Badminton Interval Rules: What You Can Do in 60 and 120 Seconds

Last checked: August 2026 · Written by the player-led team at Badminton House

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When the intervals happen and how long they last

BWF Law 16.2 allows two breaks inside a match: an interval of not more than 60 seconds during each game once the leading score reaches 11 points, and an interval of not more than 120 seconds between games. Outside those windows, play is continuous from the first service to the final rally. BWF Laws of Badminton

The clock starts sooner than most players expect. For the mid-game break, timing begins the moment the rally or line challenge that takes the leading side to 11 is decided. Between games, the umpire's call of "Game" starts the 120 seconds. You then get one warning: at 40 seconds of the mid-game break, and at 100 seconds of the between-games break, the umpire calls "Court, 20 seconds".

Both intervals are optional. If neither side wants the break, play simply continues, unless the Referee has declared the intervals mandatory and of fixed duration, which the Laws specifically anticipate for televised matches. In the deciding game, the 11-point interval also comes with a switch of sides under the change of ends rule, so plan to pick up your bottle at the opposite chair.

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What is allowed: leaving court, coaching, towels and drinks

The interval is the one time you may leave the court without asking. You may towel, drink and take advice, and up to two accredited coaches per side may join you on court. Everything winds down when the umpire calls 20 seconds, and coaching stops once you take up position to serve or receive. BWF Instructions to Technical Officials

Law 16.5.2 is the boundary that catches new tournament players: during a match you may not leave the court without the umpire's permission except during these intervals. Walking off mid-game to grab a fresh grip or a forgotten bottle invites the standard warning wording, "You left the court without permission". Advice has the same shape. Law 16.5.1 permits it whenever the shuttle is not in play, but only until both sides have taken up position for the next service, and coaches must otherwise stay seated rather than standing courtside.

Between rallies, towelling and drinking are a privilege the umpire manages, not a right. If play is not being held up, the umpire may allow a quick towel, or a towel and a drink at their discretion. The official vocabulary is blunt: "Quick towel only", "Quick drink only" and "You must ask my permission to have a drink". BWF Vocabulary

Law 16.4.1 closes the loophole behind all of this: play is never delayed so a player can recover strength or wind or receive advice, and the umpire is the sole judge of delay. Breaches follow a fixed ladder in Law 16.7: a warning first, a fault if the side has already been warned, and a report to the Referee, who can disqualify, once a side has been faulted.

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How to spend the 60 and 120 seconds well

Treat the 60-second interval as three jobs in order: drink, towel, one tactical instruction. The 120-second interval adds a change of ends, a grip and shoe check, and a plan for the next game. In both cases, be moving back to your base before the umpire calls 20 seconds.

The 60-second routine:

1. Walk straight to your chair and drink first, while your breathing settles.
2. Towel your face, arm and grip hand, then take one slow breath in and out.
3. Listen to one instruction from your coach or partner. One. A list of five fixes survives about a rally.
4. On "20 seconds", put the bottle down and walk back thinking only about the first serve or return.

The 120-second routine:

1. Change ends first, then sit. Coaches come on after the switch, so you lose nothing by moving early.
2. Drink and towel while the coach talks; you do not need to make eye contact to listen.
3. Check your grip for sweat and wipe your soles; swap the grip now if it is slick rather than three points into the game.
4. Agree one plan for the opening rallies, such as where the first serves go.
5. At the 100-second call, stand up and re-bounce on your feet so the next game does not start flat.