It kind of sounds like extreme sports. But it doesn't have to be! Badminton is also fun for beginners who have been weaned from the first minute because they immediately experience success and can play dynamically right from the start. The sport developed from badminton, which we almost all played in our garden in our childhood.

But there are differences: While in badminton, you try to play the ball back and forth as often as possible without a set of rules, in badminton you try to do exactly the opposite: to get your opponent in trouble with his strokes and to end the ball exchange in his favour as soon as possible.

The origins of the sport can be found in ancient Greece and among the East Asian peoples. Simplified representations of the game can already be found on more than 3000 year old Asian pottery shards. In India in the 19th century, "Poona" was played, a kind of badminton game, the idea of ​​which British officers based there picked up and brought to England. The venue for the first competitions in Europe was the Badminton House on the country estate of the Duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire. Hence the name of the sport: badminton. Incidentally, this is the only correct spelling - even if you often e.g. Badminten, Batminton, Batminten, Badmington or Batmington reads.

In contrast to badminton, which is played without a set of rules, badminton has clear rules. Badminton has even been an Olympic discipline since 1992. Badminton is played in halls on an approx. 35 square meter playing area (single) over a 1.55 meter high net. The rackets are called rackets.

Over the years, the equipment of the badminton player has constantly improved. Nowadays, rackets are only about 80 to 90 grams and can still be covered with up to 12 kg. The rackets are available in complex alloys of carbon-graphite, ceramics etc., which makes them very light and can be strung hard. With such racquets, the approx. 5 gram “ball” with 16 springs, also called shuttlecock, can be struck quickly at well over 300 km / h. Despite this high speed, there are surprisingly longer rallies than z. B. in tennis.

Regardless of the individual level of performance, the game is fun and in a good mood, because it is fast-paced, varied and varied. And practically by the way, it promotes stamina, speed, skill and responsiveness.

There are now around 4.5 million players and 500 sports facilities in Germany. Badminton is even the second most practised sport worldwide after football.