Doubles and mixed · Badminton for the parent in the stands

Doubles is singles with a partner, and that changes the question. The court is the same, the shuttle obeys the same physics, and time and space still decide who wins the rally. What is new is that two players share one half of the court, so the pair has to agree who covers what. Most of what you can read from the stands is how well they do that.

As before, this is for reading from the stands and acting later: bring one or two things up at the interval, between games or after the match, never during a rally.

The two formations

Watch a doubles pair for a minute and you will see two shapes. In the attack formation (front-back) (Angriff (hintereinander)) one partner stands at the net and the other at the back, so the pair covers the court from front to back. In the defence formation (side by side) (Abwehr (nebeneinander)) the partners stand next to each other at mid-court and each covers one half of the width. Coaches teach the first when the pair has the shuttle above the head and the second when the shuttle is coming down hard on them. Coaching opinion

These are conventions, not rules. After the serve the Laws let either player of each side hit from anywhere on their side^[S1]. The only restriction is during the serve itself: partners may stand anywhere in their court that does not block the opposing server or receiver from view^[S18]. The German federation does name the two shapes as the basic ones to teach^[S13], but how each partner is placed inside them is not defined there. The depths and positions in the simulator below are this site’s own choices.

Changing formation

The pair does not stay in one shape. It changes with the shot, and the change has its own name in German coaching: changing formation (Übergang / Verschieben). Pick a scenario below and step through it. Each shot shows where each partner settles, in words as well as on the court.

Neutral

Before the serve

Pick a scenario and step through it to see how each pair changes its formation.

AttackingNeutralDefending

Read the rally as text

Lift (Neutral). The opponents lift from the front. Your pair gets time and a shuttle above the head, so they go front and back.
Smash (Attacking). Your player smashes from the back while the partner steps up to the net. The opponents will usually defend side by side.
Block (Neutral). A defended block to the net. Both pairs now stand level, close to the net.
Net shot (Point). The front player takes the block early and plays a tight net shot.

Formation after this shot

Before the first shot. Step through the rally to see how each pair stands.

Show what happens if this pair does not change formation

The opponents: with the usual change of formation, 0.17 s to spare at that contact.

Attack to defence

The opponents lift; your pair attacks; they defend side by side. Coaching opinion

Why the pair changes formation

A lift from the front hands your pair time and a shuttle above the head, so one partner goes back to smash and the other steps up to cover the net. The opponents now face a fast shuttle with little time, so they usually stand side by side, each covering one half of the width, and defend with a block.

What the model shows

In the model the opponent who blocks the smash has 0.17 s to spare. If the pair had stayed front and back after their lift, they would be 0.42 s short: the smash would land before a defender got there.

What the model ignores

It ignores anticipation and deception, and assumes each player starts moving from rest one reaction time after the shot. Where the partners stand inside each formation is an estimate, not a rule.

Formations and the change between them are coaching convention: the Laws let partners stand anywhere on their side once the serve is played. The depths are estimates.

All three scenarios as text

Attack to defence

The opponents lift; your pair attacks; they defend side by side.

Lift (Neutral). The opponents lift from the front. Your pair gets time and a shuttle above the head, so they go front and back.
Smash (Attacking). Your player smashes from the back while the partner steps up to the net. The opponents will usually defend side by side.
Block (Neutral). A defended block to the net. Both pairs now stand level, close to the net.
Net shot (Point). The front player takes the block early and plays a tight net shot.

Defence to attack

Your pair lifts and defends side by side, then attacks again.

Lift (Defending). Your pair lifts and defends side by side, so nobody is left to guard a gap.
Smash (Defending). The opponents smash from the back. Your pair has to defend.
Block (Neutral). A block to the net turns defence back into a neutral rally.
Lift (Neutral). From below the tape the opponents will almost always lift. Your pair changes to front and back.
Smash (Attacking). The partner drops back and smashes while your player covers the net. The pair has swapped roles and defence has become attack.

