| It's fast! It's fun! It's so easy to learn that even | | | | Winter winds blowing don't stop the badminton |
| five-year-olds can delight in playing it. More than just | | | | lovers. Played indoors with a net, the sport is a |
| a game for families, badminton will soar you to the | | | | year-round possibility. An empty basketball court |
| Olympics if you choose to perfect your skill level! | | | | suffices, and players are ingenious in finding one that |
| Badminton has captivated the hearts of the | | | | is available. Schools have found that even students |
| multi-generational family for decades, as the young | | | | who are not athletically inclined can enjoy learning and |
| toddler who hasn't reached pre-school can play, as | | | | playing badminton.Many schools offer classes from |
| well as the grandfather and even the | | | | kindergarten on through high school,increasing the skill |
| great-grandfather. Even the first-day novice can feel | | | | level as the students grow. |
| comfortable playing. | | | | Hand-eye coordination increases, as does depth |
| In England over 2 million people actively, regularly, | | | | perception, concentration, and spatial awareness. |
| play badminton.By combining skill, speed and subtlety, | | | | Older students learn organizational skills and coaching |
| one can become a top pro. | | | | techniques. And after the school years, adults |
| The tools of badminton are simple: a shuttlecock | | | | traveling around the globe can find a large Badminton |
| often referred to as the 'bird' or the 'shuttle,' and a | | | | Club in every major city. |
| racket that is strung either with gut or synthetic | | | | Fast! That's one word that describes the game itself. |
| fibre. The racket is usually about 26 inches long and | | | | That little 'bird' can travel in excess of 100 kph. |
| only weighs about 5 or 5 ½ ounces. And, | | | | Players lurch, twist, jump, run forwards, backwards, |
| toddlers can handle the same weight racket as the | | | | and sideways while lunging to flip the shuttle back to |
| parents -- if their hands reach around the handle. The | | | | the other side. |
| cost of equipment? | | | | The pros will travel more than a mile during a match, |
| A pack of shuttles and rackets can be purchased for | | | | and cover almost every inch of the court. Because |
| less than $10 each or you can have yours custom | | | | both the shuttle and the racket are so light, the |
| made for quite a bit more. The 'bird' is super-light, | | | | slightest twist of one's wrist can direct where the |
| weighing only 4 to 5 grams. The fourteen to sixteen | | | | bird will fly. |
| feathers are fixed onto a kid-leather skin,which is | | | | Fun! Delightful fun! Badminton brings much joy and |
| then put into a cork head that is about one inch in | | | | laughter to the players. When they miss a shot and |
| diameter. The feathers are what slows the bird down | | | | the bird falls to the floor, the standard excuse is, |
| toward the end of its flight across the net. | | | | "There's a hole in my racket! |