Racket feeding: multi-shuttle practice and the rally

How to feed with a racket once hand feeding is no longer enough, and how to move from many shuttles to a real rally with a little doubt built in.

Published 10 November 2026 · Drills by level

Level : Amateur

Two kinds of racket feeding

• Multi-feed: one player feeds many shuttles one after another from a hand full of shuttles, the other practises.
• Rallying: both players use one shuttle and play a rally in which the feeder controls pace and height.

Racket feeding gives realistic pace and lets the hitter read the shuttle coming off the racket, which hand feeding cannot.

Multi-feed: how to do it

1. Hold the shuttles in the non-hitting arm, corks pointing down.
2. Take the first shuttle by the cork with your thumb and first finger.
3. Place it in front of you or to the side, cock the wrist and strike it.
4. Check the points that apply to every feed: a safe position, a realistic flight, enough time of flight, and a rate slow enough for the hitter to reflect and prepare.

Rallying: how to do it

Multi-feed is useful, but the game is played with one shuttle, so a good part of training should be done with one shuttle. The feeder can:

• Change the pace to the player's stage of learning, for example slower when learning a smash off the body.
• Change the height of the feed: higher gives more time, for example when learning a footwork pattern.
• Add a little doubt, slowly. Example: the player lifts straight; the feeder drops straight; this continues until the feeder plays a clear; the player replies with a clear; then drops and lifts resume until the next clear.

Step by step: a session block

1. Start slow and predictable with multi-feed to the same place.
2. Make the feed vary a little: two places, then three.
3. Switch to rallying with a pattern the player knows.
4. Add the clear (or another signal) as a small surprise.
5. Finish with a game that rewards the target stroke.

Common mistakes and fixes

• Feeding too hard. The feeder is there to help the player practise; keep it playable.
• Long multi-feed sequences without rest. Rest between sets; quality drops when you are tired.
• Never leaving multi-feed. Add rallies for a good share of the time.
• Poor feeding technique. Practise feeding too; it is a skill.

Simple practice

1. Ten feeds to the same place, then rest; ten feeds to two places, then rest.
2. Play three minutes of a rally with a pattern (lift, drop, lift, drop) and one clear to end it.
3. Swap roles and discuss what made the feeds easy or hard to play.

Limits

Stop if you feel pain. Overhead feeding and many swings can strain the shoulder or elbow; keep a relaxed grip and rest between sets.

General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.

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