Badminton doubles serving and receiving strategies are crucial to winning points in badminton. Generally, when making contact with your racket, the shuttle should always come below your lowest rib when coming into contact with it.
Servers should vary their serves in order to entice receivers into playing lift-or-clear shots from time to time, while players should switch sides each time a rally has been won back.
Serves
Badminton is an exciting, fast-paced game requiring frequent movement from both players. To effectively participate, both must abide by certain rules in order to play correctly – such as keeping their serve within court boundaries – but if an outbound serve takes place then that team wins a point and becomes service for the next game; this scoring works equally for doubles and singles matches.
A server begins by serving diagonally to their opponent’s half of court over their front service line – this is the initial horizontal line on each side closest to the net – using their shuttlecock and making contact below their waist (this can be determined by feeling for your lowest rib) when hitting it over this service line. Aim for power in your shuttlecock so your opponent has difficulty returning it and this strategy helps win more points more efficiently and keeps them from tiring out quickly.
At tournaments, the winner of the toss decides who serves first. But in club and league games, players simply throw the shuttle high into the air and see where it points: this determines who starts off serving first; once this has happened, each pair serves consecutively until one wins a point; thereafter, any partner who did not serve at the end of their previous rally must serve from their respective service court – left for even scores and right if odd scores.
Doubles badminton recommends serving low and wide as it encourages your opponent to move backwards and open up their forecourt, thus preventing rushing to the net. Furthermore, serving near an opponent’s front foot so they have difficulty choosing whether or not they want a forehand or backhand shot can also help. Furthermore, serving to their weaker side (usually backhand) makes returning it more challenging.
Returns
When the shuttlecock lands within an opponent’s court and over their front service lines (the first line on each side closest to the net), they win a point, known as a rally, which determines who wins a match. Once won, that team serves again from its alternate service position in order to continue serving for another point during that rally.
Preparing to serve requires several key components that must be done correctly. Of paramount importance is the server’s stance and grip; having a strong, stable stance allows them to launch powerful attacks against their opponent’s court. Another essential step is racket positioning: when hitting bottom of racket with upward trajectory so as to travel over net into opponent court.
Footwork is essential to effective serving, as this will enable them to quickly arrive at their service zone and take advantage of any opportunities their opponent provides them with.
Once players are in position, it is imperative they ensure they can reach the shuttlecock easily with their shot – this is known as defensive positioning and essential to excellent doubles play. Mastering it may prove challenging as it requires effective communication between two players as well as consistent practice to reach this stage of doubles.
Defense in badminton rallies is key, and one way of doing that is returning the shuttlecock low and behind your opponent, which puts pressure on them to hit high shots and could force an error from them.
As well, it is crucial to try and limit your opponent’s attacks by keeping them moving around the court, which will tire out their attackers faster and give you an advantage in the match. If you can find holes in their defense that you can exploit with quick, precise shots then victory will soon follow!
Covering the Court
Doubles teams need to cover every part of the court in order to make it difficult for their opponents to attack, especially when it comes to defense – especially as most badminton players prefer smashing at the back. Good defensive positioning will help stop attacks from coming from this direction while giving your partner the opportunity to intercept short shots with quick smashes of their own.
Before playing badminton, it is crucial to understand its service court boundaries. A center line runs down each side and connects at the front near the net; this separates two service areas on either side; short service lines run parallel with these centers and span the width of each court side while long service lines extend further behind it for added protection against counter shots; for a point to be scored, the shuttle must travel over these lines.
Communication among team members during a match is of utmost importance for avoiding any confusion over where to position themselves on the court. Players’ names should be listed clearly so all team members remember where each should stand on the court – this will prevent mistakes which could potentially cost points to an opposing team.
Whenever a team loses a point, they must switch sides and swap service courts accordingly – meaning if they serve from the right service court on one rally they must switch over to serving from left service court for each subsequent rally.
When playing doubles, partners should aim to maintain distance from each other when defending, rather than shifting into an “side-by-side” stance when they need to defend against an attack from their opponent. They should also aim for high serves so they can return them quickly.
Tactics
Attack is essential in doubles, and an effective attacking pair can quickly dominate their match. A good attack will break through weak defenses and follow it up with further shots (drop shots and net shots). Unfortunately, frequent attacking play can become exhausting and cause players to lose control of the game; therefore it requires both fitness and determination for success.
When facing off against an experienced attacking pair, the best strategy is to try to stay abreast of them. To do this, the defence must cover all gaps in their opponents’ court and players should try varying their tactics and speed to keep pace. Furthermore, players should ensure they cover the back court to reduce opponents’ ability to play typical shots such as smashing.
An effective badminton strategy involves gaining an early advantage through serving to the front. Doing this will force opponents to lift or play weak clears that can be overcome by your partner.
Practice doubles matches regularly to enhance this aspect of the game and to understand the dynamics of the game and how best to apply effective tactics, by watching professional matches and imitating those used by professional players.
Short serves are the go-to serve in doubles matches, used to pressure opponents into lifting the shuttlecock and prevent them from running to the net. Usually aimed towards the front service line and followed by either a drop shot or net shot.
An additional strategy to reduce opponents’ reaction times and cover more area is serving in the middle of the court, forcing their movement side to side and covering all width of court width at once. Furthermore, this reduces chances for front player net kills.