Jianzi

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Shuttlecock Player
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Shuttlecock Player

Jianzi (毽子) 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".

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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.

Jianzi, or Kinja, is well known in Asia and is gaining popularity in Europe. Jianzi came to Europe in 1936, when a Chinese athlete from the province of Jiangxu performed a demonstration at the Olympic Games of Berlin. Germany and other countries were so impressed that they began to learn and play the sport.

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 southeastern Asiatic games of 2003. Among the members of ISF are China, Taiwan, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Laos, Vietnam, Greece, France, Romania, and Serbia. China and the Vietnam are generally considered as the leading teams in ranking, while for Europe, Hungary and Germany are considered the best teams. On August 11th, 2003, delegates from Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia founded the Shuttlecock Federation of Europe (S.F.E.), in Ujszasz (Hungary).

Jianzi is also widely played in the Southeast Asia, where it is known as Chapteh. Dacau is the Vietnamese name.

[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, ‘shuttlecock’ spread throughout Asia. As a result of this, the game possessed different names in different countries.

[edit] Chapteh

Chapteh or capteh, is a traditional game in Southeast Asia that requires a shuttlecock. It is a favourite pastime among children and the playing of this game requires athletic skills and agility.

The game is played using a feathercock 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. 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 where boys gathered in groups to have a kick-a-about. However, 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 at least a minimum of two players. The game is rather simple and easy to understand.

1) The first player will start off 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.

2) 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.

3) The players may continue the game in as many rounds as desired.

4) The player with the most points wins the game.

[edit] Another version

Another version of the game also require a minimum of 2 teams, each team a minimum of 1 player.

The players first delimit a playing field for the 2 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. There is no net either.

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 3 faults the opposing team scores a point and its now the opposing team's turn to serve.

If the serve is not a fault, the opponent now 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 serving will be 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, the server serves again. If it is properly returned, the server now has to return the ball back to the other team. This goes on and on until:

1) One of the team fails to return the chapteh. 2) The chapteh lands out after a return. 3) The chapteh hits the ceiling (no point). 4) 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] Podopterisi

Shuttlecock Ball
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Shuttlecock Ball

Podopterisi is the Greek word for the Shuttlecock Sport which is very often confused with the Badminton Sport Cork Ball (yumaoqiu). But it must Not be confused with the kickable shuttlecock (jianzi)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 period that people played it, and was popular in liuchao, Sui period and Tang period. Shuttlecock (jianzi) has a history of two thousand years, you can find something about it in a few ancient books. In 1933, Nanjing in the fifth national sports meeting, playing Shuttlecock (jianzi), wrestling, and so on were defined as the national item formerly. And 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 metal of movies. In 1963, Playing Shuttlecock Jianzi, was taught by teachers in elementary school so that it was more popular than ever before.

Playing Shuttlecock (Jianzi) or (Featherball) does much benefit to health, Raising legs, jumping, and turning the body make up the wonderful gesture, which make every part of body take part in the exercise and be active and move freely. It also raise the vital capacity, protein and sums of metabolism.its also good for the health of brain. Playing Shuttlecock (jianzi)has something to do with the health care of kidney, a lot of people agree. When some people playing it together, they can train the sense of a group, and cooper more?It also can train the spirit of over coming difficulties, mastering opportunities?Its different from playing soccer, in which people touch the ball as long as he's near it, there is a discipline in receiving jianzi, it remains in the same place and people move to touch it without leting it change place. During the remaining, people can do a lot of beautiful act. The age of people who play Shuttlecock (jianzi)is not limited, from the child to elders in their eighties, everybody and take part in the item. The mastering of it is not forgetable as well, some people stopped practicing it for some years can also play it as well as before. It dosent charge you much because only a few feathers, two metal coins are available to make up a nice Shuttlecock (jianzi), its so small that you can take it everywhere, and play it whenever you want. Playing Shuttlecock (jianzi)is similar to playing soccer, but every act of playing Shuttlecock (jianzi) is finished without touching the ground.

Taking Shuttlecock (jianzi) as the helping exercise of playing soccer is intesting to athelets and good for training soccer. In order to playing Shuttlecock (jianzi) successfully, people have to have a fast reflection, master the time correctly, and make a gesture quickly. According the above, there are three factors of palying Shuttlecock (jianzi): fast move, stable body and beautiful gesture. It seems easy to play Shuttlecock (jianzi), but there are a lot of different gesture to play it, few people can master it. But if you see it as an exercise, it wont be so difficult, it brings happiness and the feeling of success to people. When you finish a new gesture, your feelings of happiness cant be expressed only by word.

