Badminton — BWF Laws 8 and 16
The interval is a limit, not extra recovery time.
Standard badminton provides short, defined intervals and specific changes of ends. Outside those moments, play is continuous: a player cannot create a personal timeout to recover, receive advice, take a drink, or disrupt an opponent's rhythm.
Quick ruling: under the BWF Laws of Badminton in force 26 April 2025, Version 5.0 (2), the mid-game interval is no longer than 60 seconds when the leading score first reaches 11, and the interval between games is no longer than 120 seconds. Players change ends after game one, after game two if a third game is needed, and in the third game when a side first reaches 11.
At a glance
The standard BWF sequence
- Play starts with the first service and must remain continuous except where Law 16 permits an interval or suspension.
- When the leading score first reaches 11 in a game, an interval of up to 60 seconds is allowed.
- At the end of the first game, players change ends and may take an interval of up to 120 seconds.
- At the end of the second game, players change ends again if a third game is required and may take another interval of up to 120 seconds.
- In the third game, players change ends when either side first reaches 11; the up-to-60-second interval and the end change occur together.
- After the permitted time, play resumes on the umpire's call. Taking longer can become misconduct.
Intervals
Sixty seconds at 11; 120 seconds between games
BWF Law 16.2 allows an interval not exceeding 60 seconds during each game when the leading score reaches 11. It also allows an interval not exceeding 120 seconds between games one and two and, if required, games two and three.
The trigger is the leading score, not each side's score. An 11–10 score therefore triggers the interval just as 11–4 does. There is only one Law 16.2.1 interval in a standard 21-point game; play does not stop again when the other side later reaches 11.
Maximum time
“Not exceeding” means play may restart sooner
The 60 and 120 seconds are maximum durations, not minimum breaks or time that may be added after players are ready. Under BWF Instructions to Technical Officials in force 17 November 2025, Version 8.0, play continues without an interval if both sides decline it, unless the Referee has made the interval mandatory.
For a televised match, Law 16 permits the Referee to decide before the match that the intervals are mandatory and have fixed durations. Players must follow the procedure announced for that competition.
Official timing
The clock starts when the rally is decided
The BWF technical-official instructions say the mid-game interval begins when the rally taking the leading side to 11 is decided, or when an associated Instant Review System challenge is decided. Applause does not postpone the start of the clock.
At 40 seconds of a mid-game interval, the umpire gives the “20 seconds” call. During a between-games interval the equivalent call comes at 100 seconds. This is the signal for accredited coaches to leave and for players to prepare to resume, not the start of a fresh 20-second allowance.
Change of ends
When players switch sides of the net
- After the first game: always change ends.
- After the second game: change ends only if a third game will be played.
- During the third game: change ends when one side first scores 11.
The third-game switch is based on the first side reaching 11. It does not wait for both sides to reach that score, and there is no second switch if the trailing side later reaches 11. Law 8 identifies a separate exception for handicap matches under BWF Statutes Section 4.1.3.
Missed switch
A late end change does not erase points
If players fail to change ends at the proper time, BWF Law 8.2 says they change as soon as the mistake is discovered and the shuttle is not in play. The existing score stands.
Example: the third game continues to 13–9 before the missed switch is noticed. The players change ends between rallies and continue from 13–9. They do not return to 11, replay the intervening rallies, or wait until the game ends.
Deciding game
The interval and end change happen at the same stoppage
In game three, the rally that first takes a side to 11 triggers both the mid-game interval and the Law 8 end change. The BWF officiating call is “interval, change ends,” after the score or service-over announcement.
Players should change ends promptly rather than treating the walk across court as time added to the interval. The umpire resumes the game by repeating the score and calling “Play.”
Continuous play
There is no general timeout between rallies
BWF Law 16.1 requires continuous play from the first service until the match ends, subject to the specified intervals and suspensions. Law 16.4 expressly forbids delay so that a player can recover strength or wind or receive advice, and makes the umpire the sole judge of delay.