After a lift your pair defends side by side, so no gap is left for a smash to go through. A block to the net makes the rally neutral. When the opponents will almost always lift from below the tape, your pair changes to front and back: one partner drops back and smashes, the other covers the net. Coaches teach the partners to swap jobs without a call.

In the model your defender reaches the smash with 0.15 s to spare. Had your pair stayed front and back after lifting, they would be 0.51 s short.

The net kill

A reply that floats above the tape is killed by the player at the net.

Drop (Attacking). Your player drops from the back. The partner is already at the net.
Block (Attacking). The reply floats up above the tape.
Drive (Attacking). The front player meets it above the tape and hits down: a net kill.

After a drop from the back, one partner is already at the net. When the reply floats up above the tape, that partner meets it above the height of the net and can hit it downward, so the opponents have to hit up. This is the up-or-down test from Part 1 applied to a pair.

In the model the front player reaches the reply with time to spare and strikes it above the tape, which the classifier reads as attack. The kill is struck 1.70 m above the floor, above the tape (1.55 m at the posts), so it can be hit downward.

Attack to defence. After the opponents’ lift your pair has time, goes front and back, and one partner smashes from the back while the other steps up. The opponents will usually defend side by side. In the model the blocker has time to spare when the opponents go side by side and would be late by several tenths of a second if they stayed front and back, but the size of that gap rests on the estimates above.

Defence to attack. The roles reverse. Your pair lifts and goes side by side, the opponents smash, your pair blocks, and when the opponents lift again your pair changes to front and back and smashes. Again the pair that changes formation has time to spare, and the pair that stays put would not. A pair that stays front and back after a lift is the classic mistake coaches point out. Coaching opinion

The net kill. After a drop the front partner is already close to the net and meets a soft reply above the tape (Netzkante). From there they can play a hard, flat shot down: a net kill (Töten). This is the up-or-down test from Part 1 applied to a pair: whoever is closest and highest wins the time.

The serve and the return

The doubles serve has its own rules. It goes diagonally into the service court (Aufschlagfeld), which in doubles is short and wide: it runs from the short service line to the doubles long service line, 0.76 m inside the back boundary, and is half the court width^[S1]. The serving side serves from the right court when its score is even and from the left when it is odd. Only the receiver (Rückschläger), who stands diagonally opposite, may play the serve return (Annahme). If the receiver’s partner hits it, that is a fault^[S18]. The partner’s job comes with the next shot.

The serve is struck low: under the Laws the whole shuttle must be below 1.15 m when it is hit. At national German events a waist rule replaces this unless service judges and devices are used^[S18]. Whether a tournament your player enters applies it is worth checking in the announcement. The serves below are struck at 1.0 m, below both.

Below, choose where the receiver stands and which serve is played: a short serve (kurzer Aufschlag), a flat serve at the receiver, or a high deep serve, a flick serve (high deep serve) (hoher Aufschlag in die Tiefe). The table shows each of the six combinations.

Neutral

Before the serve

Choose where the receiver stands and which serve is played, then step through it.

AttackingNeutralDefending

Read the rally as text

Short serve (Neutral). Low, just over the tape: it would drop into the front of the service court, so the receiver has to come forward and meet it near the tape.
Flat return to mid-court (Defending). The receiver pushes the shuttle flat into the gap between the two partners.

Short serve, receiver in a forward stance: The receiver gets there, just.

What each serve does to each stance
Serve	Forward stance	Back stance
Short serve	Taken 1.6 m high, 1.5 m from the net; above the tape: they can hit down. Reached with 0.20 s to spare. Shown above	Taken 1.6 m high, 1.5 m from the net; above the tape: they can hit down. Too late by 0.51 s: the serve wins the point.
Flat serve	Taken 1.2 m high, 3.3 m from the net; below the tape: they have to hit up. Reached with 0.26 s to spare.	Taken 1.2 m high, 3.3 m from the net; below the tape: they have to hit up. Reached with 0.46 s to spare.
High, deep serve	Taken 2.6 m high, 3.5 m from the net; above the tape: they can hit down. Reached with 0.14 s to spare.	Taken 2.6 m high, 3.5 m from the net; above the tape: they can hit down. Reached with 0.49 s to spare.

