. They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899. The Badminton Association of England is now known as BadmintonEngland.

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

Virtually anyone at any age! The Isle of Man Badminton Association organises tournaments from Primary School age to an annual veteran’s tournament for those who have reached the ripe old age of 45 or over.

No. Probably the most important item of clothing is a pair of correctly fitting shoes which are suitable for indoor impact sports which will provide you with the correct level of grip. These can be purchased new for as little as £18.00. Any comfortable and loose-fitting sports clothing can be worn and racquets cost from £10.00 new but may generally be hired or loaned from sports clubs or sporting venues.

Feather shuttlecocks can be expensive – usually costing from £10 per tube of 12 and these have a much shorter life than plastic shuttles. Plastic shuttles can usually be hired/loaned at the same time as the racquets.

Badminton can be played in all sorts of places – the back garden, the beach or park (all depending on the wind!). As the rules require hitting within a prescribed court, sports centres, schools or church halls tend to be the most popular venues for competitions and clubs. On the Isle of Man, we are very fortunate to have a well-equipped and modern sports centre at the NSC in Groves Road in Douglas which has a main sports hall which accommodates 10 courts and a secondary hall which provides another 4. Badminton is a popular sport on the Island and has to compete with many other sports – football, basketball, archery, cricket practice – for the court space. The staff at the NSC are very helpful and will be able to advise you when courts are available (688588). Discounts are available for Island residents who are NSC cardholders.

The Isle of Man Badminton Association administers a national League in which local clubs participate (see section on clubs – link if possible). Anyone may join a local club and if you like, can play in the league or simply come along and play socially. The clubs meet on different nights of the week and play at different venues, some have junior sections and some in-house coaches.

So, is badminton for you? Come along to one of the local clubs or contact any of the people on the website to find out how to join us in one of the Island ’s most popular sports. You’ll be welcome, whatever your level.