Badminton is a really fun indoor and outdoor game. It is very similar to tennis and the major difference between them is that badminton is played with a 'shuttlecock'. Also you never bounce a shuttlecock as you do in tennis. The rules are pretty similar and so is the court. Two players will go one-on-one and hit the shuttlecock with their racquets between each other and over a net which divides the court in half. If one of the players cannot face the shuttlecock and it falls to the
ground then the other player gets the point.

WHAT DO YOU NEED ?
You need to concentrate on 3 areas before playing badminton. Equipment, Players and Location.

Equipment :
There are two essential requirements in badminton. The racquet and the shuttlecock.

Racquet : This is a device similar to a tennis racquet but is smaller in dimensions and much lighter. The majority of racquets are made from aluminium or graphite. Most people claim that the lighter the racquet the better but that is a matter of personal opinion.

The racquet's frame and handle should not be longer than 26 ¾ inches. The hitting surface is flat and is made up of crossed strings which are generally made out of a synthetic material. Sometimes people use natural materials like gut for string but that is not very common.

Shuttlecock : It is very unique to badminton and is basically a cork with feathers stuck in it. It is very light and is heavier on the cork side so when it falls to the ground, it would be cork-down. Most players start with plastic shuttles since they last longer and are quite cheap. The feather shuttlecocks however have 16 feathers fixed to the cork. They may vary in length from 2.5 inches to 2 ¾ inches, but
each shuttle should be the same length. One should take care that the tips of the feathers should form a circle. Otherwise the shuttlecock might not fly. The base of the shuttlecock should be an inch in diameter and should be covered by a very thin layer of leather. The total weight should be 4.74 to 5.5 grams to allow it to fly smoothly and sail through the air.

Players :
As in tennis there should be 2 players as a minimum and a maximum of 4 for doubles. The aim of the game is to find out which team can make the maximum number of points before the other.

Location :
Your child can play badminton in a rectangular court with a net across the middle. The court looks quite like the tennis court, except for the net which is placed higher. The ground is also demarcated with chalk lines like tennis. The main rectangle is divided into 2 equal halves by the net and the half courts are further divided into equal halves by horizontal chalk lines. The outer 2 halves are vertically divided into 2 squares to differentiate the right and left side of the court. All serves are made from the right side of the court.

LET'S PLAY !

Before your child starts playing badminton it is very important to know just how to hold the racquet. It is essentially held in a V-shape with four fingers positioned at 45 degrees to the thumb. Your child must pay attention to the poise and manner in which the hand hits the shuttlecock since that makes all the difference. The wrong style of strokes could mean your child getting frustrated with the game and losing interest.

The scoring system is a lot simpler than tennis in which the players are to reach a target of 11 in the case of a women's match and 15 in case of men. The match starts at 0-0 and if the player who serves wins the point then the score turns into 1-0. He continues to serve as long as he wins but if he loses then the shuttlecock goes to the opponent to serve. Whoever reaches the target first wins.