(In this League only DOUBLES)
UMPIRES DECISION IS FINAL!!!!
Serve to the gray area so that the shuttlecock falls INSIDE.
After the receiver retrieve your serve, you can hit the shuttle towards anywhere within the yellow area below.
Badminton Scoring for Doubles – 15 Points
In doubles, you may get confused about:
- Where should I serve?
- Who’s serving? Me or my partner?
Always remember that a badminton game starts from your right hand side. I’ll give you an example.
Both pairs have decided that you and your partner starts the game. You and partner decided that you deliver the first serve. The score is 0-0.
Since 0 is an even number, you will serve from the RIGHT side of the
court.
Simple isn’t it? Alright let’s move on with TWO scenarios. Let’s assume you are Player A; Your partner is Player B.
Scenario 1
You win the first rally and obtained 1 point. Your opponent’s score remains at 0. Since you have been serving and haven’t lost a rally, you will continue to serve. And since 1 is an ODD number, you will move to the
left hand side of the court to serve.
Scenario 2
You lose the first rally. Your opponent obtained 1 point and your score remains at 0. Since you’ve lost the rally, it’s Service Over for you. Your opponent will serve for the next rally.
Say you and your partner win the next rally. So your side will serve for the next rally. The score is now 1-1. Since 1 is an ODD number, the serve must be delivered from the left hand side of the court. Remember you had a ‘service over’ during the last rally. So it’s your partner’s turn to serve from the left side (Player B move to the left side and deliver the serve).
What is the penalty for a fault?
You lose the rally and your opponent will be awarded with ONE point.
So make sure you understand these common fouls to avoid losing unnecessary points to your opponent.
1. Contact Fault
When a rally is in play, this means when a serve has been delivered, there are TWO things that you cannot touch during the rally.
- Badminton Net. You and your racket cannot touch the net in the middle of a rally.
- Shuttlecock. You can hit the shuttle with the racket only. But you or any part of your body cannot touch the shuttle in the middle of a rally. Even if the shuttle touches your shirt, pants, leg, etc, it is still a contact fault.
2. Over the Net Fault
Of the 5 badminton fouls, I find that many people get confuse with this rule.
Can your racket go over the net in the middle of a rally?
The answer is Yes, it can go over the net. The next part is important…
BUT you are not allowed to take the shuttle before it passes the net to your side of the court.
I’ll show you 2 scenarios…
Scenario 1 – FAULT
FAULT because I take the shuttle when it’s still on my opponent’s side.
I can only take the shuttle after it has fly over to my side.
Scenario 2 – Correct (No Fault)
Not a fault because I take the shuttle after it crosses the net.
I am also allowed to follow through with my racket after I hit the shuttle. Even if my racket crosses over to my opponent’s side, it is fine.
To sum things up, you are NOT allowed to take the shuttle when it’s still on your opponent’s side. As long as you obey this, your racket can go over the net.
3. Service Fault
When you are delivering a service, be aware of the possible badminton fouls and try to avoid it.
Service faults often happen when you perform the low serve.
It’s even more commonly committed when you perform the low serve and flick serve in a doubles game. This is because players will try very hard to make their serve pass right above the net. It may sound simple but it’s definitely not an easy task for short players.
Ok the official rules may look complicated but I’ll simplify it for you. To avoid a service fault when serving:
- The shuttle must be struck from below your waist (lowest rib bone).
- Your racket head must be pointing at a downward direction when you hit the shuttle.
- Your racket must swing in an upward direction.
Sometimes it is difficult to detect whether a player obeyed the 3 conditions above. However there is an unofficial way to determine whether a service fault is committed.
If your serve is legal, there is NO way that you can hit a low serve that looks like a drive… unless your waist line is as high as the top of the net!
4. Receiver Fault
This one’s pretty straight forward.
When receiving a serve from your opponent, you cannot move your feet away from where you’re standing.
Otherwise it’s a receiver’s fault. You can only move after your opponent has struck the shuttle.
5. Double Hit
When the shuttle comes to your side, you have only ONE attempt to hit the shuttle.
Once your racket makes contact with the shuttle, you cannot hit it again until your opponent returns the shot.
In doubles: Only one player in a partnership is allowed to hit the shuttle. If both players touch the shuttle with their racket, it’s a double hit.
Badminton Doubles Rules for Faults
I’ll name some common Badminton Faults in doubles.
Double Hit.
One side has only ONE attempt to retrieve the shuttle. So it’s either you or your partner who is going to hit it. Even if you accidentally touch the shuttle with your racket, and then your partner hits the the shuttle, its still a fault.
Only the Receiver Can Return the Serve.
Let’s say you are the Receiver for a particular rally. So only you can return your opponent’s serve. Your partner cannot return the serve on your behalf.
Service Fault?
Service faults are more likely to be committed when you try to perform the Flick Serve and the ‘perfect serve’ (shuttle passing right above the net).