Doubles Serve Order and Choice of who serves first each game

[Der_Echte]

There have been some discussions about which player shall or can serve at the beginning of each game in a doubles match.

Some TTD members have incorrectly interpreted the laws of TT (since it wasn't 100% clear in the English) to say the serve order is fixed so that whoever served first in game 1 must serve in game 3 and 5 if it goes that far.

FINALLY, ITTF has written the Laws of TT to very clearly show that when one doubles team is to serve for that game, (whether it is game 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) that team gets to choose which one will serve first.

With the way the Laws of TT are now written, there is zero doubt.

 

[lodro]

so in every game, no matter if i serve first or second, the receiver will always be the same....right.

..........and the team who serves first can always choose the "first server" at the begin of every new game ....right ?

 

[Der_Echte]

You alternate who receives opposing team's player 1 or 2's serves each game... it is only a matter if player 1 or player 2 of a doubles team chooses to serve first on a particular game.

if in game one Team A won the serve toss (or other side won and deferred) so that Team A serves first.... and team A has player 1 serve first... and team B chooses player 1 to receive... and next... team B player 1 will serve to team A player 2... and next... team A player 2 will serve to team B player 1... so now the order is set for who receives who for the following games, but it will alternate each game.

Now in game 2, team B serves first and they choose player 2 to serve first, so team A must have player 2 receive to begin that game and serve/receive appropriately alternate.

 

[Der_Echte]

So to make it simple.. if lodro served to player 1 in game one, he will be serving to player 2 in game two... and serve to player 1 in game three and so on.

It is just that the serving team may choose which player of the team serves first at the beginning of the game (the first serve).

 

[dingyibvs]

The rules are:

1) Team who serves first each game gets to choose which player serves first.

2) Team who receives first the first game gets to choose who receives first.

3) Every player serves to a different player every time they change sides (i.e. after each game and after 5 points in game 5).

 

[lodro]

Slowly slowly it all becomes clear ......... 😂😂

See, I know where to buy new rubbers
I also know where to buy my new blades
but please somebody tell me where i can buy a new brain 😂

 

[Tony Funk My Racket]

The rules are:

1) Team who serves first each game gets to choose which player serves first.

2) Team who receives first the first game gets to choose who receives first.

3) Every player serves to a different player every time they change sides (i.e. after each game and after 5 points in game 5).

That's right.
Point number one is sometimes unclear for players in local divisions, thankfully it's pretty rare. Some believe that if John served first on set 1, he can't serve first on set 3..
It's a pain having to explain or argue about the rules during a match.

 

[NDH]

That's right.
Point number one is sometimes unclear for players in local divisions, thankfully it's pretty rare. Some believe that if John served first on set 1, he can't serve first on set 3..
It's a pain having to explain or argue about the rules during a match.

Ha, I usually see it the other way around, where people think that if John served first in game 1, he HAS to serve first in game 3 (and whoever served first in game 2 HAS to serve first in game 4 and so on). 😅

 

[IB66]

team A and team B

Team a choose a player to serve 1st, this player is denoted as A1, Team B choose player to receive, this player is denoted B1. Team A 2nd server is A2, Team B 2nd receiver is B2. these denotations remain for the whole match.

Game 1 A1 to B1, B1 to A2, A2 to B2, B2 to A1
Game 2 B2 to A2, A2 to B1, B1 to A1, A1 to B2 (Team B choose B2 to serve 1st)
Game 3 A2 to B2, B2 to A1, A1 to B1, B1 to A2 (Team A choose A2 to serve 1st)
Game 4 B1 to A1, A1 to B2, B2 to A2, A2 to B1 (this time team B choose B1 to serve 1st)
Game 5 A1 to B1, B1 to A2, A2 to B2, B2 to A1, A1 to B1 for 1 serve, change ends and receiver - A1 to B2, B2 to A2,

game 5 assuming score is 4-5, when a team reaches 5, then change ends and receiver.

 

[Tinykin]

team A and team B

Team a choose a player to serve 1st, this player is denoted as A1, Team B choose player to receive, this player is denoted B1. Team A 2nd server is A2, Team B 2nd receiver is B2. these denotations remain for the whole match.

Game 1 A1 to B1, B1 to A2, A2 to B2, B2 to A1
Game 2 B2 to A2, A2 to B1, B1 to A1, A1 to B2 (Team B choose B2 to serve 1st)
Game 3 A2 to B2, B2 to A1, A1 to B1, B1 to A2 (Team A choose A2 to serve 1st)
Game 4 B1 to A1, A1 to B2, B2 to A2, A2 to B1 (this time team B choose B1 to serve 1st)
Game 5 A1 to B1, B1 to A2, A2 to B2, B2 to A1, A1 to B1 for 1 serve, change ends and receiver - A1 to B2, B2 to A2,

game 5 assuming score is 4-5, when a team reaches 5, then change ends and receiver.

In local league, Your Game 2 is where the confusion usually stems from.
Firstly, doubles are mostly played as the last match. Thus all 6 players have played their six singles and are therefore tired. So changing the order of server/receiver is usually difficult to keep track of.
So for Game 2, the first serve should be B1 to A1 and so on. Much easier for tired brains to follow.

 

[Der_Echte]

Ha, I usually see it the other way around, where people think that if John served first in game 1, he HAS to serve first in game 3 (and whoever served first in game 2 HAS to serve first in game 4 and so on). 😅

Yup. Korrekt.

The player who served first in game 1 does NOT HAVE to serve first in game 3... it is the choice of the serving team to decide which player shall serve first at the beginning of that game.

Receiving player should simply be the opposite of who received him (or her) in the prior game.

It is like NHD knows very simple... but like @Tinykin sez, it can be real easy to mess it up...

I should start another trouble making thread explaining how to deal with the situation where the order got messed up and player(s) now realize they are out of serve or receive order.

That is also simple... get the order right and keep the points already played prior to discovery of out of order.

 

[Der_Echte]

It COULD go as Tiny suggested for the order and exactly who shall serve, but is does not necessarily be mandatory that it goes that way, the rules provide for the serving team to choose before each game which player of the serving team shall serve.

 

[Der_Echte]

... and also a local league has zero obligation to copy and paste ITTF rules... the local league is under no obligation to do so... unless they subjected themselves to the authority of an org that does copy/paste ITTF rules.