New Badminton program for kids

Badminton is a sport for anyone, anywhere, anytime. It’s low-impact and high-intensity which makes it the perfect activity for children to develop physical literacy skills.

As one of the most popular sports in the world with more than 300 million active players worldwide and growing Australian participation, badminton’s history is rich. First played in Australia as early as 1874, with the first competitive clubs established in the 1900s, the Australian Badminton Association was formed in 1935, one year after the formation of the International Badminton Federation.

Badminton involves running, lunging, diving and hitting, and after just 20 minutes on court players can make up to 350 changes in direction of 90 degrees or more, building speed, strength, agility and flexibility.

Badminton is the fastest racquet sport in the world with recorded speeds as high as 300 – 400 km/h

Badminton can be played at any pace which makes it an activity for all abilities. Especially during the development of physical, mental and social skills in childhood.

Badminton Australia programs are aligned to the Australian National Physical Literacy Curriculum and as a result has great benefits which includes improvement in physical health, numeracy skills, mental resilience, strength, handeye coordination, social skills, critical thinking, emotional awareness, language development, collaboration and teamwork.

In 2022 Badminton Australia launched a new introductory program called Shuttle Smash, an entry level program for 5 to 12 year olds delivered outside of school hours by clubs, community venues and cultural organisations. The development of the initiative was made possible by a range of partners, including the Australian Sports Commission, Badminton World Federation (BWF), Badminton Oceania, Women Sport Australia, Disability Sports Australia, Sport Inclusion Australia, Deaf Sports Australia, National Indigenous Sports Foundation, with all states and territories assisting with the launch of pilot programs.

Shuttle Smash complements the program, Shuttle Time, that was launched by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in 2012 and has grown to be a popular offering through Sporting Schools. As an Australian Government initiative, Sporting Schools funding provides teachers with access to lesson resources, training and equipment to facilitate badminton in school settings.

For more information visit badminton.org.au, call 03 8319 5717 or email participation@ badminton.org.au www.shuttlesmash.org.au

Nathan and Gronya represent Australia as part of the National Falcons Team and are both Commonwealth Games athletes www.sportaus.gov.au/schools