On 13th May 2019, AirBadminton was launched jointly by the Badminton World Federation and HSBC along with a new shuttlecock, AirShuttle. It is an ambitious project designed to create for people of all ages and abilities to play badminton. It is a development project in partnership with HSBC, BWF’s Global Development Partner. It aims to deliver a positive experience to people to play badminton on hard, grass, and sand surfaces at parks, beaches, and playgrounds around the World.
Given that most people have their first-hand experience in an outdoor environment, the BWF has made it easier for everyone to play the sport through the new outdoor game and a new shuttlecock- AirShuttle. The project has taken about five years to develop, and over 30 designs of the AirShuttle were dubbed before the final design was chosen. The new shuttle is designed and developed to provide more stability and wind resistance. Victor is the first badminton brand to take the AirShuttle to market.
Aim
The goal of the conception of AirBadminton is to encourage and inspire the mass participation of people to play badminton. Also, to find an effective, economic, and sustainable way of encouraging more people to play more badminton in more places. The ultimate aim is to increase the accessibility of the sport, by enabling it to be played on a variety of surfaces. This will lead to the overall brand development of the sport.
Why play AirBadminton?
Badminton is a very popular sport with more than 300 million active players globally. AirBadminton comes up with a plethora of health and social benefits. In fact, playing the sport for just an hour can burn up to 450 calories. It improves physical qualities such as speed, endurance, strength, agility, reduces stress, and helps eliminate various health problems. Research also shows that racquet sports such as badminton with a strong social connectedness can increase longevity by nine years.
AirBadminton has the similar benefits of playing badminton, in fact, the physical effort required to play competitively on sand is higher than traditional badminton.
Where to play AirBadminton?
It can be played anywhere-parks, beaches, playgrounds, gardens and streets around the World. It can be played on a safe surface at any level including hard, grass, and sand.
Where can I buy the AirShuttle?
To buy an AirShuttle, click here.
How to play AirBadminton?
You can play AirBadminton can be played in the following formats:
Singles (1 vs 1)
Doubles (2 vs 2)
Triples (3 vs 3)
Rules
There are some official rules laid down by the BWF, which are:
The rallies commence with a service behind the 3m mark on the court.
The player can serve anywhere behind the 3m mark (service marker) as there is no centreline, with both feet stationary.
Dead zone: If the shuttle lands in the dead zone, then it is considered a fault.
The net height should be 1.45m on a sand surface because players sink into the sand while playing on that surface.
What is a Dead Zone?
The AirShuttle makes net shots very difficult to control, therefore the net area has been taken out to facilitate strokes away from the net. This will help in creating rally situations.
A player must not step inside the dead zone while hitting the shuttle. After the hit, it can step inside the area.
Disciplines
Men’s Singles
Women’s Singles
Men’s Doubles
Women’s Doubles
Triples
Scoring System
The rules for scoring are similar to traditional badminton, the only difference being the number of games and points.
Total Games: Best of 5
Total Points for each game: 8
If there is a tie, and the score to 11-11 then the next person to score and reach 12 points is the winner.
How to play Triples?
Singles and doubles are similar to the traditional format whereas, triples are a different format in which the same player cannot return the AirShuttle twice in a row. The player must allow the next member of the team to take the next return. Triples is a new exciting format of the game where good strategy and communication is key between teammates.
Who can play AirBadminton?
This sport can be played by all irrespective of their age, gender, ability, and level of experience. It is an inclusive sport that can also be enjoyed by people with disabilities.
Final Thoughts
I hope now you know everything about AirBadminton. It will solve the problem of playing in windy situations with the help of AirShuttle. The conception of this innovative game will help in the mass participation of people playing badminton.
I hope you enjoyed this article.
Thanks for reading. Keep playing.
