In doubles badminton, two players per side share a wider court (the outer sidelines are in) but serve into a shorter, boxier service area. You serve diagonally from the right court when your score is even and the left when it is odd. Games run to 21 points on rally scoring, you must win by 2, and the score is capped at 30.
That is the short version. The part that trips up almost every new player is the serving rotation, so this guide from Olaben walks through it step by step, with a court diagram in words, a boundaries table, the fault list, and the positioning that actually wins rallies. Everything here follows the current Badminton World Federation (BWF) Laws of Badminton. If you are brand new to the sport, start with our basic badminton rules and then come back for the doubles details.
The Doubles Court: Wider in Play, Shorter to Serve
Here is the quirk that makes doubles feel different from singles. During a rally, you use the full width of the court, so the outer sidelines (the doubles alleys, sometimes called the tramlines) are live. But when you serve, the shuttle has to land in a box that is wide and short: it must clear the short service line and land before the inner back line, which sits about 2.5 feet (0.76 m) inside the back boundary.
So the doubles service court is a fat, stubby rectangle, while the singles service court is tall and narrow. Same outside frame, different in-bounds lines depending on what you are doing.
|
Boundary |
Singles |
Doubles |
|
Side boundary during a rally |
Inner sideline (court is 17 ft / 5.18 m wide) |
Outer sideline (court is 20 ft / 6.1 m wide) |
|
Back boundary during a rally |
Back boundary line (22 ft / 6.7 m from net per side) |
Same back boundary line |
|
Short service line |
6.5 ft (1.98 m) from the net |
Same |
|
Long service line for serving |
The back boundary line |
Inner back line, 2.5 ft (0.76 m short of the back) |
The net itself does not change: 5 feet (1.524 m) high at the center and 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) at the posts. If you want the exact figures and why they matter, see the official badminton net height.
Serving Rules in Doubles
The serve is where doubles rules get their reputation for being confusing, but the logic is consistent once you see it.
Which side you serve from is set by your team’s score.
- Score is even (0, 2, 4, and so on): the server stands in the right service court.
- Score is odd (1, 3, 5, and so on): the server stands in the left service court.
The serve is always diagonal. From the right court you serve to the opponent standing diagonally in their right court; from the left court you serve to their left court. The shuttle must travel forward over the short service line and land inside that wide, short doubles service box described above.
Only one serve, and only one server per turn. Unlike the old system, current BWF rally scoring gives the serving side a single serve. There is no “second server” waiting in the wings. Serve into the net or out of the box and the rally is over.
The serving action must be legal. Both feet stay on the floor and inside your service court (not touching any line), the whole shuttle is struck below 1.15 m from the surface (a fixed height introduced by BWF in 2018), and the racket shaft points downward so the head is below your hand at contact.
The receiver in the correct diagonal court is the only opponent who may return the serve. The receiver’s partner has to stand clear and cannot touch it.
The Rotation: This Is the Part People Get Wrong
Read this section slowly, because the rotation is what separates players who “know the rules” from players who actually run a clean game.
Rule one: only the serving side ever swaps positions. The receiving side stays put. Nobody on the receiving team switches left and right courts while they wait to receive.
Rule two: your team keeps the serve as long as you keep winning rallies, and the same player keeps serving. When your side wins a rally on your own serve, you score a point, then that same server moves to the other service court and serves again. Because the server shifts sides, the two partners swap left and right. Your score just went from even to odd (or odd to even), and that parity rule automatically tells you which box to serve from next.
Rule three: when you lose the rally, nobody swaps. The serve passes to the other team. You and your partner stay exactly where you are standing.
Rule four: when the serve comes back to your side, the score decides who serves. Whichever partner is standing in the correct service court for your current score (right if even, left if odd) is the one who serves. Because you did not swap positions while you were receiving, sometimes it is you and sometimes it is your partner. That is normal and correct.
A quick walk-through to make it concrete:
- Score 0-0. Player A serves from the right court to opponent C (diagonal). A’s partner B is in the left court.
- A’s team wins the rally: 1-0. Same server A now moves to the left court and serves again. A and B swap, so B is now on the right.
- A’s team wins again: 2-0. A moves back to the right court to serve. A and B swap back.
