Last updated on February 8th, 2023 at 10:51 pm
What Is Air Badminton? How Does The New AirShuttle Work ?
What is Air Badminton? Well put simply its outdoor badminton. It uses existing badminton rackets with a newly designed shuttlecock. This new outdoor shuttlecock has been developed to provide more stability and wind resistance. It also boasts increased durability. The end result is a vastly improved experience when playing badminton outdoors.
The project has taken some five years to reach a point where everyone involved was happy with the new shuttle. Dubbed the AirShuttle it took over 30 prototypes before the final design was chosen. The AirShuttle delivers a consistent and satisfying game experience.
The Aim of Air Badminton
The ultimate aim of Air Badminton is to open up the sport to people of all ages and ability. This will be achieved by enabling badminton to be played on a variety of surfaces. If could be on hard, grass and sand surfaces in parks. It’s also perfect for gardens, streets, playgrounds and even beaches.
The thinking is clear by making the sport accessible to all; participation in the sport could skyrocket.
That could lead to more players making badminton their careers. Furthermore the sport could receive a boost in media attention and sponsorship.
BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer said “This is a momentous occasion for badminton. Strategically, Air Badminton will allow us to fulfil our overall objective of putting a badminton racket in the hands of as many people as possible,”
“Given that most people’s first experience with badminton comes in an outdoor environment, we are now making it easier for everyone to access the sport through a new outdoor game and new shuttlecock, the AirShuttle.”
The BWF are also keen to stress the health and social benefits from playing either the indoor or outdoor form of the sport.
- Badminton Shoes The Professionals Wear
- Most Common Badminton Injuries
- Yonex Rackets: The Professional Badminton Player’s Choice?
Can I Play Air Badminton Right Now?
The BWF are working with several of the sports leading manufacturers. The aim is to mass produce the new shuttlecocks. Once the new AirShuttle is readily available you should begin to see more of a marketing push to encourage people to get outdoors and give it a try.
The BWF are also planning on developing the new shuttlecock further. A new version capable of being used in winds of up to 12km per hour is planned.
You can keep up to date with all the latest developments with this new sport on our website. Expect further enhancements to the Air Shuttle coming soon.
How To Play Air Badminton
So just how do you play Air badminton? The first thing you will need to do is setup the court. This consists of a net and a set of boundary lines.
Take a look at the video below to see just how easy it is to get started.
Choose a Format
AirBadminton can be played in the following formats:
- Singles: 1 vs. 1
- Doubles: 2 vs. 2
- Triple: 3 vs. 3
Rules of AirBadminton
You can make up your own scoring system but there are some official rules laid down. First off you may notice the dimensions of the Air badminton court have been altered. This change was made to to encourage longer rallies.
- Rallies commence with a service from anywhere behind the 3m marker.
- The AirShuttle must be struck in an upwards direction with both feet stationary behind the 3m marker.
- The server may direct the AirShuttle anywhere into the opposition’s playing area beyond the 2m line.
- Singles and doubles follow the same style of play as badminton, taking into consideration the court dimensions and service regulations.
- In triples, the same service regulations apply, but any one player cannot return the AirShuttle on two consecutive occasions.
Which Surfaces Are Perfect For AirBadminton?
AirBadminton has been created to be played on a variety of even safe surfaces. Those include hard, grass and sand surfaces.
It is recommended that courts are set up laterally to the prevailing wind direction to allow for the best wind resistance.
If playing on sand, the height of the net from the surface of the court is lower at 1.45m at the centre and 1.5m over the side lines for doubles and triples.
Don’t forget you can still play on existing outdoor badminton courts.
Scoring
- You are free to set your own scoring system. However the BWF recommend a scoring system that is the best of five games to nine points.
- If the score is tied at 8-all, the side which gains a two-point lead first will win the game.
- If the score becomes 11-all, the side scoring the 12th point shall win the game. The winning side will serve first in the next game.
- Players shall change ends at the end each game and in a deciding fifth game when a side first scores five points.
- Intervals should not exceed 120 seconds between games; and not exceeding 60 seconds in the fifth game when players change ends at five points.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully you now know how to play the new and exciting sport. It would appear that AirBadminton may very well have solved the outdoor problem. Most of us will have encountered that annoying breeze whilst trying to enjoy a game of badminton in the back garden. With the wind issue mitigated through the AirShuttle many more people can enjoy the sport.
Hopefully this innovation will really see badminton take off (pardon the pun) and reach new levels of participation.
Let Us Know What You Think
Now I’ve answered what this new sport is all about will you be giving it a try?
Let me know over my Badminton Skills Facebook or Twitter pages
