How does serving work in doubles?
Rule- South Africa
- Badminton South Africa
- BWF Laws of Badminton 2027
- 3x15 scoring
- Club badminton
- Senior
- 2027
- Players
Under Law 11 of the BWF Laws of Badminton:
Which court
- The serving side serves from the right service court when its score is 0 or even, and from the left when it's odd.
- Players only swap service courts when they win a point while serving. The receiving side stays put: the player who served last stays in the court they last served from, and their partner in the other.
- The receiver is whichever opponent is diagonally opposite the server.
Scoring and serving
- Serving side wins the rally: it scores, and the same server serves again from the other court.
- Receiving side wins the rally: it scores and becomes the serving side.
Order of serve within a game passes: initial server (from the right court), then the initial receiver's partner, then the initial server's partner, then the initial receiver, then the initial server, and so on. Nobody may serve or receive out of turn or receive two serves in a row in the same game (except after a service court error or a fault for misconduct).
Next game: either player of the winning side may serve first, and either player of the losing side may receive first.
During the serve, partners can stand anywhere in their own court as long as they don't block the opposing server's or receiver's view. After the serve is returned, either player on each side can hit the shuttle.
Added 22 Oct 2026