Badminton

A Brief History of BadmintonA badminton-like game was known in ancient Greece and Egypt - a game
called battledore and shuttlecock - in which two players hit a feathered shuttlecock back and forth with
tiny rackets.The game was played in India during the 18th Century, at which time it was called "Poona" .
In the 1860s it was adopted by British Army officers stationed in India. The officers took the game back to
England, where it became a success at a party given by the Duke of Beaufort in 1873 at his estate called
"Badminton" in Gloucestershire.A variation of Badminton which has been developed only recently, Speed
Badminton or Speedminton, is played without a net, and is gaining popularity, especially in Germany.

The Badminton Court shall be a rectangle laid out with lines of 40mm wide, preferably in white or yellow color.
The Badminton Court Dimensions are of 13.4m in length and 6.1m in width.

The post shall be 1.55m in height from the surface of the court and shall remain vertical when the net is strained. The net
shall be made of fine cord of dark color and even thickness with a mesh of not less than 15mm and not more than 20mm.
The net shall be 760mm in depth and at least 6.1m wide.

The top of the net shall be edged with a 75mm white cloth. The top of the net from the surface of the court shall be
1.524m (5ft) at the centre of the court and 1.55m (5ft 1in) over the side lines for doubles. There shall be no gaps between
the ends of the net and the posts. If necessary, the full depth of the net should be tied at the ends.
Positions in badminton
The basic positions

Attacking

When attacking, you should adopt a formation with one player in the rearcourt, and the other player
towards the front of the court.

The rear player will cover most shots to the rearcourt, continuing to play smashes or drop shots; the
forwards player will cover replies to the net or midcourt, either playing kills or shots that provoke another
lift.

Defending

When defending, you must adopt a side-by-side formation so that you can cover the full width of the
doubles court. If you cant cover the full width of the court, then you will lose the rally immediately to any
well-placed smash (or even a drop shot).

You should stand about one step back from the middle of the court, to give yourselves time to react to the
smash. If either of you stands near the net, then he will be vulnerable to a smash.

Fighting for the next attack

When both sides are fighting for the attack, they both tend to start in adefensive side-by-side position. As
one side gains the advantage, one of their players will move forwards to claim the front of the court, and
their attack will begin.

Rules and Regulations

Doubles and Singles:

Badminton can be played by two or four players. In a singles, two single players (two men or two women) play
against each other. A doubles consists of two opposing pairs of players. There are ladies' doubles (two pairs of
ladies playing against each other), men's doubles (two pairs of two men playing against each other) and mixed
doubles (two pairs consisting of one man and one woman playing against each other). The game therefore has
five disciplines: ladies' singles, ladies' doubles, men's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles.

The Court

In normal play, the court is 13.40m long and 5.10m (singles) or 6.10m (doubles) wide. The height of the net is
1.524m over the centre of the court, but 1.55m over the side lines of the doubles court.

The singles court always covers the full length of the court, from base line to base line, both in normal play and for
the service. Similarly, singles are always played on the narrow court.

Doubles are always played on the wide court. During a rally, the base line at the back of the court marks the end of
the court. However, a doubles service must be played into the short service court, marked by the doubles service
line 80 centimetres before the base line.

The Toss

At the beginning of each match, a toss is made to determine which side serves first. The winner of the toss can
chose whether to make the first service of the match or whether to return first, thus leaving the first service to the
opponent. The side that lost the toss can then chose on which end of the court he/she/they want to start.

Alternatively, the side that wins the toss may also choose to select the end of the curt on which he/she/they
want(s) to start. The right to decide who makes the first service in the match then goes to the side that lost the
toss.

The Sets

A badminton match commonly consists of up to three sets. The side that first reaches 21 points wins a set
(exception: when there is no two-point difference - see below). The side that first wins two sets wins the match. A
third set is played if, after two sets, both sides have won one each.

After each set, the sides change ends. A short break of up to 90 seconds can be made between sets and in the
middle of each set, when the first player reaches 11 points. Strictly speaking, the players may not leave the court
during the break, but coaching is allowed.

