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When it comes to badminton, one common question is whether or not you can play with both hands. If you come from a tennis background, you may be used to using both hands to hit your backhand shots, but you pretty much never see that in badminton. So, can badminton be played with both hands? Is it even legal?
Badminton can be played with both hands but doing so is not practical in competitive games. Even though playing badminton with both hands is not against the rules, doing so actually makes it more difficult for you to generate power and makes it more difficult for you to control the shuttlecock. As a result, we recommend that you just hold your racket with your dominant hand.
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Can You Use Two Rackets at the Same Time in Badminton?
The Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) rules do not explicitly say that using more than one racket during a game is not allowed. There are two interpretations in this case. The first is that playing with multiple rackets at the same time is not allowed since the rules use the word “racket” in singular form. The other point of view is that it is allowed, since players in competitive competitions have actually had more than one racket per player on a court at the same time when doing racket switches.
For example, take a look at this exciting video of one of the most dominant badminton mixed doubles players of all time, Zhang Nan and Zhao Yun Lei do a double racket switch. Zhao Yun Lei runs off the court, grabs two new rackets, and hands one of them to Zhang Nan. It’s clear that she was holding two rackets at the same time and no fault was called on her.
Bringing multiple rackets onto the court at the same time have been done in other instances as well. While the players have not played with both the rackets for an extended period of time, they certainly have used multiple rackets within the same rally. This makes it reasonable to say that it is legal for a player to use more than 1 racket at a time.
Can You Switch Hands in the Middle of a Badminton Rally?
Switching hands in the middle of a badminton rally is legal. This could be great news if you’re ambidextrous!
However, even if swapping hands frequently will surprise your competitor, it is also likely to confuse you unless you’ve trained yourself extensively. It will be tough to coordinate footwork between playing with your left hand and right hand because of the differences in patterns. I doubt that this is the most efficient way to spend your training because it would require a complete change in movement and technique to practice with your other hand. At the amateur level though, I’m sure it can be quite amusing.
In addition, it would be extremely difficult to change hands during a fast rally. As the fastest paced racket sport in the world, badminton can leave you with only a split second to make a move. You’d have to take a look at the shuttlecock and then decide whether or not to change hands.
That being said, if it’s a one-time thing, such as dropping your racket in the middle of a rally, you can hit the next shot with whichever hand you like!
Can You Switch Hands in the Middle of a Badminton Game?
There are no restrictions in badminton that prevent players from changing hands in the middle of a game. Although switching hands in badminton is unusual, it’s certainly possible. There are advantages to switching hands, like having two forehands and the ability to surprise your opponent. Learning to use both your hands is tough to master, but can be something to try out if you’re bored!
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