Badminton is the world's fastest racket sport. A shuttle can leave the racket at a speed of 332 kph (A Record set in 2005 by China's Fu Haifeng).

Today's players compete in a lightning-fast sport which demands constant, highly concentrated actions: running, jumping, twisting, stretching, running backwards and striking. Besides explosiveness, quick reflexes and rapid hand-eye coordination, competitive badminton players must also possess superb aerobic endurance. In a typical two-game singles match, top players will cover nearly every inch of the court and travel more than a mile.

Competitive badminton is vastly different from the game played by many with friends and relatives in the backyard. In fact, the differences clearly illustrate the difference in the meaning between "game" and "sport".

Badminton is distinguished from other racket sports, all of which use a ball of some size, by two features: the use of a shuttlecock and the fact the shuttlecock cannot touch the ground during a rally. The flight characteristics of the shuttlecock and the pace created by constant volleying combine to make badminton one of the most exciting sports to play and watch.