From The Official European Shuttlecock Federation Portal we read:

The first report of the Shuttlecock Sport is the 5th century BC in China . The Chinese played the Ti Jian Zi or shuttlecock. At least for 1000 years, this game was played initially in Asia . It assumed that shuttlecock developed from the Tsu Chu, a game similar to football. Shuttlecock is a remarkable way of exercising, a training for developing quick reflexives, of agility and of concentration. Exactly, because of this, shuttlecock for decades is used in military training and in basic training in China. The game is very simple. Children in order to make a featherball took round pieces of lead and tin for the base, chicken feathers for the top, and played shuttlecock. Today, the game is played in schools all over China . The Shuttlecock evolved from an ancient military exercise.

A lot of famous generals in the Chinese history used this game in order to relax and exercise their troops. The matches of Shuttlecock Sport were popular in the times of the dynasties of Han and of Song (207-906). Since the Song Dynasty (960-1278) the game was renamed to Chien Tsu, from the Chinese word for "arrow" that sounds precisely as the word "shuttlecock". The game is divided in two basic types:

The artistic and the team play.

The game is played according to the rules. The game is similar to the volleyball, but the ball is different and by no means touched by the hands. The artistic game is completely different. As the name implies, it has to do with the skill of the athlete and the choreography. The winner is the one who does the most difficult and controlled subterfuges with the featherball. Individuals, pairs, or teams can play the artistic game. Both games have the same goal, to keep the ball in the air without touching the ground. The featherball is kicked with the feet, the knees, the hips, the body, but never with the hands.

The first national competition of Shuttlecock Sport took place in 1933 in China . In 1933, in Nanjing in the fifth National Sports meeting, playing Jianzi, wrestling, and so on were defined as the National Sports formerly. And in June, 1961, a movie called "The flying feather" was finished by the central news movie company. The movie was so successful that it is gained the International movie festival gold metal of movies. Since 1984, shuttlecock is an Official National Sport. In 1984, an enthusiastic team of fans founded in Hong-Kong, the Amateur Union of Shuttlecock. In 1994, this union was reformed and renamed to "Hong Kong Association of Shuttlecock" (HKSA).

Shuttlecock, came to Europe before the 2nd world war, when a Chinese athlete from the province of Jiangxu performed a demonstration in the Olympic Games of Berlin in 1936. Germany and other countries were so impressed, that they began to learn and play the demonstrated sport.

The championships of the World Shuttlecock are an annual event since the founding of the International Shuttlecock Federation - (ISF) in 1999. Since then, the countries were undertaking voluntarily the organisation of championships, in turn. Hong-Kong organised the International Championships of Shuttlecock in 1995.

Day by day, the sport receives a greater recognition, since it has been included as a sport in the southeastern Asiatic games of 2003. The members of ISF are China, the Chinese Taipei, Finland, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Laos the Vietnam, Greece, France, Romania, Serbia, etc. Among them, China and the Vietnam are considered as leading teams in ranking, while for Europe, Hungary and Germany are considered the Best Teams. Finally, on August 11th 2003 delegates from Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Serbia founded the Shuttlecock Federation of Europe (S.F.E.), in Ujszasz (Hungary).

[edit] Featherball

Featherball is a sport which is known as Shuttlecock Sport or Jianzi.

Featherball is very often confused with the Badminton Sport Cork Ball (yumaoqiu), but that should not be confused with the kickable shuttlecock (jianzi) which is a colourful feathered object with a spring-loaded base, or with 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 period in China that people played it, and was popular in the liuchao, Sui and Tang periods. Shuttlecock (jianzi) has a history of two thousand years, and can be read about in a few ancient books. In 1933, Nanjing in the fifth national sports meeting, playing Shuttlecock (jianzi), wrestling, and so on were defined as the national item formerly. And in June, 1961, a movie called "The Flying Feather" was finished by the central news movie company; the movie was so successful that it received the International Movie Festival's Gold Medal of Movies. Starting in 1963, playing Shuttlecock Jianzi, was taught by teachers in elementary school so that it was more popular than ever before.

Playing Shuttlecock (Jianzi) or (Featherball) provides many health benefits. Raising the legs, jumping, and turning the body makes every part of body take part in the exercise and stay active and move freely. It raises the total metabolism, and is also good for mental health. When people play it together, they can train as a team, and build cooperation. It also can train the spirit to overcome difficulties and master opportunities. It is different from playing soccer, where people touch the ball as long as they are near it; there is a discipline in receiving jianzi, it remains in the same place and people move to touch it without letting it move out of place. During the remaining, people can do a lot of beautiful act. The age of people who play Shuttlecock (jianzi) is not limited; from children to people in their eighties, everybody can take part. The mastery of it is not forgotten, as people who have stopped practicing it for some years can also play it as well as before. It does not cost much because only a few feathers and two metal coins are needed to make up a nice Shuttlecock (jianzi). It is so small that you can take it everywhere, and play it whenever you want. Playing Shuttlecock (jianzi) is similar to playing soccer, but every act of playing Shuttlecock (jianzi) is finished without touching the ground.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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