III. Timeouts & Injury Management

Quick Reference: Timeout Types

Type	Time Allowed	Cumulative?	Key Notes
Injury Time	1.5 min (90 sec)	Yes	Max 2 timeouts; 2nd gives opponent choice
Blood Time	5 min	Yes	Supersedes all; mat cleanup is referee time
Recovery Time	2 min	No (per incident)	For illegal hold injuries; not from injury bank
HNC Time	5 min max	N/A	AHCP evaluation only; 2nd HNC = default

Injury Time (Accidental)

1.5 Minutes (90 Seconds)

Cumulative per wrestler for the entire match.

1. Start Clock -> 2. Monitor Wrestler -> 3. At 1:30, Stop Match -> 4. Default if not ready.

Limit: Maximum of 2 injury timeouts per match per wrestler.
Second Timeout Penalty: If a wrestler takes a second injury timeout, the opponent receives the Choice of Position on the restart.
Simultaneous Injury: If both wrestlers are injured (e.g., head collision), start both clocks. If one takes a second timeout, choice applies. If both have used two, no choice.

Knowledge Check

How much total injury time does each wrestler get per match, and what happens on the second injury timeout?

Answer (flip to read):

90 seconds (1.5 minutes) cumulative. On the second timeout, the opponent gets choice of position on the restart.

Scenario: Multiple Injury Timeouts

In the first period, Red takes an injury timeout after getting elbowed in the face. 45 seconds are used. In the second period, Red is struggling with an ankle that got twisted (no illegal hold, just awkward landing). Red requests another injury timeout.

Call: Grant the timeout - this is Red's second injury timeout. Start the clock with 45 seconds remaining (90-45=45). Because this is Red's SECOND timeout, Green gets choice of position on restart. If Red cannot continue within the remaining 45 seconds, Red defaults.

Blood Time

5 Minutes

Cumulative per wrestler. Blood time supersedes all other timeouts. The match MUST stop for blood.

Cleanup: Time used to clean the mat or the uniform is Referee Time, not Blood Time. Only charge the time used to tend to the wrestler.
Protocol: If bleeding is not stopped within 5 minutes, the wrestler must default.

Scenario: Blood Time vs. Mat Cleanup

Green gets a bloody nose. The athletic trainer takes Green to the corner to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, there's blood on the mat that needs to be cleaned. The mat cleanup takes 2 minutes. The trainer stops Green's bleeding in 1 minute. How much blood time has Green used?

Answer: Green has used only 1 minute of blood time. The 2-minute mat cleanup is charged to "Referee Time," not the wrestler's blood time. Only charge the time actually spent tending to the wrestler's bleeding. Green has 4 minutes remaining on the blood clock.

Knowledge Check

When cleaning blood off the mat during a blood timeout, whose time is charged?

Answer (flip to read):

Mat cleanup is Referee Time, not charged to the wrestler. Only the time spent tending to the wrestler's bleeding counts against their 5-minute blood time.

What Would You Call?

Red has already used 4 minutes of blood time earlier in the match. Now in the third period, Red's nose starts bleeding again. The trainer works on it but after 45 seconds, the bleeding won't stop. You've now hit 4:45 total. The trainer says "Give me 30 more seconds."

Answer (flip to read):

Allow the remaining 15 seconds (to reach 5:00 total). If bleeding is not stopped at 5:00, Red must default. Blood time is cumulative - there's no "fresh start" for a new bleeding incident.

Recovery Time (Injury by Illegal Hold)

2 Minutes

Per incident. Non-cumulative.

Trigger: Awarded when an injury is caused by an illegal hold, unnecessary roughness, or unsportsmanlike conduct (flagrant).
Bank: This time is not deducted from the injured wrestler's "Injury Time" bank.
Outcome: If the wrestler cannot continue after 2 minutes, they win by Default (the offender is disqualified if the act was Flagrant, or simply loses the match if it was an illegal hold resulting in inability to continue).

Scenario: Recovery Time After Illegal Hold

Green applies a full nelson (illegal hold) and cranks it before you can stop the action. Red is clearly hurt, holding their neck. You've already penalized Green 1 point for the illegal hold. Red is lying on the mat in pain.

Call: Award Red 2 minutes of Recovery Time. This does NOT come from Red's 90-second injury bank - it's separate because the injury was caused by Green's illegal hold. If Red cannot continue after 2 minutes, Red WINS by default (Green loses for causing the injury by illegal hold).

Knowledge Check

If a wrestler is injured by an illegal hold and cannot continue after recovery time, who wins the match?

Answer (flip to read):

The injured wrestler wins by default. The wrestler who applied the illegal hold loses because they caused the injury.

What Would You Call?

Green applies an illegal hold (twisting hammerlock), causing injury to Red. You penalize Green 1 point. Red uses 2 minutes of recovery time but still can't continue. Red had previously used 60 seconds of regular injury time earlier in the match. What's the result?

Answer (flip to read):

Red wins by default. Recovery time is separate from injury time. Since the inability to continue was caused by Green's illegal hold, Green loses regardless of Red's earlier injury time usage.

HNC (Head/Neck/Cervical) Timeout

5 Minutes (Maximum Evaluation)

Purpose: Solely for evaluation by an Appropriate Healthcare Professional (AHCP).
Referee Role: You do not diagnose concussions. If you see signs (unconsciousness, confusion, glassy eyes), stop the match.
Return Protocol: Only an AHCP can clear them to return. If cleared, no time is charged. If not cleared, they default.
No AHCP? If no AHCP is present, this becomes regular injury time (1.5 mins max).
Second HNC: A second HNC injury to the same area in the same match requires a default.

Scenario: Potential Concussion

After a scramble, Red is slow to get up. When you check on Red, you notice their eyes seem unfocused and they're having trouble answering simple questions ("What period is it?"). There's a certified athletic trainer at the scorer's table.

Call: Stop the match immediately for HNC evaluation. Signal the AHCP (athletic trainer) to come assess Red. You do NOT diagnose - that's the trainer's job. The trainer has up to 5 minutes to evaluate. If cleared, no time charged and wrestling continues. If not cleared, Red defaults. Document the incident.

Knowledge Check

If there's no AHCP (athletic trainer, doctor) present and a wrestler shows concussion symptoms, how much time do they get?

Answer (flip to read):

Regular injury time (90 seconds cumulative). Without an AHCP present, HNC time converts to regular injury time. The wrestler cannot be "cleared" without an AHCP.

What Would You Call?

Red had an HNC evaluation in the first period after a head collision. The athletic trainer cleared Red to continue. Now in the third period, Red takes another hard shot to the head and shows similar symptoms. The trainer comes out again.

Answer (flip to read):

Second HNC to the same area in the same match = automatic default. Red cannot continue regardless of what the trainer says. This is a safety rule - two head impacts in one match is too risky.

Scenario: Complex Timeout Situation

Red and Green collide heads. Both are dazed. Red has already used one injury timeout (30 seconds). Green has not used any. Both wrestlers need evaluation. There's an athletic trainer present.

Call: This is HNC for both wrestlers since head contact is involved and both show symptoms. The AHCP evaluates both. Since this is HNC (not regular injury), it doesn't count against Red's injury time bank. If both are cleared, continue wrestling. If one is cleared and the other isn't, the one not cleared defaults. If Red had taken this as a second regular injury timeout instead of HNC, Green would get choice - but HNC is different because it requires medical evaluation.

Knowledge Check

What are the signs that should prompt you to stop a match for HNC evaluation?

Answer (flip to read):

Unconsciousness, confusion, glassy eyes, difficulty answering simple questions, slow to get up after head contact, appearing dazed or disoriented.