Badminton Racketsport Information

Badminton racket sport information

Badminton history. Badminton rules. Tips for playing badminton.

Click on the terms and jump to the desired badminton advice.

Start playing badminton properly.  Information about badminton clubs.

Here, badminton players can find their way to badminton fun with just one click.

Badminton racket . How to become a badminton professional.

Becoming a successful badminton player is just a few clicks away. Get a racket and win your game!

Badminton history and development

In India, a racket game is said to have been played almost 2000 years ago, in which a small ball containing small chicken feathers was hit using flattened batons.

Around 1870, British officers are said to have brought the Indian game "Poona" to Great Britain to introduce it at a country estate, the "Badminton House". Here the game was given the name "badminton". In 1893, the first English badminton association was founded.

In Germany, badminton started in 1902 in Bad Homburg with the "Badminton Club", the first badminton sports club. However, it was not until the 1950s that the sport slowly spread, as shuttlecocks and rackets were in short supply.

In 1934 the IBF, International Badminton Federation, was founded, which included England, Denmark, India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Korea.

The German Badminton Association DBV was founded with the first German Championships in Wiesbaden in 1953. The German Badminton Championships "German Open" have been held by the DBV since 1955.

A badminton boom in the 1970s led to the creation of numerous regional associations, clubs and badminton halls in Germany.

The official figures in Germany are approximately 2,700 badminton clubs with over 217,000 members in 16 national badminton associations, in addition to the many countless private recreational badminton players. 

Current badminton rules

There are basic rules, but different badminton field sizes depending on whether singles or doubles badminton is played. 

Single field size: 13.0 meters long x 5.18 meters wide. (Without field lines).

Doubles field size: 13.0 meters long x 6.10 meters wide. (Including the outer lines of the field).

The badminton net height is 1.55 meters on the outside and sags to 1.524 cm in the middle.

The badminton net consists of a net of 76 cm.

Badminton hall. Badminton is generally played indoors to eliminate disruptive wind movements. In the recreational badminton area, it is often played outdoors on windless days. During the Corona period in 2020, a new version of the shuttlecock was developed for outdoor badminton due to the closure of badminton halls: "AirShuttle". These balls have a heavier base and can still be played in light wind movements. The focus here was less on the best precision and more on badminton movement training with recreational fun.

The game 

The players are in the service court on their side at the start of the game and at the time of serving, and thus diagonally opposite their opponent. The ball is hit into the opponent's court 21 times per set. If the server has an even number of points, he serves from the right side. From the left side of the court if the server has an odd number of points. 

A game consists of 2 sets and ends at 21 points. If the score reaches 20-20, play continues until at least 2 points have been won. If the score is 29-29, the next rally point ultimately decides the winner!

A serve must be started from below, with the head racket below the waist. The rally continues until one of the players makes a mistake: the ball falls into the net, or onto the ground, inside or outside the court.

The point is awarded 1 point per rally for the player who won the ball. The right to serve is transferred to the player who won the ball.
The players change sides after the first set and have a 2-minute break. If the game is still tied after two sets, there is a third deciding set in badminton, after which the players change sides again.
There are one-minute breaks in all sets whenever the leading player has reached eleven points.

The rules apply to badminton singles play.

The following changes apply to badminton doubles:

1.) When the returning party wins the ball: The player positions are not changed!

2.) If the serving party wins the ball immediately after the serve, only the serving party changes its field position in order to serve against the second serve of the doubles opponent.

Tips and advice for playing badminton

Whether you are a badminton hobbyist or an ambitious tournament player, it is all about having the best personal equipment. The deciding factor here is not the price, but rather technique, body stature, body control and ambitions in line with the racket, racket strings, ball and shoes.

The forehand and backhand game requires special training and correct hand position. Watching and having experienced coaches and players explain things can help you progress.

Reacting quickly is the top priority and anticipating the opponent's coming shot. Does the opponent prefer short net shots or smashes into a corner? Movement is only necessary in the game when it counts. Running around the court should be rare.

If you don't want to join a club yet, you might have the chance to have an experienced player in your circle of friends. The best training is always against stronger opponents who can show you a lot. Free indoor courts are often available to rent without being a club member.

Simply enter badminton hall and the name of your town in the web search. You will usually find one nearby.

