Scope
The BWF international rules used on this page
This explanation uses the Badminton World Federation Laws of Badminton, version 5.0 (1), in force 26 April 2025, especially Laws 6–8 and 11, together with the BWF Instructions to Technical Officials, version 8.0, in force 17 November 2025, especially ITTO 5.2–5.3. Those are the BWF international baseline documents checked for this page on 15 August 2026.
The Laws govern the toss. The two-minute on-court procedure is an instruction for technical officials at BWF-sanctioned competition; it is not a universal promise for every club session, school match or locally governed tournament. A competition prospectus, domestic regulation or Referee instruction may supplement the baseline.
Law 6
There are two categories of choice
BWF Law 6.1 allows the winning side to choose one of the following:
- First service: serve first or receive first.
- Starting end: begin at one end of the court or the other.
Law 6.2 then gives the losing side the remaining choice. If the winner makes the service choice, the loser chooses the end. If the winner chooses an end, the loser chooses whether to serve or receive first.
Decision path
How to resolve the toss in four steps
- Conduct a fair toss. The BWF documents do not prescribe a particular coin or other object.
- Ask the winner to choose a category. The winner selects service/receive or a starting end.
- Give the loser the remaining category. The loser makes that choice, not merely the option the winner rejected within the same category.
- Record the result. Under ITTO 5.2.1, the Umpire notes both choices; once made, they are final.
Terminology
BWF requires a fair “toss,” not specifically a coin toss
“Coin toss” is useful everyday shorthand, but Law 6 says only that a toss must be conducted. ITTO 5.2.1 requires the Umpire to carry it out fairly. Neither document requires a named coin, racket spin or other mechanism.
The safe rules statement is therefore that the result must be fair and administered by the appointed Umpire. Whether a non-umpired local event permits another method is a matter for that event, not a separate BWF entitlement.
Worked case 1
The winner chooses to receive first
Situation: Side A wins the toss and chooses to receive.
BWF ruling: Side B must serve the first rally, and Side B chooses the starting end because that is the remaining category. Side A cannot also select its preferred end.
Decisive fact: “Receive first” uses the winner's Law 6.1.1 service-category choice.
Worked case 2
The winner chooses an end
Situation: Side A prefers the end away from glare and chooses it after winning the toss.
BWF ruling: Side B then chooses either to serve first or to receive first. If Side B chooses to receive, Side A serves the opening rally from the end it selected.
Decisive fact: choosing an end leaves the complete service/receive decision to the toss loser.
Final choice
A side cannot wait for the opponent's answer and then switch
ITTO 5.2.1 says the winning and losing sides' choices are final once made. The Umpire should therefore identify the two categories clearly, take the winner's selection, take the loser's remaining selection and note both before the warm-up proceeds.
If a player believes the Umpire has applied Law 6 incorrectly, the issue should be raised immediately. “We now prefer the other option” is different from correcting an officiating error and is not a basis for a second toss.
Singles and doubles
The toss belongs to the side
In BWF terminology, one singles player or one doubles pair is a “side.” A doubles pair therefore has one collective toss choice, not one choice per partner.
The toss determines which side serves or receives first. In doubles, the initial server and initial receiver must also be identified: ITTO 5.2.2.2 tells the Umpire to mark the server “S” and receiver “R” when using a scoresheet, and ITTO 5.3.1 identifies both in the opening announcement. Under Law 11.4, that initial service order matters for the rest of the game.
Starting end
The choice fixes only the opening end
Choosing an end does not allow a side to remain there for the whole match. Under the current BWF international Law 8.1, players change ends after the first game, after the second game if there is a third, and in the third game when a side first reaches 11 points.
If an end change is missed, Law 8.2 gives the correction: change as soon as the mistake is discovered and the shuttle is not in play; the existing score stands. Competitions using an authorised alternative scoring system may have a different mid-game trigger, so the appointed competition rules control that detail.
