One way of maintaining fitness is to take up a sport.  Not the heavy duty football or rugby kind.  But an altogether gentler pastime such as badminton can bring untold benefits after only a few short weeks.  It is relatively inexpensive to join in, just some fitness clothes, a raquet and shuttlecocks and a bag to keep them in and to mark yourself a now officially on the sport scene!

The game of badminton is played on a rectangular court, not so different to a tennis one.  There are lines marked out.  It is played by a pair of players or or pairs of two players.  The aim is basicially to hit the featherlight shuttlecock over the net into the opponents area but no so they can easily return it to your area.   Due to their very light nature, shuttlecocks are very sensitive to wind, even the mildest breeze can affect the direction of the shuttlecock.  professional badminton is played indoors;  no need for outdoor clothing for this sport.

During the game a player must hit the shuttlecock over the net into the other player’s side.  The opponent must try to reach the shuttlecock and hit it back over the net without it touching the ground or any other surface deemed not to be the opponents raquet.