Badminton Court Flooring
Badminton as a game has become undoubtedly the most popular indoor sport in India in recent times. Premier Badminton League to many emerging internationally acclaimed players like PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Srikanth Kidambi achieving greater success at different international competitions. The sport has become so prevalent that most of the badminton courts across various cities are completely booked, not only during primetime but also courts are booked even during non-primetime hours. Largely people who play the sport is to maintain their fitness, while some play the sport at a competitive level so that they can represent the country at various competitions. And of course, many are passionate about the game.
Despite Badminton being the most popular indoor sport in India, we have not been able to achieve a tremendous amount of success in international competitions. What could be the reason for this? Is it because the athlete not preparing well? Is it because he/she is not getting proper coaching? Or is the player not getting the proper infrastructure to practice? Like any other sport, Badminton also requires an ideal infrastructure to practice the game, which has a badminton court of international size, badminton flooring which will have sufficient shock absorption capacity to reduce the risk of injury, good grip for quick feet movement, proper ventilation system, and good lighting.
FLOORING
Most of the commercially run badminton court owners miss the basic requirement of the game, which is to have good badminton flooring and ambient light. It is often seen that most of such courts have synthetic badminton courts, but to reduce the cost of construction they avoid having wooden sub-structure below the PVC mat. Such kind of badminton sports flooring reduces the player’s comfort and also develops knee pain over a period of time. Also, it is been observed that in order to reduce the cost of flooring many people use cheap quality PVC vinyl flooring material, which has a very shorter life. Although it shows the color, it tends to lose its grip over a period of time, and due to that players can skid and which increased the possibility of injuries. Some owners install plywood underneath the PVC flooring which is not at all recommended for Badminton courts because plywood is classified as softwood and the type of wood that is recommended for Badminton courts is hardwood. Due to constant use of jumping and moving around the surface, the softwood tends to crack over a period of time and they will tear the PVC flooring as well.
Different types of Badminton Court flooring surfaces:
- Wooden Court- Naturally, wood has the ability to absorb pressure and it is not at all hard on the body. Maple/ Teak wood is usually used for flooring when it comes to building a Badminton court. In order to maintain the glossiness of wood, it requires regular polishing and cleaning of the court with water. If regular cleaning is not done, the court starts turning black which degrades the quality. Let us see the differences between Maple wood and Teak wood. Maple wood has less moisture content as compared to Teak wood. Due to less moisture content, expansion and contraction don’t happen and hence minimum grooves are needed in between two planks of maple wood. Whereas lower quality teak wood can expand and contract due to moisture and humidity and hence grooves are given in between two planks.
Wooden Badminton courts are very durable but comparatively expensive when it compares to other synthetic courts like PU/PVC courts.
- PVC– Most modern-day Badminton courts have PVC flooring. PVC synthetic courts have anti-slip properties which provide comfort for the players. Usually, PVC courts come in mat form, which makes them easy to install. The recommended thickness of PVC flooring is usually 4.5mm to 6.5 mm. Ideally, PVC mats should be installed above hardwood flooring.
- PU- Polyurethane flooring is a very good alternative looking at the durability and the comfort. It also provides seamless flooring with self-leveling properties. PU floorings are joint and it is non-static. It provides an additional cushion due to its rubber backing. PU surfaces reduce the risk of slipping which in turn reduces the risk of injuries for the players.
VENTILATION
Another important aspect that those who are considering building a badminton court is of having a proper ventilation system, especially in India where the temperature in summer goes up to 44℃ during the day in most cities. Most of the commercially run and privately built Badminton courts are covered with tin sheds, and during summers the tin shed does not help at all with the ventilation because once the tin shed is exposed to hard sunlight, the atmosphere inside the court also gets hotter and it also increases the humidity which directly affects the gameplay. If the courts have a proper ventilation system in place, the players will be able to enjoy the game for a longer period of time, or else the players who play the game for leisure purposes won’t be able to cope with the heat and humidity inside the court.
LIGHTING
Since Badminton is an indoor sport, it is vital to have a suitable lighting system in place. The installed lights should have the appropriate level of LUX, they should be installed at a proper height, and the lights should be installed at an angle where the light does not directly fall into the player’s eyes. Most people are unaware of what type of lights to be used on Badminton court.
LED high bay or LED linear high bay lights are recommended for Badminton courts. When it comes to lighting an indoor court flood lights are a strict no-no. As the term suggests flood lights flood light and useful lights are less impactful also it creates glares and difficult to play under those lights. Sports lights come with a pre-installed lens for a focused light and filters to avoid glares. Olympiados is the only sports infrastructure company in India to give you 360-degree services from sports flooring to sports lighting all under one roof.
If you’re planning to construct a badminton court, it is best advised to take consultancy from a reputed vendor like Olympiados, who has the knowledge and the detailed understanding of how to build a good badminton court. Olympiados provides a one-stop solution right from planning, drafting, drawing, and constructing the badminton hall to sports flooring and to the sports light all under one roof, so that you don’t have to run around for different services for different things.
