Jianzi
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Jiànzi (毽子) or Jiànqiú (毽球) is a traditional Asian shuttlecock game which originated in ancient China in the Han dynasty. In English, both the sport and the object with which it is played are referred to as "shuttlecock" or "featherball". The game is widely played in Southeast Asia, where it is known as Chapteh. Dacau is its Vietnamese name. Podopterisi is the Greek word.
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[edit] Jianzi
The Jianzi, also known as Shuttlecock, Chinese Hacky Sack or Kinja in the United States and the UK, is a special feather shuttlecock fixed with a rubber sole or plastic discs. Some handmade jianzis make use of a coin that has a hole in the center. The game bears a great resemblance to badminton, except that Jianzi is played without rackets. Instead, various parts of the body, but not the hands, are used to keep the shuttlecock from touching the ground. It is primarily balanced and propelled upwards using parts of the leg, especially the feet.
[edit] Origins of the game
The first known version of Jianzi originated from 5th century BC in China. At the time, it was called Ti Jian Zi, or simply the "shuttlecock". The game was believed to have been evolved from an ancient military exercise.
For the next 1000 years, this shuttlecock game spread throughout Asia. As a result of this, the game possessed different names in different countries.
The sport is often confused with the Badminton Sport Cork Ball (yumaoqiu). But it should not be confused with the kickable shuttlecock which is a colourful feathered object with a spring-loaded base; or the Shuttlecock Sport. The flying feather is called Jianzi, whose name is poetic and given by the people who are interested in it. It was from the Han dynasty that people played it, and was popular in Liuchao, Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty.
Shuttlecock has a history of two thousand years. Its play is recorded in a few ancient books.[citation needed]
[edit] Modern history
In Nanjing in 1933, in the fifth national sports meeting, contestants played shuttlecock, wrestling, and other sports.
Jianzi came to Europe in 1936, when a Chinese athlete from the province of Jiangxu performed a demonstration at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Germany and other countries were so impressed that they began to learn and play the sport.
In June 1961, a movie called The Flying Feather was finished by the central news movie company. The movie was so successful that it gained the international movie festival gold medal of movies.[citation needed] In 1963, shuttlecock was taught by teachers in elementary school so that it was more popular than ever before.
While it is well known in Asia, the game has been gaining popularity in Europe. The World Shuttlecock Championship is an annual event held since the founding of the International Shuttlecock Federation (ISF) in 1999. Until then, various countries took turns organising championships.
The sport continues to receive greater recognition, and has been included as a sport in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games. Among the members of ISF are China, Taiwan, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Laos, Vietnam, Greece, France, Romania, and Serbia. Vietnam and China are generally considered as the leading teams in ranking, while for Europe, Hungary and Germany are considered the best teams. On August 11, 2003, delegates from Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia founded the Shuttlecock Federation of Europe (S.F.E.) in Ujszasz (Hungary).
[edit] Chapteh
Chapteh, or capteh, is a traditional game in Southeast Asia that requires a shuttlecock. It is a favourite pastime among children.
The game is played using a shuttlecock made up of feathers attached to a rubber disc (base). The idea of this game is to keep the capteh airborne for as long as possible by kicking it. Another method of playing is to kick the shuttlecock back and forth between two people, similar to sepak takraw or Sipa. Only a very small area is needed to kick a shuttlecock, so it can be practiced in space-confined places. The game is physically intensive.
This game was commonly played in Singapore and Malaysia during the kampong days when boys gathered in groups to have a kick-a-about. Recently, interest for this game has declined as boys traded this simple game for more sophisticated video and computer games.
[edit] How to play
This game requires a minimum of two players.
The first player starts the game by kicking the chapteh and keeping it in the air for as long as possible. (The chapteh is usually kicked with the inside of the foot; however, if the player wishes to, he or she may try another way of kicking the chapteh.) A point is scored for every successful kick.
If the player fails to kick it again before it lands on the ground, the player will have to pass the chapteh to the next player, and the game goes on in this manner.
The players may continue the game for as many rounds as desired. The player with the most points wins the game...
[edit] Alternate version
Another version of the game also requires a minimum of two teams, each team a minimum of one player.
The players first delimit a playing field for the two teams: the center line and the boundaries. The goal of each team is to kick the chapteh to the other team's playing field, much like volleyball but using everything except your arms and your hands.
The serving team kicks the chapteh to the other team's playing field, with an exception; the serve must always be above waistline when the chapteh crosses the centerline. If the served chapteh goes out of the playing field or below the waistline, it is a "fault" and the chapteh is re-served. After three faults the opposing team scores a point, and it becomes the opposing team's turn to serve.
If the serve is not a fault, the opponent has to return the chapteh back to the server without letting the chapteh touch the floor or go out of the playing field. If the chapteh goes out but is still in the opponent's playing field, the server scores a point. A general rule of the thumb is the next team will be serving from the spot where the ball last lands.
If the opposing team returns the ball but it goes out in the server's side, no points are awarded, and the general rule stated above applies, but the original server serves again. If it is properly returned, the server has to return the ball back to the other team. This goes on and on until:
- One of the team fails to return the chapteh.
- The chapteh lands out after a return.
- The chapteh hits the ceiling (no point).
- The chapteh lands on the line (no point, the last-touching team serves).
However, an exception to the "ceiling" and "out" rules are that if the team touches the chapteh after it goes "out" or "ceiling", the chapteh is no longer treated as out and if the team does not manage to return the chapteh after touching it, the opposing team scores a point.
[edit] Health benefits
Playing Shuttlecock is vigorous aerobic exercise, and provides the health benefits of any active sport. Building hand-eye coordination is also good for the health of the brain.