Scoring

A rally is won by one side if it plays the shuttle in such a way that it cannot be returned by the opponents and hits
the ground inside the opponent's court (including on the lines), if the opponent's return does not cross the net or if
the opponent's return hits the ground outside the court boundaries. Furthermore, a side wins the rally if:

(one of) the opposing player(s) touches the shuttle with the body before it hits the ground (whether inside or
outside the court)
(one of) the opposing player(s) touches the net with the racket or the body while the shuttle is in the air
(one of) the opposing player(s) hits the shuttle before it has crossed the net (i.e. reaching over to the
opponent's side of the court)
both players of one side in a doubles touch the shuttle
one player touches the shuttle more than once
a faulty service is played
The basic scoring rules are:

The winner of each rally scores a point, regardless of who is serving. This means that every mistake, even
a faulty service, wins the opponent a point. (Avoidable) mistakes are thus penalised quite heavily.
The player winning a rally scores a point and simultaneously wins (or keeps) the right to serve.
The winning score in each set is 21 points, but to win a set, a side must lead their opponents by two points
or more (see below).
A player must lead his/her opponents by a minimum of two points in order to win a set. The closest possible
winning score with 21 points is therefore 21-19. If the score reaches 20-20, the set is won by the first player or
pair building up a two point lead or by the first player or pair to score 30 points. This means that possible
 winning scores are 22-20, 21-23, 22-24,, 29-27, 30-28 - or 30-29: if score reaches 29-29, the next player to
score a point wins the set with a score of 30-29. This is the only exception when no margin of two points is
needed to win a set.
The winning score for a set is the same in all five disciplines.
Even in a doubles, each side only has one service. As in the singles disciplines, the service is played from
the left or the right service court, depending on whether the score of the serving side is odd or even. The
service is always played from the left service court if the serving side's score is odd or from the right service
court if it is even. In doubles, players of the serving side change service courts with every point they score, but
if a side scores a point without having served, they do not change service courts.
Serving

Every service, in singles and doubles, must be played across the front service line, nearly 2 metres away from the
net, and always into the diagonally opposite service court. Each side has one service (in singles and in doubles). If
the serving side's score is even, the service must be played from the right service court, if it is odd, from the left
service court. The first service (at 0-0) is always played from the right service court.

If the serving side scores a point, it keeps the service and starts the next rally with a new service from the left or
right service court, depending on whether its score is odd or even. If the returning side scores a point, it also wins
the right to serve. This principle applied to singles as well as to doubles matches.

In singles, the position of the serving player is easy to ascertain as it always and only depends on whether the
serving player's score is odd (left service court) or even (right service court).

In doubles, a little more care needs to be taken as the two players of a side take it in turns to serve. Again, the
service court from which the service is played depends on whether the score is odd (left) or even (right). If the side
of the serving player scores a point, the player keeps the right to serve and moves to the other service court for
the next service. This procedure continues until the returning side wins a point. In this case, they also win the right
to serve, but they do not change service courts at that point. Service courts are only changed by the serving side.
 Soccer Ball

