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      Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net . Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players per side). Badminton is often played as a casual outdoor activity in a yard or on a beach; formal games are played on a rectangular indoor court. Points are scored by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it within the other team's half of the court. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. Play ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor or ground, or if a fault has been called by the umpire, service judge, or (in their absence) the opposing side. [1] The shuttlecock is a feathered or (in informal matches) plastic projectile that flies differently from the balls used in many other sports. In particular, the feathers create much higher drag , causin...

  Judo ( Japanese : 柔道 , Hepburn : Jūdō , lit.   'gentle way') is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art , Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally. [3] [4] [5] Judo was created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō ( 嘉納 治五郎 ) as an eclectic martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors (primarily Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Kitō-ryū jujutsu) due to an emphasis on " randori " ( 乱取り , lit. 'free sparring') instead of " kata " (pre-arranged forms) alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements. [3] [4] [6] Judo rose to prominence for its dominance over established jujutsu schools in tournaments hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁武術大会, Keishicho Bujutsu Taikai ), resulting in its adoption as the department's primary martial art. [4] [3] A judo practitioner is called a "judoka" ( 柔道家 , jūdōka , lit. 'judo performer') , and the j...

Taekwondo , Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do ( / ˌ t aɪ k w ɒ n ˈ d oʊ , ˌ t aɪ ˈ k w ɒ n d oʊ , ˌ t ɛ k w ə n ˈ d oʊ / ; [3] [4] [5] Korean : 태권도/跆拳道 [t̪ʰɛ.k͈wʌ̹n.d̪o] ( listen ) ) is a Korean martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. The literal translation for tae kwon do is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". [6] They are a kind of martial arts in which one attacks or defends with hands and feet anytime or anywhere, with occasional use of weapons. The physical training undertaken in Taekwondo is purposeful and fosters strength of mind through mental armament. [7] Taekwondo practitioners wear a uniform, known as a dobok . It is a combat sport and was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with experience in martial arts such as karate , Chinese martial arts , and indigenous Korean martial arts traditions suc...

  Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles ) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles ). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court . The object of the game is to manoeuvre the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball validly will not gain a point, while the opposite player will. [1] [2] Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society and at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users . The original forms of tennis developed in France during the late Middle Ages . [3] The modern form of tennis originated in Birmingham , England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis . [4] It had close connections both to various field (lawn) games such as croquet ...

  Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding . The game occurs over the course of several plays , with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding team , called the pitcher , throws a ball that a player on the batting team , called the batter , tries to hit with a bat . The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from the other team's players, allowing its players to run the bases , having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called " runs ". The objective of the defensive team (referred to as the fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners , and to prevent runners' advance around the bases . [2] A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter). The principal objective of the b...

      Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a 22-yard (20-metre) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps . The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at one of the wickets with the bat and then running between the wickets, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this (by preventing the ball from leaving the field, and getting the ball to either wicket) and dismiss each batter (so they are "out"). Means of dismissal include being bowled , when the ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat, but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires , ai...