• Badminton can be played on grass but but be careful of the strong winds.badminton image by Christopher Walker from Fotolia.com
  
  Badminton is a racket sport played with rackets and a shuttlecock. According to the book "Badminton (Skills of the Game)," by Mark Golds, drawings in a cave in India have been found which indicate that badminton was played more than two thousand years ago. Golds also states that by the 1900’s the game became popular in England but due to the high ceilings needed, there were limited places to play, so churches were used as they were spacious.
  
  

Equipment

• Badminton can either be played indoors if there is a large enough area available like a sports hall or outside on a grass surface. If playing outside though it is important to be aware that strong winds can cause the shuttlecock to blow off course. Badminton can be played with two or four players in equal teams. Each player needs a badminton racket and one shuttlecock per game. The court size is different depending on whether you are playing doubles or singles but needs to be rectangular in shape and measure around 44 feet in length and 20 feet wide. The net is 5 feet high and is played across the middle of the court or playing area. These are the official court specifications for badminton and don’t have to be strictly adhered to if only playing for fun but they are useful to know.
  
  

Object of the Game

• The object of badminton is to hit the shuttlecock back and forth over the net without letting it touch the floor on your side of the court. There are some general rules in badminton that are important to remember. If a shuttlecock hits the net on the way over the rally can continue, if a player touches the net it is called a fault and the opposition gets the point. Most games in badminton are played to 21 points. Once a player has achieved 21 points they win the game and a new game begins. Most badminton matches are played to the best of three, meaning one player needs to win two games to win the match.
  
  

Serving

• A coin toss usually decides who will serve first in badminton. The shuttlecock must be hit diagonally across the court. If it does not go over the net or lands outside the playing area the opponent receives the point. The shuttlecock must be hit below the waist when serving. A player can continue serving until he loses a point and then the serve is given to the opponent. If the server has an even number of points he must serve from the right hand side of the court and if he has an odd number of points the player must serve from the left.