A mixture of long, slower paced cardio, intense cardio intervals and sport-specific drills will help you build the stamina necessary to smash your opponents.

Certain racket qualities are more conducive to hitting controlled smashes, but players should regard them as general guidelines while shopping. Selecting the right racket is a trial-and-error process.

The object of the game of badminton is to hit a small device that resembles a rubber ball with a ring of feathers attached to it, called a shuttle, back and forth across a raised net using a racket. The badminton racket is lightweight yet strong. Once made of wood, these rackets are now made of high-tech materials.

Yonex, one of the leading badminton racket manufacturers, designs rackets with specific skill levels and playing styles in mind. Yonex also provides racket selection guidelines based on the playing characteristics of its rackets. Although some rackets are better than others, there are no best rackets.

Badminton has been an Olympic sport since 1992 for both men and women competitors. As in most sports, good equipment will help make the most of your potential, but it will not replace ability and practice time.

Different versions of badminton have been played for centuries, but it was the game of "Poona" in India that was the basis for the game of badminton we play today. In the 1860's a group of stationed British army officers learned the game and took it back with them from India.

As an international and Olympic sport, badminton has specific rules that govern its play. These rules extend to the equipment used in the badminton. Racket size, court dimensions, net height and shuttle construction are all strictly controlled to provide the most fair and even matches for sanctioned play of the sport.

Badminton players need to possess a variety of fitness capabilities to be successful. Cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, agility, power and strength are all desirable traits that can be developed with regular training.

Badminton is a fairly easy game to learn and fun to play casually and competitively. Basic badminton skills include learning how you hold the racket, serve the shuttle and move your feet. You can practice drills to improve your game. Rules and scoring are established for singles and doubles games.

Several kinds of rules officials oversee badminton matches and tournaments. The umpire typically oversees individual matches, and has authority over all other rules officials on his court. The Badminton World Federation's Laws of Badminton describe the roles of all rules officials.

The Badminton World Federation mandated the official net height in 1934 and it has not changed since. The universally accepted net height, for singles and doubles play, is 5 feet in the center and 5 feet, 1 inch at the poles, which are situated just outside the court's doubles lines.

In badminton, players use rackets to hit a shuttlecock back and forth over a net. Badminton equipment must meet certain rules and specifications. The Badminton World Federation’s Laws of Badminton provide a standard for equipment in competitive badminton.