Badminton Doubles Rules: Court Lines, the Back Alley and Side Alley Explained

In doubles the full-width court is used (the side alleys are in), but the serve must land in front of the doubles long service line — so the back alley is out on the serve and in during the rally. This split is the single most confusing thing about doubles lines.

One mental model that ends every back-alley argument

The back alley is where doubles partners snipe at each other, and it's all because one strip of court has two different meanings. Hold this picture: the serve has to land in a target that's full width but 0.76 m short of the back — a slightly stubby box. The rally uses the whole court, back alley included. So the exact same shuttle is a fault as a serve and a clean winner as a clear. When your partner barks "that was out!" on a deep return, the honest answer is almost always "only if it had been the serve." Burn short box to serve, full court to rally into your head and those squabbles simply stop.

The lines that matter in doubles

• Side alleys: in for the whole rally (this is the big difference from singles).
• Short service line (1.98 m from net): the serve must clear it.
• Doubles long service line (0.76 m from the back boundary): the serve must land in front of it. The strip behind it — the back alley — is out on the serve. (For every other service rule in badminton, see the full service guide.)
• Back alley in the rally: once the serve is in play, the back alley is in — the full 13.4 m length is live.

The back alley, made simple

Think of the doubles serve target as a box that's slightly shorter than the full court (cut off 0.76 m from the back) but full width. A serve that drifts into the back alley is long — a fault. A clear from the back during a rally landing in the same back alley is good.

FAQ

• Q: Are the tramlines (side alleys) in for doubles? Yes — doubles uses the full width; the side alleys are in.
• Q: What is the back alley rule in badminton? The back alley is out on the serve but in during the rally.
• Q: Where must a doubles serve land? Beyond the short service line and in front of the doubles long service line — full width.
• Q: How far is the doubles long service line from the back? 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in).
• Q: Is the doubles court bigger than singles? Same length, but wider (6.1 m vs 5.18 m). For a full overview of every line and scoring rule, see the complete badminton rules guide.