What are the basic positions in badminton doubles?

Two formations cover almost every rally: front-and-back when your side is attacking (one player at the net, one behind), and side-by-side when you are defending (one player each side of the court, covering the width). Pairs switch between them as the shuttle goes up or down.

Who serves in badminton doubles after a side wins a rally?

If the serving side wins the rally, the same player serves again from the other service court. If the receiving side wins, it becomes the serving side, and the player standing in the service court that matches its new score (right if even, left if odd) serves.

Do doubles partners have to stay in their service courts during a rally?

No. Positions only matter at the moment of service. Once the shuttle has been served, either player may hit it and both can move anywhere on their own side of the net.

Which service court do you serve from in doubles?

The serving side serves from the right service court when its score is even (including 0) and from the left when its score is odd, always to the diagonally opposite court.

When do doubles partners swap sides?

Only the serving side swaps, and only when it wins a rally while serving: the server and partner exchange service courts. The receiving side never swaps, and nobody swaps when service passes to the other side.

What is the difference between rotation and positions in doubles?

Positions are where you stand during a rally (attack or defence formation). Rotation is how the pair moves between those formations, and, separately, how the two partners change service courts as the score changes.

Badminton Doubles: Positions, Rotation & Serving Order

In badminton doubles you stand in one of two formations: front-and-back when you are attacking, side-by-side when you are defending, and you rotate between them depending on where the shuttle is. Separately, the laws fix who serves and who receives from the score, and the serving pair swap service courts each time they win a point on serve. This guide explains both layers, with a point-by-point example you can check against your own game.

Tactics and formations are coaching convention rather than law, so coaches differ on detail. The serving and receiving order is different: it is set by the BWF Laws (see our scoring rules guide), and everything in the serving section below follows them.

The two formations

Attack with one player at the net and one behind; defend with one on each side. Everything else in doubles positioning is a way of getting into the right formation quickly.

Front-and-back (attack)

When your side can hit down, the pair line up one behind the other. The back player smashes or drops from the rear court; the front player is at the net to intercept weak replies and put them away. Because a smash comes back low and fast, the front player's job is to be ready, not to roam.

Typical use: after you have forced an opponent to lift the shuttle, or after a good low serve that gives you the net.

Side-by-side (defence)

When the opponents can hit down on you, split the court by width instead: one player on each side, each covering their half. A smash is much harder to cover from front-and-back because one player would have to defend the entire width. Coaches commonly suggest standing a little behind the middle of your half so you have time to react to a smash.

Typical use: whenever you have lifted the shuttle high, or are returning a smash.

How the pair rotate during a rally

Positions follow the shuttle, not a fixed plan. A useful rule of thumb:

If you lift the shuttle, you hand the attack to the opponents, so move side-by-side straight away.
If you hit down or play a tight net shot, the opponents are forced to lift, so one of you goes to the net and the other behind.
Whoever played the last shot does not always need to be the one who moves. Agree out loud (or with a habit) who covers the middle: the middle of a pair is where most doubles points are lost to hesitation.

In mixed doubles, many pairs put the player better at the net in front, but that is a tactical choice, not a rule. Nothing in the laws requires either partner to stay at the net or the back.

Who serves and receives: the laws

The server and receiver are decided by the score, not by who stood where last rally. The key rules, which are the same ones Smash's scoring engine implements:

Even score, serve from the right; odd score, serve from the left. This uses the serving side's own score, and zero counts as even.
Serve diagonally. The receiver is the opponent standing in the diagonally opposite service court.
One serve per turn. There is no second serve.
If the serving side wins the rally, it scores, the same player serves again, and that player and their partner swap service courts.
If the receiving side wins the rally, it scores and becomes the serving side. Nobody swaps. The player standing in the service court that matches the new score serves.
After the service has been delivered, players are free to stand and move anywhere on their own side of the net. Service courts only matter for the serve itself.

At the start of a game, the first server stands in the right court at 0-0, and the receiver is the diagonally opposite opponent.

A worked example, point by point

Side A (players A1, A2) serves first. A1 starts in the right court, A2 in the left. Side B has B1 right and B2 left. Each line shows the score after the rally, who serves next, and who receives.

Rally won by	Score (A-B)	Server	From	Receiver
(start)	0-0	A1	right	B1
A	1-0	A1	left	B2
A	2-0	A1	right	B1
B	2-1	B2	left	A2
B	2-2	B2	right	A1
A	3-2	A2	left	B1
A	4-2	A2	right	B2
B	4-3	B1	left	A1

Read it row by row:

1-0 and 2-0: A won on serve, so A1 stays the server and swaps with A2 each time. The score is odd then even, so A1 serves left then right. B never moves.
2-1: B wins and takes over serve. B's score is now 1 (odd), so the server comes from B's left court. B has not moved, so that is B2. The diagonal receiver is A's left-court player, A2 (who swapped to the left when A1 moved right).
2-2: B won on serve, so B2 serves again and swaps with B1. B's score is 2 (even), so B2 serves from the right.
3-2: A wins and serves again. A's score is 3 (odd), so the player in A's left court serves: after A's two swaps A1 is back on the right and A2 is on the left, so A2 serves, not A1. This is the point at which most club players get confused.
4-2: A2 won on serve and swaps with A1.
4-3: B wins, B's score 3 is odd, so the player in B's left court serves: that is B1, because B2 swapped to the right at 2-2.

If you remember only one thing, it is this: when service changes hands, look at the new server's score. Even means the player on the right serves; odd means the player on the left. You never have to remember who "should" serve.

Common mistakes

Serving or receiving from the wrong court. It happens constantly at social level. A quick check each rally: server says the score, and the serving side's number tells everyone which court it should be.
Swapping when the receiving side wins. Partners only swap when their side wins a rally while it is already serving.
Treating service positions as permanent. After the serve, nobody has to stay where they started.
Staying side-by-side when you have the attack. If you can hit down, move to front-and-back so the net is covered.

When the umpire or players spot a service court error, the correction depends on when it is found and who won the rally; our umpiring guide sets out the practice.

Practising it

A good way to learn the service order is to play points to 5 with a scorer calling the score and the court before each serve. For club nights and tournaments, a printed scoresheet helps the scorer keep track, and if you are running rotating partners, the americano format guide shows how to schedule it.

Scoring doubles for your club? Smash tracks the server, the service court and the receiver after every point using exactly the rules above, so no one has to argue about who should be serving.