Double hits in padel: when is it illegal?

A double hit in padel loses you the point (FIP Rule 13i), but not every double contact counts: if the ball touches your racket twice within the same movement and its natural exit isn't substantially changed, play continues (FIP Rule 14h). Both partners hitting the ball, at the same time or one after the other, also loses the point (FIP Rule 13o), with one specific exception for clashing rackets.

What the rules say

Rule 13i: the double hit

A double hit is listed among the ways to lose a point (FIP Rule 13i). Rule 12 also sets the rhythm of the game: the pairs hit the ball alternately. Each pair gets one hit per crossing of the net.

Rule 14h: when it isn't a double hit

The rulebook carves out the most common real-world case. A double contact is not a double hit if it happens in the same movement and the ball's natural exit is not substantially changed (FIP Rule 14h). Two conditions, both required:

1. Same movement. One swing, not a swing and then a second push or flick.
2. Natural exit not substantially changed. The ball goes roughly where that swing would have sent it anyway.

Rule 13o: both partners

If both partners hit the ball, simultaneously or one after the other, the pair loses the point (FIP Rule 13o). The exception: if both players try to hit it at the same time and one hits the ball while the other hits their partner's racket, that is not a double hit.

Rule 13j: the ball comes back onto you

Related but separate: if the ball touches you, your partner or anything either of you is wearing after you hit it, you lose the point (FIP Rule 13j).

What about carrying the ball?

The FIP rulebook doesn't have a separate rule called "carry". A ball that sits on the strings or is slung is judged by the same test in Rule 14h: was it one movement, and was the ball's natural exit substantially changed? If the contact stays within one swing and the ball goes where the stroke was sending it, it is fine. If the ball is guided somewhere it wouldn't otherwise have gone, the umpire can treat it as a double hit.

Real match situations

The frame-and-strings volley

A fast ball comes at you at the net. You get the racket up late, the ball catches the frame, rolls onto the strings and floats over. You heard two noises, but it was one swing and the ball went roughly where the volley was going. Verdict: legal (FIP Rule 14h).

The pop-up and second touch

You mistime a block, the ball loops up just in front of you, and you tap it over with a second motion. Verdict: point lost (FIP Rule 13i). The second touch was a separate movement.

The ball down the middle

A ball comes down the middle. You both go for it, your partner gets a touch, then it hits your racket and goes over. Verdict: point lost (FIP Rule 13o). It doesn't matter how small the first touch was.

The clash

Same ball, same two players, but this time your partner's racket hits your racket while only yours touches the ball. Verdict: play on (13o exception). The rulebook specifically says this is not a double hit.

The ball that comes back onto you

You block a smash, the ball deflects off your racket and grazes your forearm before going over. Verdict: point lost (FIP Rule 13j). The rule makes no distinction between your arm and any other part of your body.

Your own glass, then a second hit

You hit the ball, it comes back off your own back glass, and you or your partner hit it again before it crosses. Verdict: point lost. Your pair has hit the ball twice in one turn (13i, or 13o if it was your partner). Playing off your own glass is only legal as part of a single shot that then reaches the opponents' court (14b).

Common misconceptions

• "Any double contact is a fault." No. One swing with a double contact is fine if the ball's natural exit isn't substantially changed (14h).
• "A tiny touch by my partner doesn't count." It does. Any touch by both partners loses the point (13o).
• "If our rackets hit each other, we lose the point." Not if only one of you touched the ball. That is the 13o exception.
• "A ball off the frame is a double hit." The rules don't distinguish frame from strings. A frame shot is one contact like any other.
• "The ball hitting my racket hand doesn't count." Rule 13j covers the ball touching the player after the hit, and the rulebook doesn't carve out the hand holding the racket. The safe reading is that it counts.

Social games vs official matches

With an umpire, "same movement" and "substantially changed" are the umpire's judgement. In social games, the player who made the contact is the only one who really knows, so the convention is that you call your own double hits and partner touches. Most players will accept a frame-then-strings mishit without a word. What they won't accept is a deliberate second push or flick, and neither does Rule 13i.

Practical tip: talk to your partner

Most double hits in doubles aren't technical. They are two players going for the same ball. Agree simple calls before the match, like "mine" and "yours", and decide who takes balls down the middle. A common agreement is that the player with the forehand in the middle takes it, but whatever you choose, say it before the point, not during it. Our guide to positioning in doubles covers how to split the court so these moments become rare.

On the technical side, double contacts mostly come from late, stiff volleys. A compact volley with the racket out in front reduces mishits far more than any rule knowledge does.

Frequently asked questions

For every other rule in one place, see our rules of padel.

Sources

• FIP Rules of Padel (official rulebook)