Last updated at 17:53, Monday, 13 August 2012

CHINA has long been the greatest force in both men and women’s badminton.

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But despite their success, just like rugby, croquet and netball, the sport is a British creation.

Originating in 18th Century India, the racket sport was devised by British Military Officers, who took the game back to England when they retired.

Officially launched in 1873 at Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the sport saw its first competition over 20 years later in 1899.

Today, reigning as the fastest racket sport, Olympic competitions are played on a rectangular court split in half by a central net with shuttlecocks travelling at speeds in excess of 250mph.

Matches are played over three games, with each game won by the first player or doubles pair to reach 21 points by a margin of two clear points.

Interested in the sport’s English routes, I attended my local club to see how the popular game is played here.

Caroline Spence, a member of Ireleth School’s badminton club, has been playing for 35 years and competes regularly. A committed and enthusiastic badminton player, I decided she was the perfect person to teach me the basics.

“If you have good hand eye co-ordination you will be fine, that is the most important thing in this game,” she explained. Caroline was being encouraging, but I felt deflated. Good hand eye co-ordination is not something I am blessed with, and memories of constantly failing to catch or bat a ball playing rounders at school came flooding back.

Embarrassed to show myself up in front of such a talented player, my insecurities were made worse by the fact I was no stranger to the game.

Growing up, many summer evenings were spent in the garden playing badminton with my parents and three sisters. And although we played for fun, it meant I did have some experience and should have been far better than I was. I decided my best bet was to keep quiet and pretend I was completely new to the sport.

The hardest part was managing to hit the shuttlecock over the net. Once it was up in the air I found I could have a good go at hitting it. So, fingers crossed, I walked over to the court for a game of doubles, praying that I would not be asked to serve.

Of course as the newbie it was deemed necessary that I try a serve to practice my technique, resulting in me batting thin air and the shuttlecock falling to the floor over and over again.Seeing the frustration on my face and noticing I was not improving my partner Mark took over.

When the shuttlecock was coming towards me high and fast I was actually quite good, but if the shuttlecock got too low and I needed to bat it underhand, I panicked. I don’t know why but the easy concept of twisting the bat the other way just didn’t register with me, leaving my partner doing double the work.

Luckily, the first few shots were nice and high, and thinking I was a novice, the team were very impressed with my ability. However, it was not long before my weakness was noticed, and despite showing me how to bat correctly, I did not get any better.

Caroline is convinced that all it takes is commitment and a good coach to become a professional: “It is worth the effort because once you get into it and work your way up to a higher level, there are so many benefits,” she says.

“It is really sociable, it teaches team work and commitment and keeps you really fit.

“When you play you really perspire. People presume we are just tapping around but it’s actually very fast and physical. It keeps your reactions quick and your body supple, which is especially important as you get older.”

I came to the conclusion that being rubbish was actually a bonus. I did far more running around than everyone else, and therefore got a really good workout. But given the choice I think I will stick to the treadmill to keep fit - it’s far less humiliating.

• To find out more about Badminton visit www.activecumbria.org/badminton

First published at 09:55, Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk