The BWF Laws distinguish a shuttle contacting the racket head and stringed area in one stroke from two successive hits. They also distinguish both from carrying or slinging the shuttle and from successive contacts by doubles partners.
Under BWF Law 13.3.7, it is a fault if the shuttle is hit twice in succession by the same player. A player cannot mishit the shuttle, make another racket action, and strike it again before it crosses the net or a teammate plays it.
The word “successively” matters. The fault is not limited to deliberately taking two shots; a quick accidental second contact can still be a fault when it is a distinct hit after the first.
The same law expressly says it is not a fault when the shuttle hits the racket head and the stringed area in one stroke. A mishit can therefore make a double sound or change direction awkwardly without becoming an illegal double hit.
The exception is not permission for two swings. It depends on one stroke producing the racket-head and stringed-area contacts. If the player makes a new action and hits the shuttle again, the default successive-hit rule applies.
A sharp frame-and-string mishit may be audible as two clicks, while two very quick illegal contacts may sound like one. Sound is evidence, not the legal test. The official should watch the racket path, shuttle path, separation between contacts, and whether there was one continuous stroke or a second hit.
Players should describe the observable sequence rather than arguing from noise alone: “frame then strings in the same swing” is a different allegation from “the player swung again after the shuttle popped up.”
Law 13.3.6 makes it a fault if the shuttle is caught and held on the racket and then slung during the execution of a stroke. That can involve a single extended contact rather than two successive impacts.
The practical question is whether the shuttle rebounded from a strike or was visibly retained and propelled by the racket. Calling every untidy or sliced shot a carry would go beyond the law; the catch-and-hold feature must be present.
Law 13.3.8 makes it a fault if a player and that player's partner hit the shuttle successively. Doubles permits either partner to play the team's next shot after the opponents return it, but not both partners to touch the same incoming shuttle in sequence.
It does not matter that the first contact was accidental or that the second contact would otherwise send the shuttle over. Once both partners successively hit it, the side has committed a fault.
Law 13.3.9 adds another fault when the shuttle touches a player's racket and does not travel toward the opponent's court. A glancing contact that sends the shuttle behind or away from the net cannot be followed by a rescue hit.
This clause may decide the rally before anyone debates a later contact. As with other fast sequences, identify the earliest fault rather than judging only where the shuttle eventually lands.
This explainer applies Badminton World Federation Laws of Badminton in force 26 April 2025, Version 5.0 (2), especially Laws 13.3.6–13.3.9. Para badminton provisions or an applicable competition regulation should be checked separately.