Soccer Ball History

The history of the soccer ball dates back to ancient times. From a couple centuries BC to about 200 AD,
the Chinese used balls made from animal skins in a game called 'tsu chu', in which players had to pass
them through a net stretched between two poles. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and even the Egyptians
are recorded to have enjoyed a similar game that involved kicking a makeshift ball. Legend has it, entire
villages got involved in a violent game of skull-kicking. And it was customary to play a game much like hackysack.
But instead of using the feet to keep a bean bag aloft, the object was to keep a pig bladder in the air.It wasn't until
the twentieth century that most soccer balls were made out of rubber. Charles Goodyear in 1855 created the first
vulcanized rubber soccer ball. Panels similar to that of today's basketball were glued together at the seams. Before
that, the soccer ball game was at the mercy of the size and shape of the pig's bladder. That presented problems.
The ball rarely went where players intended for it to.So in 1862 a fellow by the name of H. J. Lindon developed an
inflatable rubber bladder. Now the soccer ball would be easier to kick. And it could endure the regiments of the
game without losing its shape.Eventually the soccer ball needed an official size and weight. That would be the job of
the English Football Association. In 1872 it described the ball as "spherical with a circumfrence of 27 to 28 inches"
(68.6 cm to 71.1 cm). The weight would be 13-15 oz. Little change was made until 1937, when its weight increased
to 14-16 oz. According to the Law of Football, the ball must also possess an "outer casing of leather or other
approved materials". The only other thing that's changed to this day are the materials that comprise the soccer ball,
and the size and shape of its panels.Despite its still rather rustic place in the evolution of soccer history, it served
the first game on Nov. 7, 1863, between the Oneida Football Club (the first organized US team) and a team from
the Boston Latin and English Schools. A monument to commemorate the game stands today on Boston Common
where the game was played.With a few weeks, the soccer ball was ready to be mass produced. That would be the
job of two companies, Mitre and Thomlinson's of Glasgow, which were the first to do this. But standards had to be
upheld. High quality materials and stitching were required to retain the soccer ball's shape and strength, which
cutters and stitchers were able to do. Good covers were made from the hide of cow rump, lesser quality covers
would come from the shoulder. Interlocking panels replaced leather sections joined at the ends of the soccer ball.
FIFA standards for a spherical design had to be met, and were.

Modern soccer balls were versatile. In fact James Naismith, inventor of another popular ball sport, dunked them into
peach baskets and called it "basketball".By the 1900's, soccer's growning popularity demanded that balls be strong
enough to withstand the roughest play. Up until now most soccer balls were made from rubber bladders, and from
leather-covered inner tubes. Covers were constructed of tanned leather carefully hand-stitched together in 18
sections of six panels, with three strips per panel, and with a small slit on one side allowing for an inflated bladder
to be inserted into it.Hand-crafted soccer balls were a work of art. Problem was, they were neither safe nor reliable.
A team was lucky if a soccer ball made it through a game. And varying grades of leather made choosing the right
ball a strategy unto itself. In fact, it's thought that the outccome of the first World Cup played in 1930 between
Argentina and Uruguay had a lot to do with the quality of the soccer ball used by each team.The early 1940s was a
time of further change in the history of soccer ball. Improvements were made to strengthen and enhance control of
the ball by adding a carcass made from strong materials inserted between the bladder and the outer casing. Older
balls also had a problem with water absorption. So by coating the soccer ball with synthetic and non-porous
materials, balls absorbed less water. And a new valve replaced the laced slit on the sides of the soccer ball.In 1951
soccer enjoyed better visibility with the official introduction of the white soccer ball, although they had already been
in use since 1892. The soccer ball was made white simply by whitewashing the leather. And if a team had a certain
propensity for playing soccer in the snow, well there was even a ball for that. It was orange, rather than white.And
it's on to the synthetic soccer ball made in the 1960s. But it would be 20 more years before the first soccer ball
made entirely out of synthetic materials was manufactured. Such a ball was able to similate the quality and feel of
leather, but offered a more reliable performance and less water absorption.The "Buckeyball", designed by archicect
R. Buckminster Fuller, lends its name to the evolution of the synthetic soccer ball. In fact it became the model from
which the modern soccer ball is mass-produced to this day. Twenty hexagonal, and 12 pentagonal pieces were fitted
and stitched together to form a sphere. The black spots designed into it helped players learn how to curve a soccer
ball and track its swerve. FIFA's first World Cup soccer ball, the Adidas Telstar, and the first World Cup Buckminster
model soccer ball were used in Mexico's 1970 World Cup competition.Developments to the soccer ball's intricate
design didn't stop there. Enhancements have continued into the twenty-first century, and today companies are still
researching better designs for optimal performance while meeting FIFA standards.