A natural pause while the shuttle is retrieved, a fair shuttle change, or necessary court wiping is not automatically a player timeout. Officials manage those tasks and require the sides to be ready again without undue delay.
Between rallies
Towelling and drinks depend on prompt readiness
The BWF Instructions to Technical Officials distinguish matches with and without the Time Clock tool. Without it, the umpire may allow a quick towel, a towel and drink, or a self-applied spray between rallies if play is not unduly held up. That discretion does not create a right to stop after every rally.
If the Time Clock is in use, both sides must be in position and ready before it expires 25 seconds after the umpire enters the previous rally's score. The umpire can stop the clock when appropriate, including for an extended court wipe, a dispute, or an injury. The 25-second procedure is therefore competition equipment and officiating procedure, not a universal extra interval in every badminton match.
Advice
Coaching is limited by the state of play
Law 16.5 permits advice only while the shuttle is not in play and until the players have taken up position to serve and receive. Advice cannot continue once they are in position, and it cannot be used to delay the next service.
During a Law 16.2 interval, each side may be joined on court by no more than two accredited coaches under the BWF technical-official instructions. They must leave at the “20 seconds” call. Local recreational play may not have accredited coaches or an umpire, but the continuous-play principle still does not provide tactical timeouts.
Leaving court
Permission is normally required during a match
A player may not leave the court during a match without the umpire's permission if doing so causes delay, except during the permitted Law 16.2 intervals. Going to a courtside bag for a drink or towel is still subject to prompt resumption and the umpire's control.
Wheelchair Badminton has a specific additional provision: a player may be allowed to leave for one extra interval during the match to catheterise and must be accompanied by a BWF-appointed Technical Official. Para badminton also has its own technical-official instructions, which supersede the general instructions where they contain a specific rule.
Suspension and injury
A necessary stoppage is not a recovery timeout
Under Law 16.3, the umpire may suspend play when circumstances outside the players' control make it necessary, and the Referee may direct a suspension in special circumstances. The score remains and play resumes from that point.
Injury and illness are handled carefully and flexibly under the BWF officiating instructions. The umpire assesses the situation quickly, may call the Referee and Tournament Doctor, and times the delay; treatment causing undue delay is not given on court. A blood-flowing injury should be delayed until the bleeding stops, the wound is suitably dressed, or the Referee directs otherwise. Safety management does not give either side an unrestricted medical timeout.
Enforcement
Delay can progress from warning to fault
The umpire controls the pace of the match and may first remind a player that play must be continuous. For a breach of the interval, delay, court-leaving, or misconduct provisions, BWF Law 16.7 allows a warning; a previously warned side may then be faulted, and a flagrant offence or breach may be faulted immediately.
A misconduct fault awards the rally consequences against the offending side. The umpire reports a faulted side immediately to the Referee, who has power to disqualify that side from the match. Misconduct during an interval is treated as misconduct during a game, so the break is not outside the officials' authority.
Common misunderstandings
Five timing claims that need correction
- “Both sides must reach 11 first.” No. The interval begins when the leading score first reaches 11.
- “The 60 seconds starts after the applause.” No. Under BWF officiating instructions, it starts when the rally or related review is decided.
- “Players get 60 seconds plus another 20.” No. The “20 seconds” call warns that only 20 seconds remain.
- “Forgetting to change ends cancels later points.” No. Change at the next opportunity when the shuttle is not in play; keep the existing score.
- “Every tournament uses a 25-second shot clock.” No. The 25-second procedure applies when the BWF Time Clock tool is in use.
Competition scope
Check the announced format and applicable provisions
This page describes the standard BWF 21-point, best-of-three format. BWF alternative laws, handicap matches, Para badminton provisions, and authorised local or competition rules can change the scoring trigger or procedure. The organiser should identify the governing body and format before play.
Where an alternative scoring system is used, the BWF technical-official instructions direct the interval and deciding-game change at the corresponding score specified for that system. Do not automatically import the standard trigger at 11 into a shortened format.
Official references
Source material