First service
The toss does not decide service for later games
The toss allocates the first service of the first game. After that, service follows the rally result and service-order laws. Under current BWF Law 7.6, the side that wins a game serves first in the next game; there is no new toss.
In doubles, Law 11.6 allows either player of the game-winning side to serve first in the next game and either player of the other side to receive first. That later choice does not rewrite the opening game's recorded service order.
Warm-up clock
The normal BWF on-court warm-up is one shared two-minute period
ITTO 5.2.2.1 directs the Umpire to time the warm-up. Unless instructed otherwise by the Referee, it starts when the Umpire sits in the chair and ends when “Play” is called to start the match.
It is not two minutes per player, per pair or per side. The clock does not wait for the first practice stroke, and the instruction does not guarantee any player a particular number of clears, serves or shuttle contacts.
Ninety seconds
“Ready to play” leaves 30 seconds to prepare
At 90 seconds of the standard two-minute warm-up, ITTO 5.2.2.1 tells the Umpire to call “Ready to play,” unless the Referee has instructed otherwise. The call tells the players to finish warming up and prepare for the opening announcement and service.
It does not start a new 90-second period. ITTO 5.3.2 makes the legal boundary clear: “Play” indicates the start of the match. Practice exchanges before that call are not scored rallies.
Variation
The Referee may direct a different warm-up procedure
The words “unless instructed otherwise by the Referee” are part of ITTO 5.2.2.1. The two-minute procedure is therefore the BWF default, not an unconditional entitlement in every event.
A different instruction may change the warm-up administration, but it does not by itself change Law 6's allocation of the toss choices. Players should follow the event prospectus and the Referee's communicated procedure rather than assuming that a custom from another tournament applies.
Late readiness
There is no automatic “warm-up overrun point”
The BWF documents set the calls and timing but do not create an automatic point penalty merely because a player is slow to stop warming up. The Umpire brings the period to an end with “Play.” Any deliberate refusal, delay or other misconduct must be handled under the applicable conduct provisions, not by inventing a special warm-up penalty.
ITTO 5.17.10 also distinguishes pre-match discipline from the score: misconduct on the Field Of Play before the opening “Play” call may be carded, but a pre-match card has no effect on the score. It still counts if there is a further offence during the match.
Shuttle testing
The formal speed test is separate from general hitting
BWF Law 3 defines a particular shuttle-speed test: a full underhand stroke made over the back boundary line, upward and parallel to the sidelines, with the shuttle landing in the specified testing range. The warm-up clock in ITTO 5.2 is a different rule.
A player may notice shuttle flight while warming up, but ordinary practice exchanges are not automatically the Law 3 test and do not create extra warm-up time. Equipment concerns should be raised promptly with the officials. See the badminton equipment and shuttle rules for the full test.
No Umpire
Use Law 6, then check the local warm-up conditions
In an unumpired match, conduct a fair toss, state the winner's one choice and let the loser make the remaining choice. In doubles, identify the first server and first receiver before play starts.
The ITTO clock is written as a direction to an Umpire. A recreational, school or league match should use the warm-up length in its own competition rules. If none is stated, agreeing the period before hitting begins avoids confusing local custom with a BWF law.
Common mistakes
Five quick corrections
- “The toss winner serves and chooses the end.” No. The winner controls one category; the loser controls the other.
- “The winner must serve.” No. The winner may choose to receive or may choose an end instead.
- “BWF Law 6 requires a coin.” No. It requires a toss; ITTO 5.2.1 requires the Umpire to conduct it fairly.
- “The two minutes start with the first warm-up shot.” No. Under the default ITTO procedure, they start when the Umpire sits in the chair.
- “Choosing an end keeps that end for the match.” No. Law 8 requires later changes of ends.
Official references
Governing-body sources and effective versions
Checked on 15 August 2026 against the current English BWF Laws and ITTO versions listed above. The earlier Danish-language documents effective 1 July 2026 apply Badminton Denmark's domestic implementation and are not the worldwide BWF international baseline. Competition regulations and specific Referee instructions may supplement the warm-up procedure.