Badminton Positioning for Level Doubles Serve & Return

The serve is regarded as the most important shot in badminton. (I have written a number of articles covering the serve in one way or another)

Because of this, the position of the server and their partner are important.

Failure to adopt a good position on court leaves the pair vulnerable to counter attack by the opposing pair. Good positioning reduces the options to achieve this counter attack and this, coupled with the delivery of a well placed serve, can make attacking almost impossible.

Where the players position themselves during the serve is relative to their current level of skill in moving and playing shots.

For the less sprightly, movement to the rear court tends to be a bigger challenge than moving forward. It is sensible to position to allow for this which will then still present more attacking options.
High standard players will position themselves to optimise their chances of attacking whether it be from the return of serve or the third shot in the rally.

The positions of the pair receiving serve are also important.

Out-of-position provides immediate tactical advantage to the server and their partner and most likely lead to more defensive play. Good positioning narrows the tactical options for the server and opens more possible opportunities for the return.

The opening three shots of the rally are considered to be highly important in stating intention in the rally. With this in mind, let’s optimise the chances of pressuring our opponents by taking the upper hand through good positioning.

In this video the focus shifts to this most critical aspect of badminton.

This is the first tactical battlefield to win and requires both good technical capability and excellent positioning. Without good positioning from either pair, you are opening the rally in a disadvantageous and most likely defensive manner.

I hope this video goes some way to help you understand level doubles positioning and gain immediate improvement in your game by standing in the correct place.