MainFootballRules
Soccerrule1:FieldofPlay

The field of play must be between 90 and 120 meters long (100-131 yards) and between 45 to 90 meters wide (49-
98 yards). In international games, the football field dimensions are 100-110 meters (109-120 yards) and 64-75
meters (70-82 yards).

The following areas of the football field must be marked: touchlines/sidelines, goal lines & goal areas, halfway
line, center circle, penalty areas, arcs, & spots, and corner arcs. A flag post should be planted on each corner of
the field.

Soccerrule2:TheBall

The soccer balls diameter must be 8.6 to 9 inches (22 to 23 cm) and must weigh 14 to 16 oz (400 to 450 grams). If it
bursts while in play, the game is stopped and resumed by the referee dropping the ball between two players from opposing
sides.

Soccerrule3:Numberofplayers

A football match is played by two teams of no more than eleven players each, with one player per side playing a
goalkeeper. The minimum number of players in a soccer team is seven.

A match is not started or continued if there are less than seven players in a team. In official football competitions, the
maximum number of substitutions is three. However, in friendly tournaments, there can be as many as six or unlimited
substitutions, depending on what each side have agreed on together with the referee.
Soccerrule4:Playersequipment

The following soccer equipments are required of each player: a shirt, shorts, socks, shin guards, and football boots.
Goalkeepers from both sides should wear a kit that will distinguish them from the outfield players and the referees. Players
are allowed to wear head gears but are discouraged from wearing most forms of jewelry.

Soccerrule5:Headreferee

The duties and responsibilities of the head referee in soccer include: ensuring that players wear the proper strip and
equipment, signaling the start and end of game, citing and punishing violations of rules, stopping play if a player requires
medical attention, deciding whether or not to continue a game, and keeping time.

The referee cites fouls and infringement of the rules and prevents repeated occurrences of unsportsmanlike conduct by
cautioning players with a yellow card or sending them off with a red card. Two yellow cards in football is equivalent to a red
card. A player who receives a red card in football cannot be replaced so his team must continue the game with one man
less.

Soccerrule6:Assistantreferees

The role of assistant referees in football or linesmen is primarily to assist the main referee by signaling for corner kicks,
throw-ins, and violations of the offside law.

They may also bring to the referees attention the infringements that he has not noticed of. However, it is always the head
referee who has the final word.
Soccerrule7:Matchduration

The length of a soccer match is 90 minutes, played in two equal halves of 45 minutes.Additional minutes in a soccer
game may be played at the end of each half to compensate for lost time during the game.

The added minutes are called injury period and should not be confused with the overtime, which is played in some
competition if a winner is not yet decided after regulation time.

Soccerrule8:Start/restartofplay

A kickoff starts a football game and restarts it at the second half or after a goal is scored. The team which kicks off the ball
at the beginning of the match is determined by a coin toss.

During the kickoff in football, only two players are allowed inside the center circle: the one kicking and the one receiving
the ball.

Soccerrule9:Ballinandoutofplay

The soccer ball is out of bounds when it has crossed the goal line or touchline whether on the ground or in air. If it
rebounds off the referee, an assistant referee, a goal post, crossbar, or corner flag post and remains inside the field, then it
is still in play.
Soccerrule10:Methodofscoring

A goal is scored in football if the ball crosses the goal line between the two goalposts and under the crossbar, as long
as no violation of the rules has taken place. The side that scores the most goals wins. If both teams have the same
number of goals at the end of the match, it is considered a draw even if neither of them scored a goal.

Soccerrule11:Offside

A player is in offside position if there are fewer than two defenders (including the goalie) between him and the goal line. A
violation of the offside rule in football occurs if he is in that position and the ball is played to him. A free kick is awarded to
the opposition if a player is caught offside.

Soccerrule12:Foulsandmisconducts

The following are the most common fouls in football: kicking, tripping, pushing, or charging another player recklessly;
striking or attempting to strike an opponent or any member of the opposing side. A foul is called if a player: makes a tackle
but hits the player before the ball; deliberately handles the ball (except the goalkeeper in his proper area); or if he uses
excessive force in defending an opponent.

