Ball Badminton
We know how a ball helped the Kuru princes get
a great guru. Let’s look at a ball game that originated in India.
The game of badminton, played not with the
western shuttle cock but with a soft woollen ball, was played in India as early
as 1856. The game was greatly patronised by the royal family of Thanjavur in
South India.
Ball
badminton is a fast-paced game; it demands skill, quick reflexes, good
judgment, agility, and the ability to control the ball with one`s wrist.
Shuttle
Badminton -The Indian connection
Did you know the game of badminton was
originally known as ‘Poona’ after the Indian city of Pune in Maharashtra? This
was where, the British army officers started playing the game in the mid 19th
century. They took it back with them to
England, and it was renamed as Badminton after a country house where it was
played.
However, even before that time, in South India,
ball badminton was being played and was quite popular. It was invented in Tamil
Nadu and became popular in other southern states. For a long time, ball
badminton was preferred over shuttle badminton.
Ball
badminton is a team sport. In
"fives" tournaments, a team consists of ten formally designated
players, any five of whom play while the other five remain on the sidelines
with the team manager, ready to play. Doubles tournaments use teams of three
players.
Ball Badminton sport is managed by the Ball Badminton Federation of India (founded in 1954) which conducts All India Tournaments.
