In doubles badminton, two teams of two players compete against each other. Doubles teams must follow certain rules regarding serving and receiving. The Badminton World Federation provides specific rules for doubles badminton. These rules serve as a standard for competitive badminton around the world.
Coin Toss
Competing doubles teams must flip a coin before the start of the match. The team that wins the coin toss can make one of two choices: whether to serve or receive first, or which side of the court to play on first. The other team gets to make the other choice.
Serving and Receiving Position
According to the Badminton World Federation’s Laws of Badminton, you must serve from the right service court when your team has no points and when it has an even number of points in the game in progress. You must serve from the left service court when your team has an odd number of points in the game in progress. On each side of the court, the left and right service courts lie behind the short service line and on either side of the center service line.
The player on the receiving team standing in the service court diagonally opposite the server must receive the serve. When the serving team loses a point and becomes the receiving team, it should not switch sides of the court to receive. Players switch sides only when they win a point on their own serve.
Serving Order
The team serving first in a game can decide which player will serve first. The receiving team can decide which player will receive first. The same server continues serving from alternate sides of the court until her team loses a point. When that team gains the serve again, the partner of the player who served last must serve.
When the team receiving first in a game wins a point on the opposing team’s serve, the partner of the player who received the first serve must serve next. When that team loses a point, the partner of the person who served last on the other team must serve next, and so on.
Subsequent Games
The team that loses the first game serves first in the second game. If the match continues into a third and deciding game, the team that lost the second game serves first in the third game. Either player of the losing team can serve first, and either player of the winning team can receive first.
After the Serve
After the receiving team returns the serve, players do not have to follow any particular order of play. Either player on each team can hit the shuttlecock from any place on the court.
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