Round Timer Guide & Standard Round Lengths by Sport
From boxing to interval training, every sport has its own standard round length. This guide covers how to use the ReadyCue round timer and the recommended settings for each sport.
The three modes
ReadyCue offers three modes in the tabs at the top.
- Round — the classic timer: set round length, rest, and count. Covered in detail below.
- Random — fires a signal at a random moment between a minimum and maximum interval, for reaction training.
- Combo — runs rounds while firing random signals during the round only, pausing them during rest.
In Random and Combo modes you can replace the plain bell with voice combo callouts (e.g. "jab, cross, hook") or your own recorded voice. See the reaction training guide for details.
Basic usage
The round timer runs on three values.
- Round time — the length of one round. In boxing, usually 2–3 minutes.
- Rest time — the break between rounds. In boxing, usually 1 minute.
- Rounds — the total number of rounds.
Enter your values and press Start; a 3-second countdown leads into the first round. Leaving the minutes field empty treats it as 0, so second-based intervals (say, 20 seconds) are easy to set. The spacebar starts and pauses; Esc stops.
Bell signals
The bell signals reproduce the flow of a real ring.
- When a round ends, the bell rings once.
- In the final 3 seconds of rest, the bell rings three times — and the next round starts exactly on the third bell.
- You never need to look at the screen: the sound alone tells you "go".
Round lengths by sport (recommended settings)
These are the commonly used standards. Tap a sport preset in ReadyCue to apply one instantly.
| Sport | Round | Rest | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro boxing | 3 min | 1 min | 12 |
| Amateur boxing | 3 min | 1 min | 3 |
| MMA (championship) | 5 min | 1 min | 5 |
| Muay Thai | 3 min | 2 min | 5 |
| Tabata | 20 s | 10 s | 8 |
| HIIT | 40 s | 20 s | 8 |
※ Exact times vary by organization and competition rules. Beginners should start with shorter rounds (1.5–2 minutes) and build up gradually.
Practical tips
- A wake-lock keeps the screen from dimming during your workout. Some mobile browsers may slow the timer in the background, so keep the screen on.
- If you can't hear the bell, check your device's silent mode and the browser's mute setting. In a loud gym, the screen also flashes with color as a visual signal.
- Your settings are saved automatically and restored on your next visit.