In badminton doubles, the rules governing service can sometimes be a source of confusion, particularly concerning the positioning of players. A common question arises about where a server’s partner and a receiver’s partner are allowed to stand during the serve. Let’s clarify the rules and shed light on this aspect of badminton doubles.
According to Law 9.2 and 9.3 of the Badminton World Federation’s Laws of Badminton, which address the delivery of service in doubles, partners have considerable freedom in positioning themselves on their respective courts. The rule explicitly states:
“In doubles, during the delivery of service (Law 9.2, 9.3), the partners may take up any positions within their respective courts, which do not unsight the opposing server or receiver.”
This rule highlights a crucial point: partners in doubles can be anywhere on their side of the court during the serve. This dispels any notion that partners are restricted to specific service courts during this phase of play. The focus is on not obstructing the opponent’s view, rather than court positioning.
The rule primarily aims to prevent a serving partner from unsighting the receiver, and theoretically, though less common, a receiving partner from unsighting the server. This unsighting rule becomes most relevant in mixed doubles. A typical scenario is in mixed doubles where the female partner might position herself directly in front of the receiver as the male partner serves. While tactically this could be intended to create confusion, the umpire might intervene if it’s deemed that the serving partner is indeed unsighting the receiver. However, in practice, umpires rarely need to enforce this unsighting rule. In hundreds of matches, interventions for unsighting are exceptionally rare.
Observing high-level badminton matches provides practical examples of these rules in action. In mixed doubles, it’s a common tactical choice for the female partner to stand on the opposite side of the court from their serving male partner. This positioning is entirely legal and doesn’t necessitate staying within any specific service court. Similarly, when a female player is serving or receiving, her male partner frequently positions himself across both service courts.
The image above, captured from a Super Series final, perfectly illustrates this point. Debby Susanto (in red) is positioned such that she isn’t standing in either service court, and her partner, Chris Adcock (on the far left), has his feet in both service courts. This positioning is not only permissible but also strategically common at the highest levels of badminton. In men’s and women’s level doubles, standing with feet in both service courts behind the server is also standard practice and perfectly within the Serve In Badminton Rules.
In conclusion, understanding the serve in badminton rules for doubles is straightforward when it comes to partner positioning. Partners are free to move across their court, provided they do not impede the opponent’s sightline to the server and shuttlecock. This rule allows for tactical flexibility and dynamic play right from the serve, enhancing the strategic depth of doubles badminton.
