In Germany shuttlecock was discovered
by Peter von Rüden, a German engineer while he was travelling in
China.He saw some people play it in a park. Some of them were 60 or
70 years old. He was fascinated by this sport. He was presented a ball
and he showed his friends how to play. Since that time his life is dedicated
to popularizing shuttlecock. He founded FFC Hagen on 1 September 1991,
the first European shuttlecock club.
He organised the first German Open on November 25-26 1994, on which
Hungarian teams took part. As a result of Peter von Rüden’s
popularizing activity, several countries introduced shuttlecock eg.Belgium,
Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland,Switzerland, Ireland and Hungary.
SHUTTLECOCK
Be inspired by Shuttlecock Sport
History of Shuttlecock Sport
| The
first report of the Shuttlecock is the 5th century BC in China . The
Chinese played the Ti Jian Zi or shuttlecock. At least for 1000 years,
this game was played initially in Asia . It assumed that shuttlecock
developed from the Tsu Chu, a game similar to football. Shuttlecock
is a remarkable way of exercising, a training for developing quick reflexives,
of agility and of concentration. Exactly, because of this, shuttlecock
for decades is used in military training and in basic training in China
.
The game is very simple. Children in order to make a featherball took round pieces of lead and tin for the base, chicken feathers for the top, and played shuttlecock. Today, the game is played in schools all over China . The Shuttlecock evolved from an ancient military exercise. A lot of famous generals in the Chinese history used this game in order to relax and exercise their troops. The matches of Shuttlecock were popular in the times of the dynasties of Han and of Song (207-906). Since the Song Dynasty (960-1278) the game was renamed to Chien Tsu, from the Chinese word for "arrow" that sounds precisely as the word "shuttlecock". The game is divided in two basic types: The artistic and the team play (which is analysed). The game is played according to the rules. The game is similar to the volleyball, but the ball is different and by no means touched by the hands. The artistic game is completely different. As the name implies, it has to do with the skill of the athlete and the choreography. The winner is the one who does the most difficult and controlled subterfuges with the featherball. Individuals, pairs, or teams can play the artistic game. Both games have the same goal, to keep the ball in the air without touching the ground. The featherball is kicked with the feet, the knees, the hips, the body, but never with the hands. The first national competition of Shuttlecock took place in 1933 in China . In 1933, in Nanjing in the fifth National Sports meeting, playing Jianzi, wrestling, and so on were defined as the National Sports formerly. And in June, 1961, a movie called "The flying feather" was finished by the central news movie company. The movie was so successful that it is gained the International movie festival gold metal of movies. Since 1984, shuttlecock is an Official National Sport. In 1984, an enthusiastic team of fans founded in Hong-Kong, the Amateur Union of Shuttlecock. In 1994, this union was reformed and renamed to "Hong Kong Association of Shuttlecock" (HKSA). Shuttlecock, came to Europe before the 2nd world war, when a Chinese athlete from the province of Jiangxu performed a demonstration in the Olympic Games of Berlin in 1936. Germany and other countries were so impressed, that they began to learn and play the demonstrated sport. The championships of the World Shuttlecock are an annual event since the founding of the International Shuttlecock Federation - (ISF) in 1999. Since then, the countries were undertaking voluntarily the organisation of championships, in turn. Hong-Kong organised the International Championships of Shuttlecock in 1995. Day by day, the sport receives a greater recognition, since it has been included as a sport in the southeastern Asiatic games of 2003. The members of ISF are China, the Chinese Taipei, Finland, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Laos the Vietnam, Greece, France, Romania, Serbia, etc. Among them, China and the Vietnam are considered as leading teams in ranking, while for Europe, Hungary and Germany are considered the Best Teams. Finally, on August 11th 2003 delegates from Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Serbia founded the Shuttlecock Federation of Europe (S.F.E.), in Ujszasz (Hungary). Shuttlecock history in different countries GermanyHungaryPeter von Rüden had a shuttlecock show at the Travel ’92 exhibition in March 1992. A P.E. teacher, Butor Klára happened to see this show and she liked it a lot. She is the programme director of the Hungarian Pioneer Association. She bought a lot of balls and popularized shuttlecock within the Pioneer Association.The first Hungarian competition was held on 29 May 1993. During 1993 and 1994 several friendly tournaments were organised. On 11 March 1995 the Hungarian Shuttlecock Association was founded in Újszász. The Founding President is Butor Klára and the General Secretary is Fehér János.After the foundation of MLTSZ, the system of championships was worked out and international connections were developed. MLTSZ have been organising an international championship yearly since 1996. It is called the Hungarian Open. Besides the system of championships, students’ Olympics is organised since 2000. GreeceThe Shuttlecock