- A’s team loses the rally: still 2-0, but the serve passes to the opponents. Nobody on A’s team swaps. The opponent standing in the right court (their score is even at 0) now serves.
Once you trust the parity rule (even equals right, odd equals left) and remember that only the serving side swaps, the whole rotation runs itself.
Scoring: Rally Scoring to 21
Doubles uses the same rally scoring as singles, so every rally ends in a point for someone, whether or not that side served.
- A match is best of three games.
- Each game is played to 21 points.
- You must win by 2. At 20-20, play continues until one side leads by two.
- There is a hard cap at 30. At 29-29, the next point wins, so 30-29 takes the game.
- Sides switch ends after each game. In a deciding third game, you also switch ends when one team reaches 11 points.
For worked examples of deuce, the cap, and how the running score maps back to the serving court, see how badminton scoring works.
Common Faults in Doubles
A fault ends the rally and gives the point to the other side. The ones you will actually see in doubles:
- Service faults: contact above 1.15 m, racket head above the hand at contact, a foot lifting or touching a line during the serve, or the receiver moving before the shuttle is struck.
- Wrong court or wrong server/receiver: serving or receiving from the box that does not match the score. If discovered, it is corrected under BWF rules and can cost the rally.
- Shuttle out: landing beyond the sidelines or back boundary in a rally, or outside the short-and-wide box on a serve.
- Double hit or double touch: the shuttle may only be hit once per side. Two partners cannot both make contact on the same shot.
- Net faults: touching the net with racket, body, or clothing while the shuttle is in play, or reaching over the net to hit the shuttle before it crosses (you may follow through over the net after a legal contact on your side).
- Body or dress contact: the shuttle touching a player or their clothing is a fault against that side.
- Carrying (a sling or hold): the shuttle resting on the racket during a stroke.
Doubles Positioning: Side-by-Side vs Front-and-Back
Good doubles is really about which of two shapes your team is in, and switching between them fast.
Side-by-side (defense). When your opponents are attacking, especially smashing, you and your partner split the court left and right. Each of you owns one sideline half, so you can dig up smashes coming to either side. This is your defensive shape.
Front-and-back (attack). When your team is on the offensive, one player takes the front (net) and one takes the back. The back player hunts for smashes and clears, while the front player pounces on weak returns and net replies. This is how you build pressure and finish points.
The connective tissue is rotation. After a low serve, the server typically pushes forward to cover the net while the partner drops back, moving you into attack. When your side is forced to lift the shuttle high, you rotate back to side-by-side defense. Reading which shape you should be in, and moving there together, matters more than any single power shot. A steady badminton grip helps you switch between net taps and backcourt drives without regripping mid-rally.
If you also play one-on-one, our guide to singles badminton rules covers how the court, serve, and tactics change when it is just you.
What to Wear for Doubles
Doubles is quick, lateral, and stop-start, so you want gear that moves with you and stays out of the way during fast net exchanges. Breathable tops that wick sweat and shorts or leggings that let you lunge deep are the practical picks. Browse Olaben’s best sellers for court-ready pieces built for that kind of movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who serves first in doubles badminton?
The team that wins the coin toss (or racket spin) chooses to serve, receive, or pick an end. At 0-0 the serving team’s score is even, so the chosen server stands in the right service court and serves diagonally.
Do both players serve in doubles?
Not in the same turn. Current BWF rally scoring gives each side one server per service turn. Over a game both partners will serve at different times, decided by the score and where each player is standing when the serve returns to your side.
Can you hit the shuttle twice in doubles?
No. Each side gets a single contact per shot. If two partners both touch the shuttle on the same return, it is a double hit and a fault.
Are the sidelines in for doubles?
Yes, during a rally. The full outer sidelines (doubles alleys) are in play. The only place the box shrinks is the serve, which must land before the inner back line about 2.5 feet inside the baseline.
What score do you play doubles to?
Each game is to 21 points on rally scoring, win by 2, with a hard cap at 30. A match is best of three games.
Does the receiving team rotate positions?
No. Only the serving side swaps left and right courts, and only when it wins a rally on its own serve. The receiving team stays put until it wins the serve.
