BJJ Round Timer App for Rolling and Match Time

How long are BJJ rounds?

5-minute rolls with about a minute to switch partners is a common rhythm, and many clubs run that most nights, though some rooms stretch to 6 or 8 minutes. Competition match length is a different animal entirely: it depends on the organisation, belt and age group, often somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes for adults. Check your own event's rules rather than trusting a general number.

BJJ presets in the app
Preset	Rounds x round / rest	Warning	Total with 10 s prep
Rolling 5×5	5 x 5:00 / 1:00	30 s	29:10
BJJ Match	1 x 5:00	30 s	5:10
BJJ Advanced	1 x 10:00	60 s	10:10

The warning is the clack-clack sound plus a strong vibration. On BJJ presets it comes early (with 0:30 or 1:00 left) because a submission attempt or a sweep needs more than 10 seconds. In a 5:00 round with a 30-second warning, it sounds at 4:30 elapsed.

How to use the BJJ timer app

Open Setup with the list icon at the top left and tap the BJJ chip.
Choose Rolling 5×5, BJJ Match or BJJ Advanced and close the sheet.
Put the phone off the mats but within earshot and tap Play. After a 10-second prep the bell starts the roll.
Listen for the clacker near the end, then the bell. On Rolling 5×5, switch partners during the 1:00 rest.
Use Stop to end early; the rounds you finished and your active time go into History.

Open mat: rounds that never end

For an open mat where people keep rotating, build a timer in Custom Timer with Rounds set to 0. It shows as unlimited, and the timer alternates round and rest until you tap Stop. You can set any round from 10 s to 30:00 and rest from 0 to 10:00, in 5-second steps.

In Setup, tap Custom Timer (the last row).
Type a Name, for example Open mat 6 min.
Set Rounds to 0, Round to 6:00, Rest to 1:00 and a Warning up to 30 s.
Tap Save & Use to keep it under My Presets, or Use Once to run it without saving.

Rolling with the phone across the mat

The countdown keeps running even with the phone locked or tucked in a bag, so the bell and the warning clacker still sound and the Lock Screen shows the round and time left. The one thing that stops it is swiping the app away between rolls, so leave it running in the background instead of closing it.

Tips

Rolling 5×5's 1:00 rest is enough to switch partners; for a slower rotation build 5:00 round / 2:00 rest in Custom Timer.
If you need a moment to sort out a gi or fix a grip, tap Pause instead of Stop: paused time is not counted in History.

What it doesn't do

No scoreboard: it doesn't track points, advantages or penalties.
A custom warning goes up to 30 seconds; the 60-second warning exists only in the BJJ Advanced and AMRAP presets.
The presets are training formats: for a competition, check the match length in your event's rules.

Questions and answers

Can I hear the bell with the phone in my bag?

Mostly, yes — it keeps ringing with the screen locked, but a gym bag does muffle it more than you'd think. Leaving the phone on a shelf, or running a small speaker if the room's loud, helps it carry further.

Can I control the timer from my Apple Watch while rolling?

The Watch app has Stop, Play/Pause and Skip and taps your wrist at each phase change. It needs the iPhone nearby, which does the timing and plays the bell.

Is the free version enough for a BJJ gym timer?

Yes. All BJJ presets, custom timers and unlimited rounds are free. The free version has ads, and saving more than one custom preset needs Pro.

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BJJ round timer for rolling rounds and match time