Badminton is one of the most popular sports in the world and it’s easy to see why. It can be played by young and old alike, it’s easy to learn and the rules are simple.
Badminton’s roots date back about 2000 years, where a game known as jeu de volant, (or Battledore and Shuttlecock) was played in ancient Greece, China and India. Small racquets known as battledores were used to hit shuttlecocks, generally constructed from cork and feathers, to their opponent without allowing the it to hit the ground.
While the game has been played for centuries, it wasn’t until the mid 19th century that the game was modernized. A group of British military officers stationed in India decided that a net should be added to the traditional English game of Battledore and Shuttlecock, and the game of badminton was born. The game was later renamed Badminton when retired officers returned to England and introduced the game to the Duke of Beaufort and his guests at his home in Badminton.
In 1898, the first Open Tournament was held at Guildford, and it didn’t take long for the game to gain popularity around the country. Clubs started to appear all over England and a year later the first All England championships were held.
There have been major strides in in technology innovations during recent years that have greatly influenced the development of badminton. Improvements in materials used to construct racquets, shuttles, shoes and clothing has led to faster and more competitive games.
It may surprise you to learn that today, badminton is one of the top 10 most participated sports in the world. It’s played by an estimated 220 million players around the globe, and is particularly popular in many parts of Asia. While most think of badminton as a relaxing sport, the reality is it’s fast, aggressive and confrontational with top players smashing the shuttle at over 250mph, that’s 60mph faster than some of the fastest tennis serves!
While we all know the names of the top football, tennis and rugby players, badminton is not well-covered by mainstream media so we’re not often privy to the many competitions and tournaments played around the world each year. That also doesn’t detract from the amount of training and skill that goes into becoming a top badminton player. Badminton is like a game of chess, and it’s all about making risk-related decisions. Players must develop strategies and tactics to outwit their opponents, and this is where video analysis tools can have a big impact on mastering the game.
Video Analysis tools allow you to review and hone your skills, while also providing unique insights into how competitors play. By using tools like side-by-side comparison, slow motion and using markup tools to understand body movement, you can really pinpoint what’s going on in a game. While video analysis has been historically quite a slow and tedious process, the data gathered is invaluable to professional badminton players who insights garnered to improve their performance and tactics.
Now with Sprongo’s Intelligent Analytics Software (aka SIVA), this process is done automatically. SIVA combines the latest AI neural engine with complex machine learning algorithms to process and analyze your videos. Within a few short moments, SIVA will create a skeleton of the subject, automatically mapping out angles and movements of your badminton shots and providing a series of data points you can use for comparison and review. SIVA is truly a video analysis industry game changer and a welcome addition to the professional badminton players arsenal.
Try Sprongo out today by visiting www.sprongo.com and signing up for a pro account.