The choices need JavaScript. The table and the text version below show every combination.

Why it matters

A serve gives the receiver one job: reach it in time. A short serve punishes a receiver who stands back, because the shuttle is low and close to the net. A high, deep serve (a flick) leaves a receiver standing forward with less time, because it goes over their reach; a receiver standing back meets it early and high. So each stance gives up something, and the server chooses which. Only the receiver returns the serve; their partner takes the next shot. Coaching opinion

What the model shows

Serves and stances here are estimates. Short serve: a forward receiver 0.20 s to spare, a back receiver 0.51 s too late. High serve: a forward receiver 0.14 s to spare, a back receiver 0.49 s to spare.

A serve may be met in the air: the Laws ask only where it would land if nobody hit it. The short serve is met near the tape and would still come down 3.9 m from the net. The high serve is met 2.6 m above the floor and would land 5.7 m from the net, inside the doubles long service line at 5.94 m.

What the model ignores

It ignores deception, so a receiver who reads the serve early does better. It also ignores the server’s follow-up shot and the receiver’s partner, and it does not say how often any serve is played. Stance depths and serve speeds are coaching conventions with estimated sizes.

Serve height

Every serve here is struck at 1.0 m. The Laws require the whole shuttle below 1.15 m; at national DBV events a waist rule applies instead, unless service judges are used. Check the tournament announcement.

All six combinations as text

Short serve, Forward stance

Short serve (Neutral). Low, just over the tape: it would drop into the front of the service court, so the receiver has to come forward and meet it near the tape.
Flat return to mid-court (Defending). The receiver pushes the shuttle flat into the gap between the two partners.

Short serve, receiver in a forward stance: The receiver gets there, just.

Short serve, Back stance

Short serve (Point). Low, just over the tape: it would drop into the front of the service court, so the receiver has to come forward and meet it near the tape.

Short serve, receiver in a back stance: The serve wins the point.

Flat serve, Forward stance

Flat serve (Neutral). Fast and flat at the receiver: it arrives quickly and leaves little room to swing.
Soft return (Neutral). A soft block to the front court gives the receiver time back.

Flat serve, receiver in a forward stance: The receiver gets there, just.

Flat serve, Back stance

Flat serve (Neutral). Fast and flat at the receiver: it arrives quickly and leaves little room to swing.
Soft return (Neutral). A soft block to the front court gives the receiver time back.

Flat serve, receiver in a back stance: The receiver has time in hand.

High, deep serve, Forward stance

High, deep serve (Neutral). A high serve deep into the service court, over the reach of a receiver standing forward. It would land close to the doubles long service line.
Smash return (Defending). The receiver takes it overhead and smashes.

High, deep serve, receiver in a forward stance: The receiver gets there, just.

High, deep serve, Back stance

High, deep serve (Neutral). A high serve deep into the service court, over the reach of a receiver standing forward. It would land close to the doubles long service line.
Smash return (Defending). The receiver takes it overhead and smashes.

High, deep serve, receiver in a back stance: The receiver has time in hand.

The results match the textbook picture in part, and differ in one detail. A serve may be met in the air, because the Laws only ask where it would land if nobody hit it. So a forward stance can meet the short serve right at the tape, at about 1.6 m, and attack it: the model gives that receiver a little time in hand, while a back stance cannot reach the short serve at all. The flat serve is reached from both stances. The high serve is reached from both as well, but it leaves the forward stance clearly less time than the back stance, which meets it early and high. So each stance gives something up, and the server chooses which. That is why coaches say the receiver has to choose a stance and accept the risk, and why the server tries to make the choice hard. Coaching opinion

Mixed doubles

In mixed doubles the Laws have no separate rules at all: the doubles laws apply and no rule fixes who stands where^[S1]. Both partners may stand and move anywhere. The German federation teaches mixed doubles (Mixed) as its own tactical topic and names conventions, for example which partner moves to the net^[S13]. Those are coaching habits and not rules, and a pair that fits them badly may do better with a different split. Coaching opinion Watch what the pair does, not what a diagram says it should do.

