Conditioned Games: Badminton's Secret Weapon

what is a conditioned game in badminton

Conditioned games in badminton are a great way to improve technical and tactical play. They offer a variety of possibilities for coaches and players to develop their skills, particularly in singles low serve. These games provide different situations and challenges, acting as a framework or starting point for players to improve their performance.

Characteristics Values
Purpose To improve technical and tactical play, specifically low serving
Target Audience Coaches and players

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Conditioned games improve low serving skills

Conditioned games in badminton offer a range of possibilities for improving technical and tactical play. They are an excellent way to improve low serving skills, which are essential for setting up an attack. By adapting the rules of the game, players can focus on developing specific techniques, such as the low serve.

For example, in basketball, a conditioned game might involve banning dribbling, forcing players to pass and move into space. This improves passing and moving skills, as well as encouraging players to get into position quickly. Similarly, in badminton, a conditioned game might offer double points for a successful low serve, encouraging players to focus on this technique and incorporate it into their competitive performance.

Conditioned games can also help players develop their decision-making, confidence, use of tactics, concentration, and mental toughness. The format can be adapted to suit individual needs, such as laying out cones on a badminton court and awarding points for hitting shuttlecocks into the target area. This can also be applied to larger formats of the game, such as 4v4 and 5v5, to improve lower limb strength and power, as well as reducing landing forces.

Incorporating ball touch conditions into training can also improve overall player fitness, enhancing anaerobic and short-distance sprint performance, as well as aerobic capacity. These games are a good stepping stone to further improve skills and techniques, helping players to incorporate new skills into their competitive performance.

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Singles and doubles games have different court sizes

A conditioned game in badminton is one that offers a variety of possibilities between technical and tactical play. The most common forms of the game are singles and doubles. While the length of a standard badminton court is the same for both singles and doubles matches, the width differs.

A badminton court is rectangular and divided into two halves by a net in the middle. The length of a standard badminton court remains the same at 13.4 metres (44 feet) for both singles and doubles matches, according to the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The width of a singles court is 5.18 metres (17 feet), while a doubles court is wider at 6.1 metres (20 feet). The outer sidelines, or "doubles sidelines", run the full length of the court and are marked 5.18 metres (17 feet) apart, parallel to one another. The inner sidelines, or "singles sidelines", are 0.46 metres (1.5 feet) inside the outer sidelines and also run parallel.

The service areas in the two halves of the court are further vertically divided down the middle. In singles matches, the shuttlecock must land within the singles sideline and the baseline during service. For doubles matches, the service should be beyond the short service line, but it's the long service line that acts as the marker on the backcourt.

The court flooring should be made of safe materials such as wood, synthetic, or rubber to provide cushion and comfort to players. The actual lines should be 4 centimetres (1.57 inches) thick and should be coloured distinctly from the court surface, usually in white.

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Scoring rules

The scoring rules in a conditioned game of badminton are designed to create a faster-paced and more dynamic match. Here are the key rules:

Rally Scoring

Unlike traditional scoring, rally scoring means that a point is awarded on every serve, regardless of which team is serving. This encourages a faster pace and more aggressive play as every rally counts.

Setting a Condition

A conditioned game in badminton is typically played to 15, 21, or 30 points. The specific condition, or target score, is decided before the match begins and is referred to as the 'agreed score'. Both players must win by a margin of 2 points, which means if the game reaches a tie at the agreed score, play continues until one player gains a 2-point lead. For example, if the agreed score is 15, play will continue until one player reaches 17 points.

Ceiling Scoring

Ceiling scoring is a mechanism to help ensure a timely conclusion to a match. When a player reaches 11 points in a 15-point game, 16 points in a 21-point game, or 21 points in a 30-point game, the ceiling score is reached. At this point, whichever player is ahead will be deemed the winner, even if the margin is less than 2 points.

