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MODULE 8
Badminton rules and regulations in a doubles match
Learning Outcomes
8.1 Learn the badminton rules and regulation in a doubles match
8.2 Apply badminton rules and regulation in a doubles match
INTRODUCTION
This module contains information about badminton rules and regulations in a
doubles match. It covers the knowledge and skills required to learn and apply the
different badminton rules and regulations in a doubles match. Completion of this module
will help you in preparing for the succeeding modules.
This module consists of two (2) learning outcomes. Each learning outcome
contains learning activities with instructional sheets. Read the instructional sheet then
proceed to the activities. Your performance in each activity will ascertain that you have
acquired the knowledge and skill necessary for the learning outcomes provided.
Upon completion of this module, report to your teacher for your assessment
regarding the knowledge and skills requirement for this module.
CONTENT
Badminton Rules and Regulations in a Doubles Match
Lines and Scoring
As the name suggests, doubles is a variation of badminton played with two people
instead of one. Thus, the lines will change a little.
Because of the two people, doubles play makes use of the entire court. Meaning, shots
within the outermost lines are in.
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The same thing as singles, if you’re a professional player, the highest level tournaments
will often allow you to challenge the calls by the line judges. Of course, most of us are
not at that level and don’t have to worry.
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Another difference of doubles with singles is the lines used for serving. Unlike singles
where the horizontal back line is used at all time, the front horizontal line is used when
players serve. Basically, you can’t serve as far as you usually can in singles.
Scoring in doubles is the same as scoring in singles. You get points by either landing
the shuttle in on your opponent’s side, or your opponent hits it out on your side. Games
once again go up to 21 and matches are usually of best of three.
In each game, players must also win by two or until one player reaches 30 points.
Basically, the score can go from 22-20, 23-21, 24-22, 25-23, all the way until 30-29
when the game ends.
At 11 points or in between games, coaches will usually get an opportunity to talk to you
just like in singles.
Service and Starting A Game
To start a game of badminton, you must first decide which pair is serving. It’s done in
the same way as singles either officially through a coin flip or casually by throwing up
the shuttle and seeing which way it points to.
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Before the game, both sides should get an opportunity to practice serve in which all
players on the court will take turns serving once. Sometimes it will depend on your
tournament rules as well.
Whoever is serving will start on the right side because the score is even. If it’s odd, one
of the players will serve on the left side. Players also need to stand behind the service
line and serve the shuttle past the opponent’s service line. If they don’t, it is called short
and your opponent’s point.
During the match is when it gets more confusing. If you serve and you retain the serve
by getting points consecutively, you will continue serving and switch sides depending on
the score. If you lose the serve and then regain the serve, whoever was serving before
will, and the other player will serve. This means, if you were serving before, your partner
would now serve, and if your partner were serving previously, you would now serve.
Another rule with doubles is that when you serve, you must stand on one side and
behind the service line. However, your partner does not have to and can stand
anywhere on the court. Generally, although not the rule, in women’s and men’s doubles,
your partner stands behind you, and in mixed doubles, the guy usually always stands
behind the girl.
If you’re playing a match, the winner of the previous game will get to serve next.
The service height rules are also the same as singles where you officially have to serve
below 1.15 meters. But usually serving below the waist should suffice. Make sure you
check the tournament rules.
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Checking service height is a lot more common in doubles as players like to play a
variety of serves such as a punch serve and flick serve and some players will often hit it
too high above their waist.
Double Touch, Carries, and Other Faults
There are plenty of shots that can be considered as faults. Some of the most notable
ones are hitting the shuttle twice in a row, scooping it up from the ground, and touching
the shuttle if it goes out. If any of this happens to you, it will automatically be the
opponent’s point and vice versa.
Another common thing to check is when a pair’s rackets clash. Generally, this is okay,
but in some tournaments, they rule it as double touch. Make sure you check the
tournament rules out. You should be okay though because racket clashing is relatively
uncommon with excellent synergy.
In singles match basically it never happens, but in doubles, especially professional
doubles where the rallies are incredibly intense, if you drop the racket and play the
shuttle with your hand, it does not count. Again, sporadic case but I did see it happen
once.
Similar to the situation above, there also isn’t a rule regarding how much a player has to
hit the shuttle. As long as the pair follows the service rules, technically only one person
has to hit the shuttle. There is no “everybody needs to play” rule.
Playing Around The Net
Many faults occur at the net. Players may often play too aggressively and either hit on
the opponent’s side or hit the net itself. Like singles, here are some net play rules.
1. You cannot hit the shuttle while it’s on your opponent’s side.
2. Your foot cannot be on the other person’s side when hitting the shuttle.
3. You cannot hit the net with your racket or other parts of your body when playing
the shot at the net.
Although there’s a situations where a player net kills, and the other player’s racket is up
and blocks the net kill less in doubles than in singles, it is still a situation that receives a
lot of controversy due to the speed of the game.
Mostly, lower level tournaments don’t have an umpire watching the net from a higher
viewpoint which makes it even more difficult to judge whether or not a player has
violated the rules. The only thing I can say here is to do your best and try to come to an
agreement with the other player.
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One thing to note is that you cannot hit the net with your racket or other parts of your
body but the shuttle can hit the net, and it will be your point if it lands on your
opponent’s side. Just a reminder for when someone calls you out on the shuttle
hitting the net.
Laws of Badminton
11. DOUBLES
11.1 Serving and receiving courts
11.1.1 A player of the serving side shall serve from the right service court when
the serving side has not scored or has scored an even number of points in that
game.
11.1.2 A player of the serving side shall serve from the left service court when
the serving side has scored an odd number of points in that game.
11.1.3 The player of the receiving side who served last shall stay in the same
service court from where he served last. The reverse pattern shall apply to the
receiver’s partner.
11.1.4 The player of the receiving side standing in the diagonally opposite
service court to the server shall be the receiver.
11.1.5 The players shall not change their respective service courts until they win
a point when their side is serving.
11.1.6 Service in any turn of serving shall be delivered from the service court
corresponding to the serving side’s score, except as provided in Law 12.
11.2 Order of play and position on court after the service is returned, in a rally,
the shuttle may be hit by either player of the serving side and either player of the
receiving side alternately, from any position on that player’s side of the net, until
the shuttle ceases to be in play (Law 15).
11.3 Scoring and serving
11.3.1 If the serving side wins a rally (Law 7.3), the serving side shall score a
point. The server shall then serve again from the alternate service court.
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11.3.2 If the receiving side wins a rally (Law 7.3), the receiving side shall score a
point. The receiving side shall then become the new serving side.
11.4 Sequence of serving in any game, the right to serve shall pass
consecutively:
11.4.1 from the initial server who started the game from the right service court
11.4.2 to the partner of the initial receiver.
11.4.3 to the partner of the initial server
11.4.4 to the initial receiver,
11.4.5 to the initial server and so on.
11.5 No player shall serve or receive out of turn, or receive two consecutive
services in the same game, except as provided in Law 12.
11.6 Either player of the winning side may serve first in the next game, and either
player of the losing side may receive first in the next game.
References:
Plitt, S. (2017). Badminton for Beginners: Techniques, Tactics, Skills, and Drills for
Shuttlecock Success. South Carolina, USA: Createspace Independent Publishing
Platform
World Badminton. (2019). Laws of Badminton. Retrieved from: [Link]
com/rules/
[Link]