When playing badminton doubles, have you often run into these situations: either your opening serve goes straight out of bounds and gifts your opponents a point, or you stand frozen after serving and get crushed by an opponent’s smash to lose the point? Actually, once you master the trick of serving to attack, you can seize the initiative right from the start and quickly build an early lead.
First, understand: What is doubles serving to attack?¶
Simply put, it means launching an attack immediately after serving, depriving your opponents of time to adjust their positions or gather energy for a return. This keeps your opponents stuck in a passive receiving posture, instead of just standing around waiting to counter after you serve. Many beginners think serving to attack is a move only for advanced players, but as long as you find the right method, even new players can pick it up quickly.
Step 1: Serve accurately — the foundation of attacking after serving¶
The most common mistake beginners make is failing to control their serve’s placement: either serving the shuttlecock too high, letting opponents smash it straight away, or serving too close to the center, allowing opponents to easily lift it to the back court. We recommend beginners start practicing backhand serves to the front net short area, which is more stable than forehand serves and easier to control the落点:
1. Grip posture: Use a backhand grip, let your fingers naturally wrap around the racket handle, don’t grip too tightly, and keep your wrist flexible
2. Serving motion: Use a gentle wrist flick to send the shuttlecock to the opponent’s front net area, so it just clears the net and drops close to the ground or the net. The line closest to the net on a badminton court is called the front service line. Try to land your serve within 10 centimeters behind the opponent’s front service line
3. Placement tips: Aim for the areas near the two side lines of the opponent’s court, avoid the center — the center is the coordination gap between the two opponents, and they can easily cooperate to counterattack.
Step 2: Positioning after serving and the timing to attack¶
Your positioning together with your partner is very important after serving, don’t stand randomly as a beginner:
1. Server’s position: Stand between the center line and the front service line of your own half court, about 3 meters away from the net. This lets you quickly block front net returns and also retreat to defend the back court at any time
2. Partner’s position: Stand in the back half of your own half court, about 1 meter away from the center line. Don’t stand too close to the net to avoid being pierced by opponents’ flat clears. Their main job is to protect the back court gaps and support your front net attacks
3. Attack timing: When your opponent returns the shuttlecock, if they hit a half-smash shuttlecock (between waist and shoulder height) or a slow ball near the net, step forward immediately for a net kill. If they lift a clear to the back court, retreat to the back court right away to prepare for a smash.
Tip: A net kill is stepping forward quickly and using your wrist to flick the shuttlecock down into the opponent’s court, aiming to land it close to the net so your opponents have no time to react.
Step 3: Core coordination skills to keep your attack going¶
Many beginners fail to follow up after their first shot, either getting counterattacked by opponents or wasting their attacking opportunities. Keep these coordination tips in mind:
1. Return to position immediately after hitting: Whether your net kill succeeds or misses, get back to your mid-court positioning right away. Don’t linger at the net, leaving the back court open for opponents
2. Front net and back court coordination: If your partner is blocking at the front net and you spot a gap in the opponent’s court from the back, you can smash to the opponent’s side line. Your partner should immediately move to fill your original back court position to prevent opponents from hitting a return shot
3. Flat clear coordination: If your opponent returns a fast flat shot, don’t panic. Use flat clear exchanges to quickly send the shuttlecock back — flat clear exchanges are quick, back-and-forth hits of fast flat shots between two players at mid-court. Try to keep the shuttlecock below waist height to deny your opponents a chance to smash
4. Stay calm after mistakes: If you don’t score on the first attacking shot, don’t panic. Immediately return to the standard doubles positioning (split left and right to cover the entire half court) and reorganize your attack, don’t lose your rhythm.
3 Common Beginner Pitfalls to Avoid¶
- Serving too far and too high: Many beginners serve a clear to play it safe, but this lets opponents smash for an easy point. Beginners should avoid serving clears, prioritize serving short net shots
- Standing still after serving: Move to your mid-court position right after serving, don’t stay at the service line. Opponents will easily target your open spot
- Attacking too impatiently: Swing wildly as soon as you see the shuttlecock, either netting your kill or sending it out of bounds. Wait until the shuttlecock is at the right height before hitting, don’t rush.
Quick Practice Drills for Beginners¶
- Practice backhand serves against a wall: Spend 10 minutes each day controlling your serve’s placement, aiming to keep it close to the net, and get a feel for wrist power
- Practice fixed coordination with your partner: One person serves, the other waits at the net for a net kill, repeating the serve + net kill motion repeatedly to find a rhythm
- Watch amateur doubles matches: Watch how regular advanced players serve and position themselves during attacks, learn their coordination skills. You don’t need to watch pro matches — amateur matches have a pace that’s more suitable for beginners to reference.