game was introduced in Greece by Mr. Jordan Stavridis, instructor of
Chinese Martial Arts, graduate of Gymnastics Academy of Martial Arts
in Luoyang, in Henan province of People's Republic of China. Mr. Stavridis
was using the feather-ball as the basic exercise of his students, since
1986. By practising that "game", his students reflexives,
concentration and speed were improved. This enjoying way was totally
unknown to Greece that time. FranceThe story of shuttlecock in France really started in 2002 with the curiosity of Guillaume Destot. The father of his wife, of Vietnamese origin, had shown him how he made shuttlecocks out of pigeon feathers and stacked, cut-out bottoms of plastic water bottles. He played this with his daughter, Guillaume's wife, named Kim-Da. Kim-Da, though, had always played it with the hands rather than the feet. Guillaume wanted to find out more about the game. On the internet, he not only found that the game was played with the feet, but also that it was developing in Europe, especially Germany and and Hungary. Guillaume was instantly fascinated by this original game. He wanted to create a club in France. Thanks to a friend of his, he got in contact with an association of Vietnamese in France, and united with their sports section to create a shuttlecock club. The first training sessions, mostly improvised and outdoors, took place in the summer of 2002. Guillaume contacted the Germans, and very soon, Peter von Rüden, Karsten Thilo-Raab and Pasquale Salimbeni were kind enough to come show the French a few techniques In the autumn of 2002. After a few training sessions only, a French team took part in the 2002 World championship in Hagen, along with Hungary, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Taiwan and Finland. The French team was composed of Kim-Da Destot-Vong, Anh Mai Chau Van, Yohan Vinchon, Brian Valès, Guillaume Odin and Guillaume Destot. This experience was very precious for the French, who then started to organise the sport at home. They used the term "da cau", the Vietnamese word for shuttlecock kicking, to refer to the sport, as a tribute to the Vietnamese, who had shown the sport to them. After initial difficulties, for obtaining training time in sports halls and recruiting players, more French clubs have been created now. The pioneers of the sport in France are Anh Mai Chau Van, Kim-Da Destot-Vong, Anne Bizet, Yohann Vinchon, Guillaume Odin, Brian Valès, Yannick Hougardy, Alexandre Mariottini, Yoram Abitbol, Cédric Manfredi, Samuel Le Bihan, François Grignard, Florent Maurel, and of course Guillaume Destot, who founded the first club and took the first team of French players to international competitions. Thanks must also go to Jean-Baptiste Vong, Guillaume's father in law, who was the first to show him the game, and to Peter von Rüden, whose help along the years has been invaluable. Malaysia The royal
family of Malaysia introduced the "Sepak Takraw", about 500
years ago. The origin of the name comes from two languages. Sepak, means
"kick" in Malay, and Takraw, means "ball" in Thai.
The original name of the Shuttlecock game is Sepak Bulu Ayam. Japan"Kemari" in Japanese means, "strike
the ball with the foot". This game came from China sometime around
the 7th century. It quickly became very popular because it was a skill that
could be acquired by everyone regardless of one's social class. Nowadays,
the game takes place in three variations as honokemari, tanabatamari and
osamemari. But the only known reference to foot shuttlecock ever being played
in Japan appears in a book, published in 1975, entitled "Games of the
World" by Frederic V. Grunfeld. The following is an extract: "
The game of shuttlecock, in which a small feathered ball or disc is kicked
from player to player, has been played in China, Japan and Korea for more
than 2000 years. In ancient Japan, the game was used to train the militia:
It was believed that a soldier's physical abilities would be sharpened by
this sort of play. Officers formed clubs where the game rules were standardized."
KoreaIn Korea the Shuttlecock
game is called "Jeigi" or "Jeigi-chagi"and it is one
of the most widespread and beloved game. The Koreans played this game, centuries
before the Japanese. Today Jeigi-chag is a children's game and even though
a declining number of them play it, it has not entirely died out. Evidence
for this can be found in many modern photographs of children dressed in
their colourful national dress enthusistically kicking their shuttlecocks.
