Ivana cutting badminton down to size for kids

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former top women's badminton player Ivana Lie knows that it is not easy for a youngster to grip an adult racket or stand on tiptoes in an effort to see over the top of the net.

So she is bringing things down to their level in a modified version she calls Badmini.

That means reduced court dimensions, a smaller racket for a tiny hand to hold comfortably and also a lower net for players aged under 12.

"We hope this new, child-friendly system will help produce more Olympic champions like Taufik Hidayat and Susi Susanti in the future," the 1980 World Championship runner up and 1982 Asian Games gold medalist told a news conference on Monday.

Ivana, who runs a badminton school in Bandung, said the Badmini court measures 11.88 meters by 5.18 meters, compared to 13.6 meters by 6.1 meters.

As well as shortened rackets, the net is 140 centimeters high, 15 centimeters lower than the regular height.

"With the assistance of some friends, I created Badmini to help children learn badminton easily without having to play on the normal size that is only fit for adults," said Ivana, who has also created a form for under nines.

"However, the whole family could play together for fun."

The scoring system has also been revamped, including providing bonus points for smashes hit into four designated areas and outstanding net play.

"We have the bonus point that will encourage young shuttlers to play badminton beautifully and place the shuttlecock in several difficult to reach spots."

Ivana said children in her school responded positively to the form, which will be played in an exhibition before the final of the National Badminton Championship for clubs in Yogyakarta on Jan. 30.

"Subsequently, we will introduce it in 10 cities: Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Batam, Medan, Manado, Makassar and Samarinda are the candidates for the first introduction."

The cities would hold their respective regional championships in mid-2005, with the winners securing berths to participate in the national championship later this year, Ivana said.

Eventually, youngsters around the world may learn the game under the modified system.

"In 2006, we hope PBSI will introduce Badmini to the International Badminton Federation (IBF)," she said.