The Badminton Handbook

Everything about badminton in one place.

1. What is badminton?
   The game, its formats and why it is one of the fastest racket sports.
2. Why play badminton? The benefits
   What badminton does for your heart, legs, bones, reflexes, mood and social life, how much play counts, and what the research says.
3. The court & net
   Dimensions, lines, singles vs doubles boundaries and net height.
4. Rackets & strings
   Weight, balance, shaft flex, grip size, strings and tension, and how to choose.
5. Shuttlecocks
   Feather vs nylon, official specifications, speed ratings and testing a shuttle.
6. Shoes, clothing & kit
   Why court shoes matter, plus the rest of a sensible kit bag.
7. The science of badminton
   Why the shuttle flies the way it does, smash physics, biomechanics and match physiology.
8. Technique fundamentals
   Grips, ready position, split step, footwork principles and the families of strokes.
9. Grips & shots
   How to hold the racket, which grip to use where on the court, how to change it, and forehand/backhand and straight/cross-court shots.
10. Every shot explained
    Clears, drops, smashes, net shots, kills, lifts, pushes, blocks, drives and serves: what each shot is, when to use it and how to play it.
11. Tactics & strategy
    Singles, doubles and mixed: the core ideas that win points.
12. Rules & scoring
    Scoring (current and the new 3×15 system), serving, faults and lets, in plain language.
13. Training, recovery & injury awareness
    How to structure training around play, recover well and recognise common problems.
14. Getting started & etiquette
    A first-timer's guide, buying on a budget, and how to behave on court.
15. Glossary
    Badminton words explained, A to Z.
16. Sources & further reading
    Where the facts in this handbook come from.