Badminton Doubles Rules

This guide covers the rules of badminton doubles. Includes point-scoring in badminton and serving rules.

How to score points

Points are scored by grounding the shuttlecock before your opponent can return it.
The shuttle should be grounded in designated court areas on the opponent’s side of the net to score a point.
Points get awarded to you if your opponent commits a fault or fails to return the shuttlecock. Points may be won even if a player does not have service.
A full game is played to 21 points but variations such as 15 and 7 can be used to have quicker games.
If scores get tied at 20-20 the winner is the first player who gets ahead by two, clear points.

Players must serve the shuttle diagonally and always start the game from the right-hand box. A player shall always serve from the left-hand box if they have an odd number of points, and right-hand box if they have 0 or an even number of points (see point 6 for further explanation).
Receiving players do not swap sides of court.
Every time there is a serve, a point is scored.
If the serving side wins the rally, the serving side scores a point and the same server serves again from the alternate box.
If receiving side wins the rally, the receiving side scores a point. The receiving side becomes the new serving side.
The order of the server depends on the score. Example, if receivers score a point bringing their score to 4 (even) and become the new servers whomever is in the right-hand box at the time becomes the new server (because all even scores are served from the right-hand box). If the score had been 5 (odd) whomever was stood in the left-hand box would become the new server.
The shuttle must reach your opponents’ service box in their half of the court.
The serve is good even if the shuttlecock hits the top of the net providing it reaches the service boundaries.
Overarm service is not allowed so underarm action should always be used, swinging the racquet from below your waist.
If your first serve goes out, then your opponent wins the point and the service turns over.

A player loses the rally if they commit any of the following faults;
Fail to return the shuttle into their opponents’ side of the court
If the player touches the net with their racquet or body when the shuttle is in play
If the player contacts the shuttle on the opponents’ side of the net
If the shuttle is hit twice in succession
If the server misses the shuttle while serving
If the shuttle touches the body or the players clothing