Interesting Facts About Badminton

Badminton has always been an interesting sport, that many have found pleasure in playing for many years. There are many facts about the sport that players and lovers alike may not know. Read on to see how many of these facts you already knew, and how many you learned.

Badminton is the fastest sport using a racquet, in the world

It is true that both tennis and badminton use racquets as well as projectiles. But in comparison, the shuttle used by badminton players travels at a much faster rate, reaching speeds of up to 200 mph due to the small size and weight of the shuttle.

A shuttle is made from the wing of a goose

While many have believed that the feathers of the left-wing of a goose were the only feathers good enough to use to make shuttles, this has since been found as a myth. So long as the feathers are straight, they can be taken from either wing of the goose. As well, feathers from ducks have been used to make shuttles in the past.

Badminton traces back to an old children’s game called “Battledore and Shuttlecock”

Before badminton was a sport, children in Europe used to take shuttles and racquets and play Battledore and Shuttlecock. There were no nets involved, as well as no scoring systems in place. This was played for many years before it was adapted into the game we now know as Badminton.

Longest badminton match

The longest badminton match lasted 25 hours, 24 minutes, and 44 seconds. It was played by Mario Langmann and Thomas Paulweber in the location of Reutle, Austria on 26-27 November 2016.

Longest Rally

The longest rally in a badminton tournament took place by Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao VS Poon Lok Yan and Tse Ying Suet. There were 256 shots back and forth, and the rally lasted 4.5 minutes in total.

Leg muscle in badminton players

Since badminton is a sport where the player must run around to chase the shuttle, players have noticed that they have increased the muscles in their legs. This is due to running around the court to ensure the other player does not score.

Badminton used to be called Poona or Poonah

Since it originated in Poona, the sport was named after the town where it was created. It was originally played by British soldiers that were stationed there, and they would go on to take the sport back to Britain.

The first rules of Poona were drawn up in 1873 and were adopted by each player of the sport.

Each of these facts is interesting enough to catch the attention of anyone looking to learn more about the sport. How many did you know? How many did you learn?

With the sport of badminton, comes a thought-provoking backstory, as there are many different facts that show how badminton has evolved over the years to become what it is today.