Top tips for half-time team talks

The coach needs to manage a number of competing pulls on their time and focus during the half-time break, including players sharing feedback, asking questions and utilizing any insights from the rest of the coaches.

Upon assessment of players’ body language, they may need encouragement, especially if the current scoreline is against them and it is a high-stakes game.

Whether you deliver your team talk while seated, demonstrating what you want, or bring energy to the room through your positioning and volume, the coach must provide clear direction and inspire those listening.

I believe the best team talks spark a reaction, an emotion and get full buy-in from the players. 

These are usually after-effects of a coach delivering facts that could have gone unnoticed, sharing belief in the group and identity of the team, as well as highlighting actions of the opponent.

Following the delivery of your team talk and direction to players, you may want to utilize your fellow staff members to support with individual and group details that align to the team message.

Individual performances can be maximised with personal challenges and targets.

At this stage of the half-time interval, players may want to discuss some tactics in more detail, use the bathroom or just mentally digest all the information they have been presented with before they leave the locker room.

Just make sure the team is ready to leave the locker room on time.

 

"The best team talks spark a reaction, an emotion and full buy-in from the players..."

The message

The head coach should ideally reiterate a gameplan and refer to information already discussed and practised throughout the week, holding players accountable and measuring performance against the team’s game model.

Hopefully, the players see alignment to the pre-match team talk and can continue to implement some of these ideas. This consistency of messaging, particularly in youth development, will help develop player understanding. 

It is equally important to highlight what is working well and model player contributions, as well as identifying what changes need to be made and providing solutions for the group. 

The opposition may be providing a different challenge than expected or that you have faced previously. The coaching staff, therefore, needs to be ready to find new ways to win the game and answer questions players may have.

 

Summary

The importance of delivering an organized and efficient half-time talk should never be overlooked.

If you are fortunate enough to manage, or be part of, a multi-disciplinary staff team, you need to consider your role as part of a bigger machine. 

How are you going to use this time to get the best out of everyone? What do the players need? How can we serve them to be better prepared to start the second half well? 

Make your team talks count and evaluate the impact of this crucial half-time period.