5 Reasons Why Your Child Should Start Playing Badminton

Author's children and friends at their weekly badminton game

I was born and brought up in Malaysia where badminton is a very popular sport. It is the most accessible game here maybe because it doesn’t require much equipment.

Back in the 80’s, when I was younger, we used to play badminton using our ‘household’ badminton rackets which were shared among family members. We didn’t have our own rackets.

The first badminton racket which belonged to my father, was made from wood and we needed to store it in a frame when not in use to maintain its shape. Guess most people nowadays haven’t seen that at all, let alone use it.

Picture source : houseofhawthornes.com

Picture source : houseofhawthornes.com

Time’s different now where every child has his/her own badminton racket made from aluminium or graphite. We think now is a great time for every child to experience badminton like we never did before.

Let’s look at why Badminton should be introduced to every child.

Low start-up with minimal equipment or player

Badminton needs at least 2 players. A child would need a friend to play with. Secondly, the players would need a badminton racket each. They’ll also need at least 1 piece of shuttlecocks. 

A pair of good sports shoes will help reduce feet injuries. Shoes should be indoor non-marking badminton shoes if they’re playing inside any badminton courts.

I remember playing badminton wearing slippers back then. The drawback is we couldn’t do much, we couldn’t jump or race for the shuttle. 

what-a-child-need-badminton

Proper badminton attire

Anytime, anywhere

Badminton can be played anytime of the day as long as the surrounding is bright enough for players to see where the shuttlecock goes.

Best place to play badminton is on a badminton court. The court could be in a badminton indoor centre, or out at a park. The only drawback playing outside is the wind that could affect the direction of a shuttle.  I once knew a lady who is a ‘non-badminton person’ who asked, “It’s so hot playing in indoor courts, why don’t you guys play badminton outside as it’s more windy?” 😉 

For most of us who could not afford to rent a court and when there were very few badminton courts available back then, we used to play at our house porch using the front gate as the net. It’s a common scene among the neighborhood families. We are blessed to have a community badminton court right inside the place where we stay right now and my kids get to enjoy badminton anytime.

The following lists additional badminton equipment which may add some fun and seriousness to the game but it’s totally optional.

  • Badminton posts – Available for indoor and outdoor, most are fixed at playgrounds or inside badminton courts. Portable ones are also available.
  • Badminton nets – Usually provided and available on badminton posts. It would be needed if outdoor posts do not have any nets provided.

Low-risk sport

Badminton is gentle and is considered a safe game for people from all ages and background. Common types of badminton-related injuries caused in badminton games are sprains and muscle strains which is relatively rare and low-risk if proper warm-up is done. Players who practise more on proper footwork and racket handling would reduce the risk further.

Improves motor skills

Children now are blessed with technology around them and they tend to play more electronic games. Badminton is a healthy sport that can help them socialize and communicate better with real people.

Children who play badminton would benefit from it in respect of their brain development. They would develop better balance and coordination where badminton requires harmonious interactions first between their body parts, secondly, they must use their badminton rackets to hit the incoming flying shuttlecocks. Then, they must be able to work together with their partner in the game and finally react to their opponent’s action. As Badminton is the fastest sports in the world, children have to be alert at all times during game to make these decisions in split seconds.

Improve memory

In a badminton tournament, there will be someone called the Umpire or there will be digital score boards available to keep track of the points. In normal training, children are required to practice without a point tracker, they have to remember the points they get in a game. They would also need to understand some of the badminton rules that require some memory exercise.

 

Conclusion

Every child deserves to play any sport they like. Badminton is one the best choices. To parents, you may find some affordable rackets HERE.

Badminton Bay’s vision is to bring and deliver Badminton to the world. We invest in badminton game’s future by reaching out to children with less or no access to this fun sport which is growing in popularity.

Badminton Bay has recently donated 100 rackets to some Indonesia’s less fortunate children under our Badminton Bay – SOLIBAD One for One cause. 

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20 Comments on "5 Reasons Why Your Child Should Start Playing Badminton"

  1. One of the great benefits of playing badminton is that it can help children learn coordination, hand-eye coordination, and mental fitness. It also helps develop their social skills and teaches them how to work as a team. Great blog.

  2. Hi, My daughter is 7 years now, we just started badminton classes for her. Any specific advise or guidelines to follow. Its on her own interest we started coaching for her. Hope she enjoys.

