Speed badminton

Crossminton is a racket game which is often associated with the brand speedminton because of their historical relation. From 1 January 2016 the name of the racket sport has been changed from Speed Badminton to Crossminton. The sport combines elements from different sports like badminton, squash and tennis. Today, Crossminton is played all around the world. There is no net in between and no prescribed playground, so it can be executed on tennis courts, streets, beaches, fields or gyms. The court consists of two squares of 5.50 m (18 ft) length. They are fixed opposite to each other at a distance of 12.8 m (42 ft). Currently, there are tournaments all over the world which are organized in a growing number of clubs. In some countries, associations are already established, for example the German Crossminton Association (DCV) and the Swiss Speed Badminton (SSB). On August 25, 2011 the International Crossminton Organization (ICO) was founded under the name International Speed Badminton Organisation (ISBO) in Berlin.

Both of the players need a racket. The rackets are similar to the ones used in squash but are specially produced for Crossminton. They are 58–60 cm long, and the material and the strings are different. The ball is called speeder and is heavier than a conventional badminton shuttlecock, meaning it can be used up to wind force 4.

The special shuttlecock and the idea of the game were invented in 2001 in Berlin by Bill Brandes. The game was refined to the final game of crossminton by the Speedminton company. The inventor first named his new sport "shuttleball", but soon the game was renamed "speed badminton". Starting from January 2016 the name was changed again, to crossminton. Originally, the idea of the inventor was to create an outdoor variant of badminton, so he changed the ball to be smaller and heavier (today called speeder). The analogy of badminton now exists only in a technical way: there is no net and the game tempo is faster. In 2003, there were already 6,000 active players in Germany. The sport is growing steadily and there are numerous international tournaments across Europe.

The field consists of two squares measuring 5.5 meters (18 ft) on each side. The distance between the squares is 12.8 meters (42 ft). Crossminton can be played on half of a tennis court which can easily be modified with elastic lines. Match Speeders are used for normal games. Children and adolescents (u14) play with fun speeders over a smaller distance (8.80 meters). The aim of the game is to reach the square of the opposite player with the speeder. If the speeder falls outside the opposite square, the other side gains a point. Both players are allowed to step out of, or any where inside their square during play. The game ends when one player has at least 16 points and has at least 2 points advantage over their adversary. Every time a set/round finishes, the players switch sides.

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