Badminton Doubles Rules: Who Serves, From Which Side, In Which Lane

The rules of doubles badminton are often summarized as "there are two of us, so the court is wider." This is true, and it's very insufficient. The majority of points lost due to administrative errors in doubles come from three questions: who should serve, from which box, and which line is valid. Here are the answers, in the order they arise during a match.

Key takeaways

• The doubles court uses the full width, 6.10 m, but the service zone is shorter than in singles.
• The server is never chosen: they are designated by their side's score, even or odd.
• Only the side that has just scored switches its two players. The side that regains service does not move.
• There is no longer a second server since the switch to rally scoring.
• Hitting the shuttlecock twice by two players on the same side is a fault, even if the contact is unintentional.

Doubles Badminton Rules: The Court and the Lines That Matter

The court measures 13.40 m long by 6.10 m wide. In singles, the side alleys of 0.46 m on each side are out of play. In doubles, they are in play throughout the rally. This is the most visible difference, and the easiest to remember.

The subtlety lies elsewhere, in the service zone. Serving in doubles is done in a rectangle that is wider but shorter than in singles. Wider because it includes the side alleys. Shorter because the back of this zone is not the back line of the court: it's a line drawn 0.76 m in front of it. A serve that lands between these two lines is a fault in doubles, whereas it would be good in singles.

This inversion traps many players who alternate between the two disciplines in the same evening. The reflex to adopt: in doubles, the serve is played short and to the front. The geometry of the court already pushes you to do so. The complete details of official markings and dimensions are in our guide to badminton court dimensions.

Once the serve is made, all outer lines become valid again. The doubles long service line is only used for the serve. A clear that lands behind it, but in front of the back line, is good.

Who Serves the First Point of the Match

The side that starts is determined by a toss, usually a shuttlecock toss or a coin flip. The winning side chooses either to serve, to receive, or their side of the court. The other side takes what remains.

Then, the player who serves the very first point for their side stands in the right service box. The score is 0, which is even, and an even score always implies the right service box. Their partner stands wherever they want, provided they do not obstruct the receiver's view. The receiver, however, is fixed: it is the player diagonally opposite the server, thus in the right service box of the opposing side.

The receiver's partner has no role in the serve. They can position themselves freely, but they are not allowed to return the serve. If they touch the shuttlecock on a serve, the point is lost.

Doubles Badminton Rules: Which Side to Serve From According to the Score

This is the rule that governs everything else, and it can be summarized in one sentence. The server serves from the right service box when their side's score is even, and from the left when it is odd.

Their side's score, not the total score, and not the opponent's. At 5-8, if you serve, your score is 5, which is odd, so you serve from the left. At 8-5 the other way around, you serve from the right.

From this rule stems a consequence that many players apply without understanding it. When your side scores while serving, you keep the serve, your score's parity changes, and you must therefore change service boxes. Since your partner already occupies the other box, you switch places. This is the only time a switch occurs.

When your side loses the rally, the service passes to the opponent. You do not switch places. You stay exactly where you are. The side that regains service also does not switch: they look at their own score, and the player already positioned in the correct box serves. This asymmetry explains half of the hesitations at the end of a set.

A practical tip when no one knows who is serving anymore: look at the serving side's score and the box from which the player just served. If the two do not match, there was a placement error, and the rules provide for a re-serve or correction depending on when the error is discovered. The detailed scoring and contentious situations are in the badminton rules.

There is No Longer a Second Server

Before 2006, badminton was played with service, and each side had two consecutive serves. The umpire would announce "second server" and the game could drag on. This system disappeared with the switch to rally scoring, adopted by the BWF to shorten and make matches more readable.

Today, each rally awards a point to its winner, regardless of which side served. A side that loses the rally immediately loses the serve. Therefore, there is only one server, never two.

The tactical consequence is significant. A missed serve no longer costs an opportunity; it costs a direct point. This is why the short serve dominates at high levels: it minimizes risk while preventing an immediate attack. The precise rules for height, contact, and service faults are covered in our article dedicated to badminton service rules.

Doubles Badminton Rules: What the Regulations Do Not Impose

Once the serve is made, the regulations are silent on positions. No text obliges a player to stay in front or behind, to the right or to the left. The two partners can occupy the court as they wish, cross over, or rotate.

This is exactly why rotation exists. It is not a regulatory obligation but a tactical response to a court that is too large for two fixed players. The three placement systems and transitions between attack and defense are detailed in our guide to doubles rotation.

Another often overlooked freedom: the two players on a side can hit the shuttlecock from any part of their court, including from their partner's half. What remains forbidden is hitting it together.

Faults Specific to Doubles

Some faults only exist in doubles, and they often occur at the worst moment.

The double hit. The shuttlecock can only be touched once per side. If both partners touch it successively, even by accident and even if one's racket brushes the other's, the point is lost. The rule also applies to a single player who would touch it twice.

The wrong receiver. If the designated receiver's partner returns the serve, the point is lost. This is a common error on a poorly read flick serve.

The incorrect service box. Serving or receiving from the wrong box is a placement fault. If it is noticed before the next rally begins, the point is replayed. If it is discovered later, the scored points remain valid and positions are corrected for the remainder of the game.

Visual obstruction. The server's partner must not obstruct the receiver. In practice, a player who stands close to the net in front of the serve's trajectory risks a warning.

These situations happen quickly when the pace picks up. If you want to see how professional pairs chain serves, rotations, and attack without ever getting in each other's way, the 2026 World Championships men's doubles final between Liang and Wang against Chia and Soh is analyzed point by point on the site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who serves first in doubles badminton?

The side designated by the toss. Within that side, the two players freely choose who serves the first point. This player stands in the right service box, since the starting score is 0, which is even.

When do you change sides in doubles?

Only when your side scores a point while serving. The two partners then switch their service boxes. In all other cases, including when you regain service after winning a rally on reception, no one moves.

Is the doubles serve shorter than in singles?

Yes. The doubles service zone stops 0.76 m before the back line, whereas in singles it goes up to that line. However, it is wider, as it includes the side alleys.

Can two players hit the shuttlecock at once in doubles?

No. Only one contact per side is allowed. A double hit, even unintentional, even by contact between two rackets, results in losing the point.

What to do if you served from the wrong box?

If the error is noticed immediately, before the start of the next rally, the point is replayed from the correct position. If it is discovered later, the points scored remain valid and players reposition themselves correctly for the rest of the set.

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Service placement can be learned in an evening. What takes more time is seeing where you are truly losing points in doubles: a return that's too high, a delayed rotation, a partner covering the same area as you. Film a full set and send it to BadmintonPeak to get a rally-by-rally breakdown.