  3. Do my kids (6 and 8 years old) need shorter rackets? the 6 year old seems to be uncomfortable with the standard size racket. where do I get shorter rackets? Thank you!

    • Hi there,
      Thanks for dropping by! First of all a normal sized badminton racket is between 670 – 675cm in length.
      For an 8 year-old kid, it should be okay. For the 6 year-old, perhaps you should get those less than 670cm, not too short about 580cm is okay. Bear in mind, sometimes kids rackets tend to be heavier because of the aluminium material used compared to graphite in better rackets.
      You may find kids rackets on Amazon.

      For your 8-year old, perhaps you may try this from our store–>
      Flex Power Nano Tec Z Speed (link below)
      https://www.badmintonbay.com/Flex-Power-Nano-Tec-Z-Speed.html

      Hope this clarifies!
      -BadmintonBay.com

  4. badminton is king of sports. it is revered by royalty, kings and sultans. Sultan of brunei have private court decorated with gold and hired pros to play with them secretly. Princess Sirivannavari represented Thailand in badminton in 2005 at 23rd South East Asian Games in the Philippines, winning a team gold.

    Physically, badminton covers most action movement of other sports like volleyball (diving, jumpsmash), sprinting (back to front court rush), archery, tennis serve, fencing footwork and lunges, etc too many to list. Badminton is both a mental and physical game. Badminton combine the skills of 3 other racquet sport, tennis (power game), squash (stamina game), ping pong (dexterity game). Play badminton, it’s all you need 🙂

  5. Nyc information,
    Badminton is an excellent game for the physical development of your child.

  6. Rana Shujaat Habib | August 5, 2020 at 9:51 pm | Reply

    I want my daughter to be a badminton player. She is 2 years old now. When should i start her training. Do she need a shorter court?

    • Hi Rana,
      Wow, you are an enthusiastic badminton lover parent! Your daughter maybe too young to hold any actual racket, let alone attend badminton training. A good age to start training is around 5 to 7. At the tender age of 2, the best you could do for her is bring her to badminton matches, watch badminton games on YouTube or TV with her or even get her a light plastic toy racket to get her interest ignited.
      Hope this helps!

      -Badminton Bay Team

  7. can we buy yonex nanoray for the same purpose for childs playing.

    • You may buy any beginner’s racket that’s light, has flexible shaft and even balanced for your child to start with.
      Ensure the racket is not a strain to your child during training/games.
      Check out our site : https://bit.ly/3kzfJo3

      Hope this helps!

      -Badminton Bay Team

  8. Nice article.
    Thanks, I’m trying to teach my sister how to play,I tried teaching her my way which was just to serve it but this will help way better.

  9. Badminton is an amazing sport for child’s growth. Although many schools do not push this sport like they should have. Badminton needs more promotion as it’s far better sport than many other.

  10. Thank you for this information.

  11. I was 19 years old.I am studying btech 2nd year.i was very interested to play badminton.i want to become an world class badminton player.can I start getting coaching in badminton or not.can I manage both studies and sports till I complete my studies.how many years it will take to play in Olympics.can I succeed in this path.or is it wrong path at this age as I was a girl.did we need more money for coaching.is there any badminton coaching centres in vishakapatnam.

    • Hi Srujana,
      Thanks for dropping by. We are not very sure about the badminton coaching places in your area. Probably you could start searching the badminton network from schools? Sorry, couldn’t help you.

      – BadmintonBay.com Team

  12. I really like the game of badminton. I also loved the reasons that why should my kids start playing badminton.

  13. Mohammad Juned Khan | January 2, 2018 at 8:12 pm | Reply

    My Son is 4 year old & I want him to be a badminton player.
    Focusing on 2032 olympics. Is this the right time to start his training or should I wait for couple of years. Plz guide me on this. What is the ideal age to start training.

    • Hi Khan,

      Thanks so much for your comment! What you can start doing now is to get your son a racket which he can swing comfortably. At his age, he’ll probably need a junior racket (normally shorter than normal at 635cm in length). Next is you should play with him as frequent as you can. That’s one way to cultivate his interest.
      When he starts schooling at 7 or 8, you can coach him yourself or look for a badminton coach who trains children to perfect his skills.

      Guess, the rest of the journey is about serious training 😉

      – Badminton Bay

  14. very very imortant information .
    as i am now going to start my kids to go for it…..

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