Service Rules

Service rules are critical in a conditioned game. The server and receiver must stand in their respective service courts when the serve is delivered. The server must hit the shuttlecock below waist level, and it must pass over the short service line. If the shuttlecock touches the net but still lands in the correct service court, it is considered a legal serve ('let'). Each player is allowed only one serve, and the serve must be returned either on the 'up' or 'back' swing—not during the shuttlecock's downward flight.

Faults and Lets

A fault

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The shuttlecock's unique design

The shuttlecock is an integral part of badminton, giving the sport its distinctive nature. The design of the shuttlecock has evolved over the years, from its early days in the ancient game of battledore and shuttlecock, which was played with a woollen ball, to the feathered or plastic projectile used today.

The unique design of the shuttlecock is what sets badminton apart from other racquet sports. The shuttlecock is typically made from 16 overlapping feathers, usually from the wings of a goose or duck, embedded into a rounded cork base. The feathers create a high drag force, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate rapidly. This high drag force also gives the shuttlecock a high top speed compared to balls used in other racquet sports, making badminton the fastest racquet sport. The feathers are covered with thin leather, and it is important to use feathers from either the right or left wing only, as feathers from different wings have distinct shapes.

The cork base of the shuttlecock is an important factor in its design. Badminton companies use two methods to make the cork: one involves sandwiching polyurethane between two cork pieces, while the other uses a whole piece of natural cork. The single-piece natural cork design is more durable as it maintains its structure better than the alternative method, which can cause the cork to become misshapen over time.

The weight of the shuttlecock is also significant, with different weights used to compensate for varying atmospheric conditions such as humidity and altitude. The World Badminton Federation Rules specify that the shuttle should reach a certain distance when hit underhand by an average player. The speed of a shuttlecock is influenced by factors such as playing level, flight path quality, consistency, and durability.

The choice between feathered and plastic shuttlecocks is also important. While feathers are preferred by experienced players and used in serious tournaments, plastic shuttlecocks are more durable and cost-effective. Plastic shuttlecocks fly more slowly initially but maintain their speed better than feathers, which tend to drop straight down. The playing characteristics of these two materials differ significantly, impacting the speed and trajectory of the shuttlecock during play.

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The history of the game

Badminton is a racquet sport played with racquets and a shuttlecock (also known as a birdie) that is hit back and forth over a net. The shuttlecock is a cone-shaped projectile made of feathers or synthetic material attached to a cork or rubber base. The feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly. The sport is played either one player per side (singles) or two players per side (doubles), though larger teams are possible.

The modern game of badminton developed in the mid-19th century among British officers in India as a variant of the earlier game of battledore and shuttlecock ("battledore" being an older term for "racquet"). As early as the 1850s, a version of the game called ball badminton, played with a woollen ball instead of a shuttlecock, was being played in Thanjavur. By the 1870s, badminton had become very popular in India among British expatriates, and the first rules for the game were drawn up in the garrison town of Poona (Pune) in 1873. The name "badminton" comes from the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton House in Gloucestershire, though the exact reason for this is unclear.

By 1875, officers returning home had started a badminton club in Folkestone, and the sport quickly spread throughout the British Empire and beyond. Initially, the sport was played with sides ranging from one to four players, but it was soon established that games between two or four competitors worked best. The depth of the net was not important, but it was preferred that it should reach the ground. The shuttlecocks were coated with India rubber and, in outdoor play, sometimes weighted with lead.

In 1892, badminton debuted as a Summer Olympic sport, with four events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, and women's doubles. Mixed doubles were added four years later. China has since emerged as the dominant force in Olympic badminton, with a total of 20 golds, 12 silvers, and 15 bronze medals. Indonesia is second with eight golds, followed by South Korea and Denmark.

Frequently asked questions

Conditioned games in badminton are games that provide different situations to improve technical and tactical play, such as low serving.

Conditioned games help players develop their skills in specific areas, such as serving, by providing a framework or starting point for practice and improvement.

Examples of conditioned games can be found on badminton-focused websites, such as "Badminton Andy", which offers insights, discussions, and documents containing various conditioned games to try.

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