Badminton is the fastest racket sport in the world, played on a rectangular court with the help of a racket and a shuttlecock. Playing this sport requires quick reflexes and faster conditioning.
It is an indoor sport, but people often love to play it outdoors on beaches and grounds. Badminton was first played officially in the country estate of Badminton in Gloucestershire in, England, and was named after the country estate of the dukes of Beaufort.
Some Stunning Fascinating Facts About Badminton
And like every other sport, some fascinating facts about badminton will shock you.
So now, let me introduce you to some of these amazing facts:
1. The fastest racket sport in the world
Do you know it is the fastest racket sport in the world? As its shuttlecock flies with a speed of 320 kilometers per hour, a Danish badminton player, Mads Pieler Kolding, holds the record for the fastest badminton hit at a badminton premier league 2017 held in Bangalore, India, and the smash was recorded at a speed of 426 kilometers per hour.
2. Second most popular sport in the world
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. But do you know which is the second most popular sport in the world? If you guessed badminton, then yes, you are right.
Badminton is the second most popular sport in the world. A survey says that it is played regularly by approx 220 million people around the world.
Rather than this, it has become one of the most popular sports in Asia, and many players are gracing the game from the continent.
3. Badminton is a more intense sport than tennis
Many people think a tennis match lasts longer than a badminton match, so tennis is more intense. But let me correct them. Badminton is a more intense sport in comparison to tennis.
It is so because of the match’s intensity. And the intensity of the match does not consist of all types of rallies, which have no. of shots. The shots per rally and distance covered are statistically higher in a game.
4. The shuttlecocks are made from the goose’s left-wing feathers
There are different types of shuttlecocks available in the market, including plastic and feathered shuttlecocks.
Plastic shuttlecocks are made of plastic but do you know how feathered shuttlecocks are made? If not, then let me inform you. A feathered shuttlecock is made using left-wing goose feathers, which are embedded around a cork or the rubber base of the shuttle.
Now, you must be wondering why only left-wing feathers. It is because of aerodynamics, as the lift wing spins clockwise, whereas the right-wing spins anti-clockwise.
5. The racket strings are made from the animal gut
In ancient times, when synthetic fibers were not introduced in the market, people used to string their rackets using animal guts (a thin, tough cord made up of animal intestines like sheep, cats, pigs, and cows.
A player using these badminton rackets states that these strings provide a better repulsion along with stability and synthetic strings.
6. Badminton was initially played with feet
A sport originated in China and was named Ti Zian Ji. It is played using feet and is the forerunner of badminton.
To play this sport, players use their feet instead of their hands to hit the shuttlecock. Also, the shuttlecock used in this sport slightly differs from the normal shuttlecock used in badminton.
7. Badminton was invented in India
Badminton has a long history and originated about 2000 years ago. It also originated from the game Battledore and Shuttlecock’, which was played by children in India.
Later it was named ‘Poona’ after the garrison town of Pune, India. Later in 1887, the duke of Beaufort took this sport to England from India.
This sport got its name after the Duke of Beaufort’s House from Gloucestershire, where it was played for the first time in India.
8. The shortest and longest badminton match
The shortest badminton match in history was played in Hong Kong in 1996, Uber Cup. It lasted for approx 6 minutes, when an England player, Julia Mann, was defeated by the South Korean player, Ra-Kyung-min.
On the other hand, the longest badminton match in history was recorded during the semi-final at the 2016 Asian Championships. And the game lasted for approx (161 minutes), 2 hours, and 41 minutes.
Final Words
So, these were the top badminton facts, and I hope you enjoyed reading them. Also, let us know which of these facts you liked the most in the comment section below. Badminton is now a world-famous game. Everyone likes to play this game, especially in the winter season. So what is your opinion? Do you like to play or just enjoy the views of the game from the stadium? You can share your game opinion and history through the comment section.
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