No.210
Hanetsuki Shuttlecock Rally
Japanese name: 羽根つきラリー
Materials
- Two hagoita wooden paddles
- One hanetsuki shuttlecock
How to play
- Stand 2–3 m apart and clear nearby people and objects. Before swinging, explore the paddle's grip and hitting face.
- One player gently hits the shuttlecock upward for the other to return. Aim for an easy-to-return height, not a hard, long shot.
- Count consecutive hits together until the shuttlecock lands. Stay on your own side rather than running into your partner's hitting space.
- After a drop, reset to zero and change who starts. Agree on a shared target, first three hits and then five if successful.
- After five minutes, note the longest rally and finish. For a competitive version, agree on a short target such as five points: each drop gives one point to the other player.
Ways to adapt
Younger primary school children: return a partner’s hand toss. Older primary school children: continuous rallies.