Badminton
When you serve and win the rally
Suppose you serve, and then your side wins the rally. For the next rally, you will serve again, but from the other side. In other words:
When the serving side win a rally, the server and his partner swap service courts.
Remember that you and your partner must always have different service courts. That’s why the server’s partner also changes service court here. This change has no effect on the server’s partner — he can still stand wherever he wants — but he needs to remember his service court for future rallies.
The receivers never change their service courts. The only way to change service courts is to win a point when your side is serving.
When the receivers win a rallyWhen the receiving side wins a rally, the serve passes to them. Their service courts do not change from the previous rally.
If their new score is odd, then whoever has the left service court will serve; if the score is even, then whoever has the right service court will serve.
Consequences of this systemIf you think it through carefully, you can figure out two interesting consequences of this system:
Suppose you serve, and then your side wins the rally. For the next rally, you will serve again, but from the other side. In other words:
When the serving side win a rally, the server and his partner swap service courts.
Remember that you and your partner must always have different service courts. That’s why the server’s partner also changes service court here. This change has no effect on the server’s partner — he can still stand wherever he wants — but he needs to remember his service court for future rallies.
The receivers never change their service courts. The only way to change service courts is to win a point when your side is serving.
When the receivers win a rallyWhen the receiving side wins a rally, the serve passes to them. Their service courts do not change from the previous rally.
If their new score is odd, then whoever has the left service court will serve; if the score is even, then whoever has the right service court will serve.
Consequences of this systemIf you think it through carefully, you can figure out two interesting consequences of this system:
- You never serve to the same person in two consecutive rallies.
- When you win back the serve, the new server is whoever wasn’t serving last time.