Soccerrule13:Freekicks

A free-kick in football restarts a play after a foul or rule infringement is committed and is usually taken from the spot where
the violation was committed. A free-kick can either be direct, in which a kicker may score directly, or indirect, in which
another player must touch the ball before a goal can be scored.
Soccerrule14:Penaltykick

A penalty kick in football is awarded if a defender commits a foul inside his own penalty area. The kick is taken from the
penalty spot and all the players (except the kicker and the goalkeeper) must be outside the penalty area and penalty arc.

Soccerrule15:Throwin

A throw-in in football is awarded to a team if the ball goes over the touchline. It is awarded to the team opposing the side
that touched the ball last. The throw is taken from the spot where the ball goes out of bounds. The taker must throw the
ball with both hands, both feet on the ground, and facing the field of play.

Soccerrule16:Goalkick

A goal-kick in football is awarded to the defending team if the opposing team causes the ball to go over the goal-line. Any
player from the defending side is allowed to take the goal kick. It must be taken anywhere on the goal area and must go
beyond the penalty area or it will be retaken. The ball must be touched by another player before the taker can play it again.

Soccerrule17:Cornerkick

A corner kick in football is awarded to the attacking team if an opposing player is the last to touch the ball before it goes
out of bounds on the goal-line. The attacking team resumes play by placing the ball in the corner arc nearest to where it
crossed the goal line.

SEPAK TAKRAW
HISTORY OF SEPAK TAKRAW
In 1935, during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations for King George V, the game of sepakraga was played on a badminton
court, in the Malaysian State of Negeri Sembilan. Thedevelopment of the game was interupted by the war. In 1945 in
Penang the net wasagain introduced and the popularity spread to surrounding areas and then countries. n1965 Malaysia
hosted the South East Asian Peninsular games (SEAP) and sepak ragawas introduced. There were lengthy discussion
between Malaysian and Singaporedelegates, on the one hand, and Laos and Thai delegates, on the other, with regard
tothe official name of the sport. An agreement was subsequently arrived at and it wasdecided that the sport would be
known as "Sepak Takraw". Sepak means KICK inMalay and Takraw means BALL in Thai word.Almost every nation that
played this game knew it by a different name. In Malaysia,Singapore and Brunei, it's called 'sepak raga', whereas in
Thailand it's commonly knownas 'takraw'. The same game goes by the name of 'sipa' in the Philippines, 'da cau'
inVietnam, 'rago' in Indonesia, and 'kator' in Laos. Since sepak takraw was played andenjoyed in several countries, there
were a lot of inconsistencies in terms of how thegame was played and judged.In 1960, representatives from Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, Lao and Thailand met inKuala Lumpur to standardise rules and regulations for the game. And after
a long andheated debate, consensus was reached that the sport would henceforth be officiallycalled sepak takraw.They
also formed the Asian Sepak Takraw Federation (ASTAF), and translated therules into English, setting the stage for the
first international competition, held inMalaysia in 1965, at the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, or SEAP Games,
thepredecessor to today's Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). This chain of events setthe stage for the international
development of sepak takraw. However, it was thereplacement of the natural rattan ball, which tended to splinter and
warp, with the morestandardised synthetic plastic ball that really kicked the game's popularity into high gear.In 1990,
sepak takraw was included at the Asian Games in Beijing. Women also got inon the action with the first women's
championships in Thailand hosted in 1997. Today,more than 20 countries have national sepak takraw associations with
representatives onthe board of the global governing body, the International Sepak Takraw Federation(ISTAF).

The Sepak Takraw Court

The playing surface must be flat, horizontal and uniform. The width of the lines bounding the
court should be 0.04m measured and drawn inwards from the edge of the court
measurements. Court boarders should be at least 10.0 feet (3.0m) away from all obstacles.
How to play Sepak Takraw - basic rules
Sepak takraw is played between two teams of three players; the left inside, right inside and back. The court is about the same size as a
badminton court (20 by 44 feet) and the net is 1.52 metres high. Traditionally balls were hand-woven from bamboo or rattan, but most modern
ones are synthetic.