What to watch and say

From the stands, things worth noticing, all coaching conventions rather than measurements Coaching opinion:

Do they change formation after a lift? A pair that stays front and back after a lift usually has a gap in the middle. Coaching opinion
Who covers the middle? Many points are lost where both partners hesitate and neither takes the shuttle. Coaching opinion
Where does the receiver stand against the short serve? If it is always the same place, the server can plan a serve to the other one. Coaching opinion

At the interval say at most three things, and often one is enough: “After a lift, one person takes the middle.” Coaching opinion Leave the rest for after the match. Under the Laws a player may receive advice while the shuttle is not in play^[S18], but who may give it at a youth event depends on the tournament, so check with the organisers and your player’s coach. Never call anything out during a rally.

Check yourself

Open a question to see the answers and the reasons.

Question 1 of 5: Which statement about front-back and side-by-side formations is correct?

Not correct The Laws require the serving pair to stand front and back.
The Laws do not prescribe a formation. During the serve the partners may stand anywhere in their court as long as they do not block the opposing server or receiver from view.
Correct answer Both are coaching conventions, and the German federation names them Angriff (hintereinander) and Abwehr (nebeneinander).
After the serve either partner may hit from anywhere on their side. The formations are what coaches teach because they cover the court well in each situation.
Not correct Only mixed pairs may change formation during a rally.
Any pair may change formation whenever it likes. Mixed doubles has no separate laws.

Question 2 of 5: In the model, what happens to a pair that has just lifted and stays front-back instead of going side by side?

Not correct Nothing changes, because the formation does not affect the time to reach the shuttle.
In the model it does. Where the players stand decides how far each has to move.
Not correct The pair reaches the smash with more time to spare.
The reverse. In the scenarios shown the blocker has time to spare when the pair goes side by side and would be too late if the pair stayed front-back.
Correct answer The pair is too late for the next smash, but the size of that gap rests on formation estimates without a source.
That is the honest reading. The direction is what a coach would expect; the numbers depend on where the model puts each player.

Question 3 of 5: Who may return the serve in doubles?

Not correct Either player of the receiving side.
Either player may hit later in the rally, but not the serve.
Correct answer The receiver, standing diagonally opposite the server. If the receiver's partner hits it, that is a fault.
That is what the rules say. The partner's job comes with the next shot.
Not correct Whoever the receiving side chooses on the day.
The order is fixed by the score and the serving order, not chosen.
Not correct Only the player nearer the net.
Standing position does not decide it; the diagonal service court does.

Question 4 of 5: Why can the front player of a front-back pair kill a shuttle that has come up near the net?

Correct answer Because they are already close and meet the shuttle above the tape, so they can hit down.
That is the up-or-down test from Part 1. Above the tape the hitter can go down and the opponent has to hit up.
Not correct Because the net is lower at the front of the court.
The net is 1.524 m at the centre and 1.55 m at the posts, the same along the whole court. What differs is where the hitter meets the shuttle.
Not correct Because the rules give the front player extra time.
No rule gives anyone extra time. It is a matter of position and timing.

Question 5 of 5: What is a good thing to bring up at the interval?

Not correct Everything that went wrong in the first half.
The interval is short and your player is also recovering. A long list will not be used.
Not correct Nothing, ever, because parents must stay silent.
The rules allow advice while the shuttle is not in play. Check with the tournament and the coach who may speak.
Correct answer One or two things to try, such as who covers the middle after a lift, and the rest for after the match.
This is coaching opinion, but it fits a 60-second break: name one thing, then leave the analysis for later.