MacauFrom enquiries
made, it seems that the practice of kicking the "Chiquia" has
now disappeared from this Portuguese colony, but Macau is due to be handed
back to Mainland China in 1999 so maybe, in the fullness of time, the game
could well be revived at some time in the future. VietnamHere the game is called "Da Cau"
and it's the national game of Vietnam. The game involves kicking a small
ball back and forth, a "cau", which is similar to the ball used
in badminton. In the past, the featherball was made of metal coins and feathers.
Now they are fashioned out of rubber and plastic. The feathers are colored
cellophane ribbons. The bright fringes allow the players see the ball more
clearly and indicate the bird's potential speed.
Historic annals mention kickball tournaments as far back as the 11th century. Wood carvings of shuttlecock players have been found on the 17th century Vietnamese temples. Shuttlecock was neglected in Vietnam during the 1950s, '60s and '70s. After 1975 a well-known Hanoi pediatrician Dr. Nguyen Khac Vien campaigned to revive the sport. Recognizing games as a universal need, especially among children, he organized teams of players and facilitated the production of inexpensive shuttlecocks. A birdie and a ready foot are all that is needed to play the most popular street game in Hanoi and Vietnam's national sport. IndonesiaIn Indonesia, the Shuttlecock game
is called "Bola Bulu Tangkis". It's similar to the one that is
played in Vietnam. The game is known since the 10th century.
PhilippinesThe Shuttlecock game in Philippines
is called "Larong Sipa". Known and played by all age groups, especially
by the elders, for many centuries. The Larong Sipa game has three categories,
the women's, the men's and the team category. In the women's category, the
ball is required to be kicked with the outer side of the foot and the goal
is a high score. For each successful kick, that is, without the featherball
touching the ground, a point is scored. In the men's category, the ball
is required to be kicked with the inner side of the foot. In the team category,
men and women play together, both inner and outer foot kicks are allowed.
SingaporeIn Singapore
the game is called "Chapteh". It has been played for centuries
and it is very popular. The game is played with a small variation, without
a net. The players make circle and they play until the ball falls on the
ground. The player who missed the ball leaves the circle. The two last players
play by themselves separate trying to keep the ball in the air. The winner
is the one that last more.
The game is still played by children in Singapore and the chapteh can still be bought in shops there. On the 21st February, 1997 Singapore Post Office issued a set of four stamps depicting Traditional Games. The upper half of the 22 cents value stamp pictures a boy kicking a shuttlecock and the bottom half, a close up of a chapteh. BrazilIn Brazil the game is called "Peteca".
It has been played for centuries and it is very popular. The only difference
from the other countries is that the "Peteca" is played with the
hands and the net is quite high. It is believed that the game has its roots
from the tribe Xavante, which was the basic game of the children of the
tribe. The ball consisted of a species of grass, as garlic with the root
and its leaves.
USAA game with a ball of feathers is
something, which is very often found in the tribes that live in the Northwestern
coasts. The tribe Zuni, played with a ball made from a piece of corn stalk
tied up with feathers from various birds. The game was played with hands
and feet. The game with the hands was called "Po ke if", while
the game with the feet "Po-ki-nanane". The existence of this game
in the region is known from murals that were found in caves in the Chelly
canion. A similar game was played among the Piman tribe of Arizona, which
was called "Kwaitusiwikut". The native Salish of the British Columbia
and of Washington played the game striking a ball, which was made from a
piece of hard timber and had three feathers tied on it with a wide piece
of wood. This game was called "Kwakiutl" or "Quemal".
IndiaIn India, the game existed before
1500 B.C. and was called "Poona". It was named "Poona"
because of its region of origin, which was city "Pun". It is said
that "Poona" means "the game of the city Pun". Initially
the game was played with the hand, using him palm as a racquet. Later on,
the hands were replaced with the legs, something that made this game popular
among Indian men but extremely difficult for the Indian women. Thus, it
was separated in a men and a women game. In 1870, British officers that
served in India brought with them back to the country the game Poona. Duke
of Beaufort, the Father of Badminton, was great supporter of the game, which
he played very often. However, this game was quite primitive for the elite
of the English society. Thus, he was pleased in playing the woman's version
of the game of Poona with his friends and his daughters in his villa at
the village Badminton of Glouschester.
One day, as he was playing in the garden of his villa, it began to rain. Without hesitation, he emptied his dining room so to continue the game there. This was also the beginning of the sport known as Badminton. This article
is based on a research made by Mr. Stavridis.
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