Skip to main content

Badminton | History & Facts




Exercise 1 : Historic background of badminton



Do you know how badminton came about? It evolved from a 5th century Chinese game that involved kicking a shuttle.  A later version of the sport was played in ancient Greece and India with rackets.


British army officers brought a revised type of the game back to Britain from India in the mid-19th century.  In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort introduced the game to royalty at his country estate, Badminton House, and the sport became known as badminton.  Four years later, the Bath Badminton Club was formed and the game played by its members formed the basis for the game played today.  Badminton soon spread beyond Britain to the rest of Europe and to countries around the world.  It became especially popular in Asia and North America, where the game was often played.  The only major change through the years was in the playing equipment.  Lightweight rackets made of aluminium, boron, graphite and titanium gradually replaced wooden ones.

 
Badminton is played by two or four players.  The lightweight rackets are used to hit the shuttlecock.  It travels back and forth over a net.  The objective of the game is to keep it in the air and to prevent it from hitting the ground.  Badminton requires speed, strength and agility.  In addition, stamina is important.  Some people play badminton outdoors on a level grassy area or beach. However, tournament-level badminton is played indoors on a specially marked court.







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dementia | Decline in mental ability

Exercise 4: Dementia  Dementia is an illness that affects the brain and its ability to function.   It is not a normal part of ageing and is worse than forgetfulness.   It is an illness that leads to the decline of the brain and its abilities in judgement, language, planning and behaviour.   It can affect adults of any age, although it is more likely to occur in those above sixty years old. There is no cure for dementia.   However, being able to detect dementia from its onset and seeking the right help early can make a positive difference in the lives of people with dementia and their family members.   Moreover, early detection and treatment can slow down the profession of the condition and is important for the effective management of dementia. People with dementia may ask a question repeatedly because they cannot remember that you have given them the answer.   They often forget things they have just been told or done. ...

Food Shortage in Ethiopia

Exercise 6: Adapted from 'Drought Leaves Ethiopia Facing Food Crisis' 12th Feb 2016 by Sean Banville Several international charities have issued a warning about a looming humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia.  The North African country has been hit by  its worst drought in 50 years.  It is widely expected that emergency food aid for 10 million Ethiopians will run out  unless more funds can be raised.  John Graham, the head of the charity Save the Children  said, "The international community has less than three weeks to raise  $245 million to fund the charity's emergency food aid programme to prevent  a likely increase in severe malnutrition cases."  The money will go towards supplying food  for the starving Ethiopians.  He added, "If the funds do not come  in time, there will be a critical shortage in the food supply and many Ethiopians will die from hunger ." Ethiopia, with a population of over 102 million, is Africa's secon...

Biography of Albert Einstein

Exercise 2 :  Biography of Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879.   He is still regarded as one of the greatest scientific and mathematical geniuses in history. Einstein began schooling in Munich around 1886.   As well as violin lessons, which he took from age six to thirteen, he also had religious classes at home where he was taught Judaism. Two years later, he entered an educational institution.   He loved to stud y Mathematics as he had a passion for the subject. Einstein attended secondary school at Aarau, before moving to Zurich where he studied Mathematics and Physics for four years.   He graduated in 1900 as a teacher in these subjects.   After temporary teaching positions , he joined the patent office in Bern as a technical expert. Einstein worked in this patent office from 1902 to 1909, holding a temporary post when he was first employed .   However, by 1904 the position was made permanent . ...