> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.coachiq.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Duration, Start Times, and Overlapping Sessions
> Set how long a session runs, how often a new one can start, and whether two bookings may share the same window.
By default, CoachIQ offers start times back-to-back based on your session duration: a 60-minute session offers 9:00, 10:00, 11:00. The **Advanced settings** section of a scheduler lets you separate three things that used to be tied together:
* **Duration** — how long one booked session runs
* **New sessions can start** — how often a start time is offered
* **Allow overlapping sessions** — whether two bookings of this session may occupy the same window
**Where to find this:** Scheduling → Schedulers → open a scheduler → **Advanced settings**
## The three controls
| Control | What it does | Example |
| ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Duration** | Length of one session. Presets **15 / 30 / 45 / 60 mins** or **Custom** (exact hours and minutes). | 60 min |
| **New sessions can start** | The start-time grid: how often a family can grab a start time. Usually the same as duration. Presets 15 / 30 / 45 / 60 or Custom. | Every 30 min offers 9:00–10:00 *or* 9:30–10:30 |
| **Allow overlapping sessions** | Checkbox. When **off**, a booking removes every later start time that would collide with it. When **on**, two bookings may occupy the same window. | Off: once 9:00 is booked, 9:30 disappears. On: 9:00 and 9:30 can both be booked. |
The three are independent. Setting a start cadence shorter than the duration does **not** turn overlap on; it just gives families more start times to choose from, and the first booking clears the ones that would collide.
## Common setups
**Duration 60 · New sessions can start 30 · Allow overlapping sessions off**
Athletes see 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30. When someone books 9:30–10:30, the 9:00 and 10:00 starts drop out because they would collide; 10:30 stays. One athlete at a time, but nobody is forced onto the hour.
Best for private lessons where you want to fill gaps without ever double-booking yourself.
**Duration 60 · New sessions can start 15 · Allow overlapping sessions on**
Start times at 9:00, 9:15, 9:30 and so on, each a full 60-minute session that overlaps the next. Every start time keeps its own capacity.
Best for open gym, drop-in conditioning, or any format where athletes can enter while others are mid-session.
**Duration 60 · New sessions can start 60 · Allow overlapping sessions off**
The default. 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, one session per hour.
## Set it up
Go to **Scheduling → Schedulers** and open the scheduler you want to edit.
Click **Advanced settings** in the left rail of the scheduler builder.
Pick **15**, **30**, **45**, or **60 mins**, or **Custom** for an exact length.
Choose how often a start time is offered. Leave it equal to the duration for back-to-back slots, or make it shorter to offer more start times.
Leave the box **unchecked** to keep one booking per window. Check it only when athletes really can be in the space at the same time.
Click **Update** in the top right.
## What athletes see
Athletes see each offered start time as a separate slot on the booking calendar, with how many spots are still open for each. With overlap off, start times that would collide with an existing booking simply stop appearing.
## Things to know
* **Allow overlapping sessions** only concerns bookings of *this* scheduler. Coach and resource conflicts with other schedulers are still enforced unless you turn those off separately (the connected-coaches checkbox and **Allow resource double booking**).
* Capacity is per start time. With overlap on, each start time fills independently; see [Session capacity](/scheduling/scheduler-settings-limits-and-permissions#setting-1-session-capacity).
* These settings are per scheduler, so you can offer rolling starts on drop-ins and leave lessons on the hour.
* Card and credit payments behave the same way; the payment method does not change which start times are offered.
* **Buffers** (before and after, in the same Advanced settings section) still add time around each session. If you use a short start cadence together with buffers, test the booking page to make sure the start times you expect are the ones offered.
## Related articles