Professional Tips Badminton in the Game

  • Hold your badminton racket high. This allows you to react and position yourself quickly and suddenly.
  • Leg movement. Don't stand stiffly in one place and wait. Small movements keep you dynamic.
  • Go to the net. Signals to the opponent not to give any gifts of advantage.

Start playing badminton properly

Badminton advice for learning badminton:

Badminton is a very positive and active sport that requires a lot of movement for the whole body. 
Badminton is considered a very beginner-friendly sport that allows you to achieve success quickly. Chasing the badminton shuttlecock or precisely smashing it into the opponent's court is a lot of fun.
If you haven't tried playing badminton in your free time, which has little to do with the sport of badminton, you should definitely join a club instead of buying an outdoor badminton game. Some people have already had contact with badminton at school, but the racket equipment was usually only basic. Badminton is an indoor game for the hall and is therefore a year-round sport. Your local badminton club will certainly offer taster courses or a "badminton open day" once a year. It's good to hold a real badminton racket in your hand, which is completely different in shape, weight, hitting power and handling to a hobby badminton racket. If you try out the three different speeds of shuttlecocks when hitting or returning, you will be amazed at how different it feels, how hard or precise you can hit. This of course also depends on the strings, which differ in material, strength and tension. Watch badminton tournaments where the incredibly sporty game can captivate everyone. 
With two or four players, badminton is a great leisure activity that can quickly turn one person into a tournament winner. 

Choosing the right badminton racket

Depending on many factors, the optimal badminton racket can be found.

Advice on the right badminton racket

In fact, it is no use buying a super-expensive racket first. You first need to learn the game of badminton and gain experience before you can appreciate certain materials, with and without head weight (balance) and stiffness and flexibility or grip size. A racket costing around €50 is enough for badminton beginners to gain experience in the game.

As a badminton beginner, we recommend a balanced one with a slightly heavy handle and a flexible or medium-flexible racket.

Advanced badminton players prefer certain rackets depending on their playing style and handling. Those who want to hit hard shots or smashes prefer stiff, head-heavy badminton rackets. If you prefer a more technical game, players prefer more flexible and handle-heavy rackets.

Tournament and competition badminton players like to use aggressive, fully offensive badminton rackets that contain the latest technologies and materials. A stiff, handle-heavy racket can provide precise ball control combined with power.

The racket selection is often adapted to the level of ability and style of play. 

Offensive attackers rely on high stiffness and top-heavy badminton rackets, while technical tricksters are better off with particularly flexible and handle-heavy rackets or balanced rackets. They want to hit defensive loops on the back baseline and make short net drops when the opponent has to answer smashes. All-round badminton players are active on the entire court without constantly using specialized, one-sided playing styles, but use all tactics. They like to choose a medium-stiff, balanced badminton racket.

Ask the Racket-World team for information and test rackets by email, phone or just drop by!

Address: Wagener & Wagener GbR, RW-Sportartikel, Wandsbeker Chaussee 130, 22089 Hamburg, Telephone: +49 (40) 65 28 28 9, Email: info@racket-world.de Please note our shop opening times before visiting: Opening times: See below.

Choosing the right stringing and string tension

After buying the racket, you need to choose the right stringing. Beginner and all-round rackets often come with a basic stringing from the factory. However, it is often advisable to change this to suit your needs. This really doesn't cost much and can be done quickly at good badminton shops such as Racket-World and RW-Sportartikel. You can take the racket home with you straight away, pick it up later or have it sent to you ready-made by post. Professional athletes always choose their favorite badminton string manufacturer and the kilogram hardness they need.

The degree of hardness , the tension strength (8kg to 13kg) of the stringing of badminton rackets, additionally influences the playing characteristics of the racket, supports or even focuses as follows:

  • A "softer" stringing hardness of a few kg results in more controlled and precise ball control. This is recommended for all-rounders and beginners.
  • A "harder" stringing with high kg results in greater playing power and strength. Tournament players and advanced players rely on hardness.

The manufacturers determine the kg stringing range in which their racket can be strung. E.g. 9-10 kg

The material thickness of the string used also influences the badminton game as follows:

  • If I choose a thicker badminton string, e.g. 0.8 mm, I achieve more control.
  • If I use thinner strings of e.g. 0.62 mm, I get more power and rotation.

