HISTORY OF BADMINTON

The game was played in India during the 18th Century, at which time it was called "Poona" . In the 1860s it was adopted by
British Army officers stationed in India. The officers took the game back to England, where it became a success at a party given
by the Duke of Beaufort in 1873 at his estate called "Badminton" in Gloucestershire.

A variation of Badminton which has been developed only recently, Speed Badminton or Speedminton, is played without a net, and
is gaining popularity, especially in Germany.

RULES OF BADMINTON
Badminton is a sport that has been around since the 16th century. The sport is played indoors and the pinnacle comes from its Olympic events. The
sport is very popular in Asian countries such as China and India with these countries leading the way by producing some of the world’s best players.

The object of badminton is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and have it land in the designated court areas. If your opponent manages to return the
shuttlecock then a rally occurs. If you win this rally i.e. force your opponent to hit the shuttlecock out or into the net then you win a point. You are
required to win 21 points to win a set with most matches being best of 3 sets. Points can be won on either serve.

There are two forms of badminton, singles and doubles (it’s also possible to play mixed doubles). Each player is allowed to use a stringed racket
(similar to a tennis racket but with the head being smaller) and a shuttlecock. The shuttlecock is made up of half round ball at the bottom and a
feather like material surrounding the top. You can only really hit the bottom of the shuttlecock and as gravity comes into play will always revert the
ball side facing down. You may only hit the shuttlecock once before it either hits the ground or goes over the net.

The court measures 6.1m wide and 13.4m long. Across the middle of the rectangular court is a net which runs at 1.55m. Running along each side of
the court are two tram lines. The inside lines are used as the parameter for singles match whilst the outside line is used for a doubles match.
A point is scored when you successfully hit the shuttlecock over the net and land it in your opponent’s court before they hit it. A point can also be
gained when your opponent hits the shuttlecock into either the net or outside the parameters.

To win a game you must reach 21 points before your opponent. If you do so then you will have won that set. If the scores are tied at 20-20 then it
comes down to whichever player manages to get two clear points ahead. If the points are still tied at 29-29 then the next point will decide the winner
of the set. Winning the overall game will require you to win 2 out of the 3 sets played.

 A game can take place with either two (singles) or four (doubles) players.
 An official match has to be played indoors on the proper court dimensions. The dimensions are 6.1m by 13.4m, The net is situated through the
middle of the court and is set at 1.55m.
 To score a point the shuttlecock must hit within the parameters of the opponents court.
 If the shuttlecock hits the net or lands out then a point is awarded to your opponent.
 If the shuttlecock hits the net or lands out then a point is awarded to your opponent.
 A serve must be hit underarm and below the servers waist. No overarm serves are allowed.
 Each game will start with a toss to determine which player will serve first and which side of the court the opponent would like to start from.
 Once the shuttlecock is ‘live’ then a player may move around the court as they wish. They are permitted to hit the shuttlecock from out of the
playing area.
 If a player touches the net with any part of their body or racket then it is deemed a fault and their opponent receives the point.
 A fault is also called if a player deliberately distracts their opponent, the shuttlecock is caught in the racket then flung, the shuttlecock is hit
twice or if the player continues to infract with the laws of badminton.
 Each game is umpired by a referee on a high chair who overlooks the game. There are also line judges who monitor if the shuttlecock lands in
or not. The referee has overriding calls on infringements and faults.
 Let may be called by the referee if an unforeseen or accidental circumstance arose. These may include the shuttlecock getting stuck in the
bet, server serving out of turn, one player was not ready or a decision which is too close to call.
 The game has only two rest periods coming the form of a 90 second rest after the first game and a 5 minute rest period after the second
game.
 If the laws are continuously broken by a player then the referee holds the power to dock that player of points with persisting fouls receiving a
forfeit of the set or even the match.
 HISTORY OF BASKETBALL
The game of basketball originated in December 1891 by a Canadian born man by the name of James Naismith.
Naismith was a teacher at the YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was required to train young men to become instructors at
newly opened YMCA centres.
With the cold weather keeping the class indoors, in December 1891, Naismith was asked by the schools Superintendent of Physical Education, Dr.
Luther. H. Gulick, to create an indoor game that would keep the young men active during the cold winter months.
Upon this request, Naismith nervously set out to create a game that his class would enjoy. In a diary found many years later he had written…
“I felt this was a crucial moment in my life as it meant success or failure of my attempt to hold the interest of the class and devise a new game”

With the help of his wife and memories of playing ‘Duck on a Rock’ during his childhood, he decided to create a game that would focus on skill rather
than strength.
For those who are curious… ‘Duck on a Rock’ was a game in which players threw rocks at a certain target placed on top of a large boulder or tree
stump.
The game he ended up inventing is the game we all know and love today – basketball.
Basketball required very little equipment to play… two peach baskets hanging 10 feet above the ground, and a soccer ball.
The object of the game is to work as a team to throw or bat the soccer ball into the opposing teams peach basket, while defending a score in your
peach basket from the opposition team.
As you can imagine, it was a major pain getting the ball out of the peach basket when a team finally scored. Some say they used a long poll to push
the ball out, others say someone was required to climb a ladder to retrieve it…
Either way, the initial players weren’t great shooters so they didn’t have to worry about this too much! Heck, in the first game ever played there was
only one score during the entire game! But I’ll explain more about that game later in this article.
Originally the game involved nine players on each team… What! Why nine players? Because Naismith’s class had 18 people in it.
He also developed rules for the game known as ‘The 13 Rules of Basketball’.

RULES OF BASKETBALL
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at
good speed.
4. The ball must be held by the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as
a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game.
No substitution shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the
meantime making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do
no touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall
throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in
delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He
shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He
shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals, with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner.