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While watching your team for a half, you see all sorts of things: players scoring touchdowns, dropping passes, making diving tackles, and fumbling the ball, among others. If you're coaching beginning level football, you may even witness players watching a bird in the sky rather than the ball in the air headed their way. So as your players trot off the field for halftime, you'll have a lot of information in your head and not much time — probably 10 minutes tops — to relay it.
Suggestions for all levels
What are your responsibilities during halftime, and how can you make the most out of the little time you have? Foremost, adjust your message to fit the needs and mood of the team. What you say during your halftime chat should be clear, concise, and uplifting. You don't have to verbally replay the entire half of the game for the team. After all, your players were out on the field, and they know what happened. But you do want this time with your team to be productive. The following are a few tips to keep in mind when gathering your troops at halftime:
- Use some time for rest and rehydration. Allow players a chance to drink some fluids before you begin your halftime talk. Having a chance to catch their breath makes them more receptive to your comments.
- Improvise. Every game your team plays requires a different halftime talk from you. You can't rely on the same halftime speech all season long. On your way to the locker room or the big tree behind the end zone where teams gather for the break, think about what you want to get across.
- Stick to key points. By limiting how much information you throw at your team, you make your words more likely to sink in. The last thing you want to do is send your team back on the field overwhelmed.
- Keep a straight face. Even if you're frustrated or upset, never let the team know it. Losing a grip on your emotions detracts from your ability to coach and interact effectively with your players. Regardless of whether your team is way ahead or way behind, maintain a positive attitude and demeanor.
 | Kids respond not only to what you're saying but to your body language as well. If your shoulders are slumped and your head's bowed, that negativity can smother your team's energy. Approach halftime with the same positive energy you brought to your pre-game talk, and your team will respond accordingly. |
- Highlight the positives as team plays. Stick to highlighting the great play of specific units rather than individual players. For example, point out the great way the secondary played right before the half in knocking down passes while going against the opponent's no-huddle offense. Or mention how your offensive line really did an outstanding job blocking on that fourth-and-goal touchdown run in the first quarter.
- Make necessary adjustments. One of your biggest challenges is making halftime adjustments based on what went right — and not-so-right — during the opening two quarters. Keep the focus on finding solutions and fixing problems rather than making speeches. Every game you coach is drastically different from the previous, from the playing conditions to the types of plays your opponent runs. Furthermore, your team sometimes has games when everything you've worked on in practice comes together perfectly and other times when every play you call fails. Recognize what types of adjustments need to be made, and share them with your team.
- Focus on your team. It's pretty easy to get wrapped up in what the other team is doing and lose focus on what you worked on in practice. Don't completely deviate from your team's strengths and suddenly expect players to perform at higher or different levels. Try to play to your team's strengths. For example, if you're a great running team but find yourself down by a couple touchdowns at halftime, start the third quarter running the ball. Sure, you may be tempted to start throwing the ball all over the field in an attempt to score quickly, but there's no need to panic about the score just yet. Sticking to your style of play maintains a certain comfort level among the players.
For advanced teams
When coaching experienced teams, you can take advantage of the halftime break in a number of other ways, such as the following:
- Get player feedback. Because of all your responsibilities during the game, you can't possibly monitor everything that takes place on the field. That's where your players can help. Asking your players whether they have any suggestions for the second half reinforces your respect for them and their knowledge of the game; furthermore, you may gain some valuable feedback that benefits the team. For example, maybe one of your safeties noticed that the quarterback looks to his left before the snap every time the team runs the ball. Picking up on these types of tendencies, which sometimes tip you off to what type of play is being run, enhances the team's effectiveness during the game.
- Watch the wind and sun. Sometimes you have to tweak your strategy to fit the weather. For example, if strong winds will be at your team's back for the upcoming quarter, you may want to take a more aggressive approach throwing the ball downfield; when the teams change ends at the end of the quarter, your passing opportunities will be more limited because of Mother Nature.
- Adjust to the striped shirts. Different referees officiate games different ways, and your players have to adjust accordingly. Some refs throw lots of penalty flags, while others hardly ever reach for a flag. Make note of how the game is being called, and make any necessary adjustments in your team's approach. For example, if the referee is allowing a little more contact covering receivers than your team is accustomed to, you may want to have your players take a slightly more aggressive approach while defending passes.
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