If you have one person per side, Palm Rules Badminton is a real workout. With two people per side, it is still very strenuous. However, once there are three or more people per side, it is possible for individuals to catch a breath every now and then. Totally unacceptable.
The answer is MegaMinton. The rules are exactly the same as basic Palm Rules Badminton, except for one: Multiple birdies.
This is a non-stop game; if one birdie falls to the ground, play continues with the live birdies; whoever isn't busy hitting the remaining birdies picks up the dead one and returns it to play. The only pauses occur when all birdies fall at the same time within the same player's zone.
The guys who play this game report that two players per side and two birdies makes an excellent game, and three players per side and two birdies is also good. More than two birdies tends to result in one birdie remaining dead on the ground for extended periods, as no one has a chance to pick it up. More than three players per side tends to result in extensive damage to the rackets from contact with skulls.
If you use the "stinging welts" scoring method, it is suggested that hits by multiple birdies at essentially the same time be scored as the square of the number of simultaneous hits, i.e., two hits at once counts four, three hits at once counts nine, etc. To receive this score, all birdies must have been struck before the first one hits the target, and all must hit the same player.
If you decide to attempt this game, please take the following precautions:
1) Have the camcorder running at all times.
2) Have the ambulance on the speed dial.
Return to the Palm Rules Badminton Introduction.
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