There are three types of badminton doubles: men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. This article will not, however, go into the specifics of each type, but will deal on general principles applicable to all types of doubles games.
Doubles games are a lot faster than singles because the presence of two players on each side of the court makes it highly likely that the shuttlecock or birdie will cross the net back and forth much faster. For this reason doubles demand more speed from, and coordination between, the partners in order to play a winning match.
Lest there be misunderstanding, singles also require speed as each player must be able to cover the whole court alone, but in doubles the reaction time is increased when one of the partners near the net is able to intercept and return a shot that would have traveled all the way to the back of the court in a singles game or when a partner at the rear is able to get much sooner to the shuttlecock that is sent deep to the back of the court than a singles player who has to travel from midcourt.
The Court Structure
To better appreciate the rules of the game discussed here, it is important to understand the court structure in badminton as shown on the linked diagram. As the diagram shows, there are service lines on each side of the net: short service line (near the net), long service line for doubles (inner line near the edge of the court), and long service line for singles (line along the edge of the court). There are also sidelines on each side: sidelines for doubles (line along the length on each end) and sidelines for singles (inner line along the length on each end). Finally, there is a center line on each side of the net which divides the left and right service courts.
The court on each side of the net can further be divided into three: forecourt (space between the net and short service line), midcourt (space between the short service line and halfway to the long service line for doubles), and backcourt (space between the midcourt and long service line for singles or the back boundary line).
Serving Rules and Rally Point System
As in singles the match starts with one player serving. The player on the right service court (right and left being determined when the player faces the net) serves first and will continue serving, changing service court for every succeeding serve, until his or her team loses a point to their opponents. Unlike the old scoring system, there are no second servers (meaning the other partner takes a turn to serve after one partner has served) under the 21-point scoring system.
After the first serving pair loses a point the opponents will have their turn to serve, which means the latter have just scored their first point. Whenever there is a service turnover, the partner who will serve is determined by the point scored. An even point will entitle the partner on the right service court to serve, while an odd point the partner on the left service court. Thereafter, such serving partner will continue serving alternately on each service court until his or her team loses a point.
Doubles Rotation
A doubles pair must have good coordination in moving around the court to be able to score a winning point and avoid hitting each other. This coordination is called court rotation in badminton terminology. According to Butch Oreta in Advanced Badminton Techniques, the following are the three simple rules in doubles rotation:
- Whenever one of the partners serves low or hits the shuttlecock downwards (by a smash or drop), the one serving or partner closer to the net should go to the front while the other takes the back, thereby assuming a front-and-back formation.
This is the usual attacking formation, with the partner at the back continually smashing or dropping as the opponents lift the shuttlecock, and the front partner hitting down (net kill) any weak return (shots floating high over the net and forecourt) or answering any net shot from the opponents with counter-net shots to keep the attack going.
- Whenever one of the partners serves high or executes a clear shot, the two should assume a side-by-side formation with the one near the right service court going to the right side and the other to the left service court.
This is the usual defensive formation, with each partner getting ready to defend against any shot to his or her side of the court. Assuming both partners are right-handed, the partner on the left side should cover all shots to his forehand (along the centerline of the court) and backhand sides, while the partner on the right should cover only shots to his or her forehand side. The reason why shots to the middle of the court should be taken by the partner on the left is because these shots will travel to such partner's forehand side, and the forehand is generally much stronger than the backhand.
- Whenever one of the partners is pulled to one of the corners of the court in trying to get a shot, the other partner should position himself or herself in the middle of the court to cover the other three corners until the partner taking the shot is able to recover.
After recovery by the partner, the position of the partners depends on the type of shot made. If, for example, the partner received a deep clear from one of the back corners and answered it with a drop to the opponents' forecourt, the other partner (who should be at the middle at the time the shot is taken) should move to the front to cover any net shot. The partner taking the shot, on the other hand, should go to the middle at the back to be able to answer any clear to the back with a smash or another drop.
The Principle of Attack
To gain the upper hand, and ultimately win, in doubles, a pair must always be in an attacking mode. This becomes possible by constantly sending the shuttlecock on a downward trajectory by means of smash or drop shots or, if this is not feasible, by pushes and drives. According to Jake Downey in Winning Badminton Doubles, players should always keep in mind the principle of attack whenever they hit the shuttlecock. Downey summarizes the principle of attack in the following words: "at all times try to create a situation in which it is possible to make a scoring hit."
To maintain the attack players should avoid the clear as this will shift the attack to the opponents by giving them the opportunity to smash or drop. The clear should only be employed when a player is out of position or when the opponents are near the net. When the opponents are way to the front of the net, a clear could become an offensive shot, but in this case the clear should not be too high so that it will not give the opponents ample time to run after the shuttlecock.
If a smash is returned by the opponents with a block and send the shuttlecock just over the net, the smasher or his partner should avoid lifting the shuttlecock so as not to concede the attack. To keep the attack, the attacking pairs must answer the block with either a net shot, push, or drive.
Renato Bautista, Jr. - Renato Bautista, Jr., who is also known as Jun, is an attorney in the Philippines and loves to write about law and politics. As an ...
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