For many Americans who know about Badminton casually, they just assume that it is an outdoor sport. But to the surprise of many, badminton is officially an indoor sport. It’s natural playing surface is not grass sand or any other outdoor surface, but a synthetic mat in an indoor environment.
However, Badminton has an official younger brother called Air Badminton that is played in an outdoor environment. Air Badminton has a few key differences that make for a better sport to play outdoors, which we will cover in today’s article.
What is Badminton?
Badminton is the world’s 2nd most popular sport. It is a racket sport that has origins in many parts of the world, but developed into a more organized world sport starting in 19th century India and England. Today, the official game of badminton is played indoors. The game consists of a raised net, and two teams that volley what is called a shuttlecock back and forth until either team wins a point. Badminton can be played in teams of singles (1 player on each side), doubles (2 players on each side) or even triples (3 players on each side).
What is Air Badminton?
Air Badminton is a version of Badminton created by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) with the aim of giving a wider audience a way to play badminton on any surface. Air Badminton makes it easier to play in the outdoors in any type of wind conditions.
Isn’t “Air Badminton” just Badminton?
Air Badminton is not the same as Badminton. Both casual fans and those familiar with the sport may assume that badminton outdoors is just badminton. But internationally speaking, Badminton is considered an indoor sport. Playing badminton on sand or even grass is not officially badminton.
There is also the consideration of the wind in an outdoor environment. The wind has too much of an affect on the trajectory of the shuttlecock to play the sport of badminton officially outdoors. Traditional shuttlecocks are just too light and any wind introduced would be too random and affect the outcome of the game too much.
Knowing this, the BWF created a slightly modified version of Badminton to combat these conditions and give enthusiasts a better game to play outdoors on any surface.
Similarities between Badminton and Air Badminton
Just because Air Badminton isn’t quite badminton doesn’t mean that they aren’t strikingly similar. Air Badminton and Badminton still have a net of the same height of 1.55 meters, utilize the same types of rackets and use a shuttlecock as the projectile of choice. Both sports use rally scoring as well.
What are the differences between Badminton and Air Badminton?
The key differences between Air Badminton and Badminton exist to make Air Badminton a better playing experience outdoors.
The Shuttlecock
To start, Air Badminton shuttlecocks are heavier and designed differently using a technology called AirShuttle. The design of the AirShuttle gives it more resistance in windy conditions. This sturdy version of a shuttlecock was designed over the course of 3 years by the BWF and tested in all sorts of wind conditions to give it the optimal performance in most outdoor conditions.
Scoring
Air Badminton scoring is different than regular badminton as well. In badminton a match is played best of 3 games where each game is played to 21. Air Badminton games are played to 11, win-by-2.
The Court
Size
The court takes a different form in Air Badminton and is arguably the biggest difference between the games. An Air Badminton court is slightly longer than a regular badminton court measuring at 16 meters from end to end compared to the 13.4 meters of the regular badminton court.
The Dead Zone
Air Badminton features the “dead zone” which is an area 2 meters from the net on each side of the net. The dead zone is considered out of bounds and is meant to reduce physically risky play in and around the net.
The Serve Marker
Lastly, Air Badminton courts have something called a Serve marker 3 meters back from the dead zone. This is where players serve from.
Where can I get Air Badminton equipment?
It’s relatively easy to get your hands on some equipment if you are looking to properly set up an Air Badminton court
- Air Shuttle – Durabird offers a good set of Air Shuttles you can get for about 10 bucks
- Net – Regular badminton nets can be used as an Air Badminton Net. A quick search on Amazon for outdoor badminton nets will give you some good options.
- Lines Lines can be drawn with chalk on the grass or pavement. The boundaries can also be delineated by laying down rope or tape on any playing surface.
Conclusion
Badminton is not officially an outdoor sport, but Badminton officials are taking steps to legitimize an outdoor version of badminton called Air Badminton. Air Badminton is almost the same sport aside from key differences in the design of the shuttlecock, a few rules and the court dimensions. If you are planning to make badminton a part of your outdoor leisure, make sure you consider getting Air Badminton equipment and learning about the outdoor version of the game called Air Badminton.