Badminton Doubles Service Order by the Score
Badminton doubles games where students work out on their own who serves, from which box, and who receives based on the score. Students learn the doubles rules, partner communication, and how to self-officiate.
How to play
- Spend 3 minutes on the rule: on an even score serve from the right box, on an odd score from the left; only the pair that wins a point on its own serve switches boxes.
- Put two pairs on each court; any extra pair keeps score.
- Play a 3-minute slow round: before every serve, call the score and the box, and the receiving pair confirms who returns.
- Play games to 11 with rally scoring for 12 minutes; for the first 6 minutes a service-order mistake is fixed and replayed, after that it is a point for the opponents.
- Every 6 minutes the scorekeeping pair rotates in for the losing pair.
Rules
- Call the score before serving, server's score first.
- Serve underhand below the waist and diagonally.
- For safety, the net player does not turn around while the partner hits from behind.
Variations
Easier
Play only the serve and return, without finishing the rally, to make the rotation automatic.
Standard
Games to 11 with the official doubles serving and receiving order.
Harder
Games to 21 with a side switch at 11 and a full scoresheet.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: plays half court and serves from a line closer to the net.
- Hearing impairment: partners use one hand signal for even and another for odd in addition to calling the score.
- Lower skill level: may catch the shuttle after the return to focus on the rotation.
Learning goals
- Apply the doubles serving and receiving order.
- Communicate the score and positions clearly.
- Settle rules questions without relying on the teacher.
Equipment for a class of 25
- rackets: 25
- shuttlecocks: 12
- nets: 6
Teacher tip
The typical mistake is the pair that wins back the serve switching boxes: repeat "only the team that scores on its own serve moves." A court diagram on a whiteboard helps in the first rounds.
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