Select badminton racket stringings with hardness here

Details Stringing Badminton Racket

Advice on the right badminton ball

The "feather balls" in badminton vary considerably. There are badminton balls with natural feathers and those with synthetic feathers. There are slow, medium and fast balls, as well as different colors.

Natural shuttlecock

Generally used in professional games. It is characterized by moving away from the racket more quickly, but slows down its flight path earlier in the air. It is significantly less durable than a nylon ball. Natural feather balls are often broken after just one set. Badminton natural feather balls are fitted with 16 goose feathers on a cork cone. They are very sensitive and can generate significant flight deviations even if they are slightly damaged. This is why badminton players use up a lot of natural feather balls. 6-12 balls are quickly used up per game, at a higher price.

Plastic ball - Nylon balls

Basically a slower game. Suitable as a badminton training ball and for beginners because of its long durability. Its trajectory hardly changes over the course of a complete tournament. Beginners should use blue balls, which are "medium-fast" and therefore all-rounders for teeing off and playing. The green balls are "slow" balls and red balls are "fast" balls. If you want to take part in competitions, find out beforehand which balls are used there and get used to them. Nylon balls are often used in hobby and amateur badminton competitions.

Select badminton balls here

Choosing the right badminton shoe

How women, men and children can find the right badminton sports shoe

Advice on basic shoe properties for badminton:

It is an indoor shoe with non-staining, mostly light-colored soles made of rubber, caoutchouc, or synthetic. The shoe must have good cushioning properties, with an optimized indoor profile for quick start-stop movements in all directions. The better the grip on an indoor floor, the safer the game. It goes without saying that you should use badminton shoes that are made of breathable materials or have breathable properties.

Depending on the shape of the badminton player's foot, it can be a narrow or wider shoe, which in any case should not be too tight, but provides the foot with very good stability and lateral support.

Badminton shoe insoles are recommended in any case to get even better grip, sweat absorption, stance support and higher shock absorption functions. These can be purchased in sets of pairs.

Good specialist shops such as Racket-World, RW-Sportartikel in Hamburg let their customers try on the shoes and provide detailed badminton advice.

Badminton shoes for men | Badminton shoes for women | Badminton shoes for children

How to become a badminton professional

Earning money as a top badminton athlete at international badminton tournaments is the dream of many ambitious badminton players.

Of course, starting badminton at a young age is a good basis and constant training and competition participation are mandatory. 

The competition starts with the club championship, the regional association eliminations and the nationwide German championship.

Success in the game leads to national tournaments and international championships, which are closely monitored by manufacturers. Those who play in the upper ranks can count on sponsorship and advertising contracts.

Badminton clubs and associations

1. Quick search for badminton clubs near/in your town CLICK HERE for the external search on Google via a new page. Enter your place of residence/postcode in place of racket-world.de ;) and click on search. Results for badminton clubs nearby should appear. Have fun :)

2. Here you will find a list of links to the German Bandminton associations in your state from AZ.

BWBV: Baden-Württemberg Badminton Association www.bwbv.de

BBV: Bavarian Badminton Association www.badminton-bbv.de

BVBB: Badminton Association Berlin-Brandenburg www.bvbb-online.de

BBV: Bremen Badminton Association www.badminton-bremen.de

HBV: Hamburg Badminton Association www.hamburg-badminton.de

HBV: Hessian Badminton Association www.hessischer-badminton-verband.de

BVMV: Badminton Association Mecklenburg-Vorpommern www.badminton-mv.de

NBV: Lower Saxony Badminton Association www.nbv-online.de

BLV NRW: Badminton State Association of North Rhine-Westphalia www.badminton.nrw

BVRP: Badminton Association Rheinhessen-Pfalz www.bvrp-online.de

BVR: Badminton Association Rhineland www.bv-rhreinland.de

SBV: Saarland Badminton Association www.sbv-online.de

BVS: Badminton Association Saxony www.bvsachsen.de

BLSA: Badminton State Association of Saxony-Anhalt www.blsa.de

SHBV: Schleswig-Holstein Badminton Association www.shbv.de

TBV: Thuringian Badminton Association eV www.badminton-thueringen.de