Which of these would you guess is the fastest sport? If you said baseball, soccer, or even tennis, you’ll have to give it another shot. No its not pickleball either.

Considering the speed of the shuttle after being hit it can reach speeds over 200mph
Yes, Badminton! The sport many Americans play outdoors casually in their backyard, is one of the world’s fastest sports!

To understand why this seemingly simple sport holds the title for fastest racquet sport on the planet, we have to head indoors.

The weather is going to affect the flying performance of the shuttle. The wind and the temperature cause the temperature to fly in a different way than expected, that’s why professional players play indoors.

Indoors, players smash, clear, drop and drive the shuttlecock toward their opponents.

It’s a sport with roots in Ancient Greece, China, Japan and India, but its current regulations were developed in England and brought to the United States in the nineteenth century - where the first Badminton Club opened in New York in 1878.

The rules have changed over time, but the one constant was the shuttlecock.

This is kind of a unique shape for a projectile – it’s a cone shape with 16 feathers. They’re made of goose.
Only four feathers per bird make the cut, for the optimal and uniform curvature, shape and weight.

No matter how the shuttlecock is hit, it will fly nose first.

All other ball sports created the ball to fly faster. The shuttleockc is made to fly slower after being hit.


The feathers create a drag, which leads to a more predictable flight path, giving the player more control over shots.

80 percent of the speed can be preserved when flying to the other end of the court.

As the shuttlecock descends, the flight angle becomes more steep than its lift, a unique property for a projectile in sports.


The feathers break easily, which can make the shuttlecock wobble during flight. Several are often used in one match.


And players can even alter the speed of the shuttle with some minor adjustments to the feathers.

Just don’t try that during a match! It’s illegal.

And Dr. Qin Arthur Zhu would know! In addition to his work in kinesiology, or the study of human movement, Dr. Zhu is a national level badminton umpire and a top player trained in China.

Dr. Zhu and his team wanted to understand how players could transfer the most speed to the shuttlecock - to improve coaching techniques. He looked at racket angle, swing speed and string tension when players hit a smash power stroke.
Dr. Zhu and his team found that the fastest shuttlecock speed was achieved by expert players when the racquet angle was 71.6 degrees. Recreational players could swing the racquet just as fast as expert players, but since they weren’t able to hit the shuttlecock at the optimal angle, they weren’t able to achieve the highest speed.

It’s really hard to get that angle right because…
It’s a complicated process.
There you have it!
From lightning-fast shuttlecocks to split-second reflexes, it's clear why badminton is the fastest racquet sport.
Think you are up for this challenge? Why not grab your racquet and see for yourself? Thanks for watching, and don't forget to like and subscribe for more science and badminton videos!


CREDITS:
Directed/Edited by Emily Driscoll

Filmed By
Jon Foy
Emily Driscoll
Chris Colton

Narrated by Luke Groskin

Music by Audio Network

Additional Video
Artlist
iStock
Pond5
Shutterstock

Stills
Shutterstock
National Badminton Museum

Special Thanks
The Boston Open sponsored by MIT
Michele Cruz
Luke Groskin
Alex Liu
Kota Morikawa
Nilay Nanavanti
New York City Badminton
Victor Ng
Beth Sopka
Peter Teuben
Xun Wang
Chibing & Veronica Wu