Can Both Partners Hit the Shuttle in Badminton Doubles?

Last checked: August 2026 · Written by the player-led team at Badminton House

No, both partners cannot hit the shuttle in the same return. In doubles, either player may take a shot, yet a contact by one player followed by a contact by their partner is a fault. The easiest way to remember it is one side, one successful return before the shuttle goes back over the net.

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The doubles rule in plain language

After the serve is returned, either partner may hit the shuttle from anywhere on that side of the net. The permission belongs to either player, not to two contacts. If the shuttle is hit by one partner and then the other partner before crossing the net, it is a fault.

That wording matters in a crowded middle. You and your partner may both move toward the shuttle. One may miss, stop or avoid it while the other strikes. The rally continues when only one racket contacts the shuttle. The current BWF Laws of Badminton expressly allow either player on either side to hit during a rally (Law 11.2).

The prohibition is equally direct. Law 13.3.8 lists a shuttle hit by a player and that player’s partner successively as a fault. “Successively” describes two contacts on the same side. It does not mean partners must alternate shots over several rallies, nor does it forbid one partner taking several different returns during a rally when the shuttle has crossed the net between them.

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Four middle-shuttle cases to call correctly

Call the rally from shuttle contact, not from how many people swung. One clean contact by either partner is playable. Two successive partner contacts are a fault. If nobody can tell whether the shuttle touched a racket, do not convert a near miss or a racket clash into an invented rule call.

An umpire should call a fault when one occurs. In a social game, that makes the honest observation more valuable than a fast claim. Say “I felt it on my racket before your hit” or “I only saw your contact.” If the evidence is uncertain, settle it quickly and return to playing.

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Other contact rules that change the call

The same player also cannot hit the shuttle twice in succession, with one narrow exception for a single stroke that hits both the racket head and its stringed area. A racket touch that does not send the shuttle toward the opponents’ court is another fault. These rules concern contact, so listen and watch closely near the frame.

Law 13.3.7 covers the same-player double hit and preserves the head-and-strings-in-one-stroke exception. Law 13.3.9 covers a shuttle that touches a player’s racket and does not travel toward the opponents’ court. Neither provision gives a licence for a partner to finish a mishit. Once the first partner has made contact, the partner must not add a second touch.

This is why a clean “mine” call and a little spacing matter. They are not part of the fault law, but they reduce the chance of a disputed graze. When you both chase a short drive, protect your partner first, then let the player with the clearer line make the single return.

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How to settle a close call without an umpire

For an unumpired doubles game, pause before the next serve and use the narrowest question: was there one shuttle contact or two? If both sides saw two successive contacts, concede the rally. If the observation is genuinely unclear, agree a practical resolution rather than claiming a rule that does not fit.

Do not confuse the score with the decision. Under the Laws, the opposing side wins a rally when your side commits a fault. An appointed umpire is responsible for calling faults and lets. For club players, the equivalent is a short, specific conversation followed by a clear score announcement before play resumes.

For the authoritative rulebook, Badminton BC points players to the BWF Statutes, which contain the detailed Laws. Learn the contact rule now, then use your next middle-shuttle drill to practise one decisive call from each pair.