BADMINTON RULES DOUBLES: It means 2 players can be on each side of the net.
Note: There are different badminton rules and regulations for singles service area and general play.
10 Doubles Badminton Rules
The BWF govern the court boundaries for badminton doubles regulation games. They get identified as the outer lines on a badminton doubles court.
Double’s boundary lines are clearly distinguished and separate to singles markings. There is one major rule exception in badminton doubles rules. It relates to the doubles service rules procedures.
Thus, the rule changes if you are playing with a partner (not alone). In this case the server should use the inner back line when serving the shuttle over the net.
Note: The net should be set at 5 feet high for doubles badminton rules.
1. Before the Game
Before the doubles match begins a coin toss determines who will serve first and who will receive. The winner of the coin toss makes the choice.
One team member should get nominated as the captain for paired players. The captain is the player who may discuss ruling questions and interpretations with the officials.
2. Badminton Doubles Service Rules
The initial service for doubles games should always take place from the right service court. Thus, the first serve of the game gets made from the right service court.
You should play it to your opponent in a diagonal path opposite to you. That means it gets received in the diagonal right service court.
This is true of all serves when the server’s score is zero or an even number. A fault occurs if your opponent’s partner touches or hits the shuttle and you would receive 1 point.
3. Alternating Service
No player may receive two consecutive services in the same game. So, serving alternates between the right and left court stations as long as the initial server wins points.
The other team wins the right to serve if the serving team loses a point. The second player on the first team now serves once the first team regains the service advantage.
4. Badminton Doubles Court
The team serving the shuttle is the server and the other team is the receiver. When the server’s score is odd, the serve takes place from the left service side of the badminton doubles court. It gets received in the diagonal left service court.
This is why badminton court dimensions are marginally bigger and wider for a game of doubles to compensate for paired players.
5. Doubles Badminton General Play
Play continues and any player may hit the shuttle from any part of the court after a return of the initial serve. Only one player per team may hit the shuttle using only one hit to pass it over the net.
The rules of badminton consider the shuttle to be in play even if it touches the net. But, only if the ‘birdie‘ passes over to the other side.
Regulations consider shuttles landing on boundary lines as ‘good‘ and in-bounds. As a rule, each team can take one 60-second timeout per game.
6. Badminton Doubles Rules for Faults
Any of the following situations would get considered as badminton faults:
- During the serve:
- The server makes contact with the shuttle above the serving hand (or the racquet head is above).
- The shuttle does not fall within the boundaries of the diagonal service court.
- The feet of the server and receiver are not within the boundaries and on the floor of their respective service courts.
- Feet in contact with boundary lines get considered as out-of-bounds.
- A player feints or balks the opponent.
- During the service or rally:
- The shuttle makes contact with the walls, player, clothing, or ceiling.
- It fails to pass over the net.
- Any time it passes through or under the net.
- If the shuttlecock does not fall within the court regulation boundaries.
- A player reaches across the net to contact the shuttle (except on follow-through).
- A player’s body, clothing, or racket touches the net or net support posts.
- The shuttle gets hit more than once in succession by a single player.
- The shuttle gets caught or carried when struck.
- A player obstructs an opponent or invades the opponent’s court.
- *Racket rim badminton shots and striking the feathers of the shuttle are legal. That is providing no catching or carrying occurs.
7. Doubles Badminton Rules for ‘Let’
If a ‘let‘ gets called, play gets repeated and there is no change in the previous score. ‘Badminton lets‘ will get allowed if:
- The receiver is not ready to receive the serve.
- A shuttle passes over the net and gets caught in or on the net (except during service).
8. Badminton Doubles Scoring System
In badminton rules doubles, only the team who is serving can score points. The other team must wait until they win the serve to score.
9. Substitutions in Badminton Double Rules
Other than for injury, a doubles team may only make substitutions between games. This ruling is overseen as part of umpires responsibilities while officiating the match.
10. Winning Badminton Rules Doubles
The basic badminton doubles rules state that the winning team is the first to 15 points. Achieving a two-point lead to win the game is not necessary in doubles badminton rules and regulations.