Where Popular: Asia
Best Countries: China, Korea, Denmark.
World Rankings Women: Singles - #1 Wang Yihan, #2 Wang Xin (both from China). Doubles - #1 Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang (China)
World Rankings Men: Singles - #1 Lin Dan (China), #2 Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia). Doubles - #1 Chung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae (Korea).
World Rankings Mixed Doubles: #1 Zhang Nan and Zao Yunlei (China)
Reigning Olympic Champion: Lin Dan (China - men), Zhang Ning (China - women), Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan (Doubles - Indonesia)
Interesting Tidbit: One of three sports in which the U.S. has never donned a medal (we already mentioned Team Handball as the other one)...The feathered birdie that the athletes hit is called a "shuttlecock" or "shuttle"...Badminton has a single-elimination tournament: lose and you're done!
A very popular sport in backyards and at cookouts (I remember having a set as a kid), badminton is not the most popular when it comes to the USA medaling in the sport. Most individuals probably think that this sport is boring and slow. Wrong. Just let loose of our typical "oh, it must be slow because that is how we play in our backyard" mentality. When it is played overseas, the reflexes and reactions are much faster and much more serious.
What is needed in this sport? Looking at the photos below it is evident that muscle tone is very visible. Look at the athlete body types. The positions. The concentration. In addition, good balance, flexibility, and coordination are important. Would one of these athletes need to be thrown on the bench press? No way! Plus, the bench press is an exercise on which the general population loves and thrives.
A recreational athlete or individual would love working out like a badminton player: various planks, various lunges, various overhead exercises, and more. Think of exercises that are typically done in these positions with a little flare to them since badminton involves holding a racket.
Make It Happen,
Derek
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