Basic rules and scoring are similar to volleyball. Each team is allowed a maximum of three touches of the ball to get it back over the net to the
other side without letting it touch the ground. The first team to score either 15 or 21 points, depending on the rules in play, wins the set. The
team that prevails in two sets wins the match.

Play starts when the server is tossed the grapefruit-sized ball by a teammate while keeping one foot in a small 'serving circle'. He then must
kick the ball over the net with the other foot. After that, volleyball rules pretty much apply, except for the fact that the ball can't be touched
by the hands or arms. Top takraw players have to combine great foot-eye coordination with quickness, anticipation, power, flexibility, and
acrobatic skills.

Gravity-defying Moves

While there are certain basic rules to sepak takraw, the game varies according to the type of being played, as well as the place where it is
being played. In a village, for example, there is often no referee. The winning player is usually the one who puts on the best show.
The intricacy and speed of the methods used to send the ball aloft are sensational. The basics involve the sole kick (using the arch or sole of
the foot), the instep kick, knee kick, shin kick, shoulder kick, or head kick. The more advanced maneuvers are cross-legged jump kick,
(crossing your left leg over your right and leaping up to kick the ball with the instep of the left foot). Another version is the cross-legged knee
kick, for which the player crosses his left leg over his right above the right knee, and then leaps into the air kicking the ball with his right
knee.

Acrobatic Kicks

A spike is much more difficult in sepak takraw than volleyball, because slamming the ball down hard means getting your feet above the net.
The movement required is a bit like a bicycle kick in football, jumping and flipping in the air to kick the ball. After a bicycle kick a footballer
usually lands on their back, but professional sepak takraw players are athletic enough to execute a spike and land on their feet. A good spike or
spiker is often referred to as the 'killer'.

The most breathtaking and difficult of these feats are known as the roll spike, where the player leaps into the air to kick the ball over the
opposite shoulder, and the 'sunback' or stingray spike, a similar scissors kick but over the same shoulder. Perhaps the most brutal kick of all is
the horse-kick serve, made famous by Thailand's Suebsak Phunsueb, who is widely regarded as the best player in the world. Suebsak has been
confounding opponents for a decade by serving the ball to opponents at a blistering pace using the sole of his shoe.

Net Takraw

Net takraw is played in a badminton-sized court. Lots are drawn beforehand to determine placement of the players and the first serve.

In-tossing Takraw

With fewer rules to abide by, the point is simply to see how many times the ball can be hit aloft by the player. It is a means of training for a
player. Some can hit the ball from positions which call for stooping or lying down. A good player should be able to keep the ball aloft for ten
minutes and, if he is joined by others, the group should manage to keep it in play for close to an hour. Naturally, this is a skill which only the
most adept players can manage: they have trained arduously, are able to concentrate for a long period, and are able to use their bodies
dexterously.
Hoop Takraw

Considered the most difficult version of the game is 'lawd huang', as it is known locally. Similar to circle takraw, but the goal is to put the ball
into a basket-shaped net with three hoop openings in a triangular formation suspended some five to six metres above ground.

Standing at the perimeter of a circle, each team is given an allotted time, usually 20 or 30 minutes, to put the ball in the basket as many times
and as gracefully as they can. Points are awarded for difficulty and creativity, so players break out their full repertoires of such expert
manoeuvres as cross-legged jump kicks and other artistic kicks behind the back or with the sole of the foot, as well as strikes with the elbows,
shoulders and forehead.

In-scoring Takraw

Played with no nets or hoops, the ball rotates from player to player, and each is scored according to the skill displayed. After 30 minutes or ten
starting throws, the highest score determines the winner.

Takraw Wong (Circle Takraw)

The name says it all. The less acrobatic takraw wong consists of five to seven players standing in a circle, trying to keep the ball airborne as
long as possible. Other than football, takraw wong is perhaps the most popular pastime among Thai people since no other special skills are
required except for creativity of movement.