There are some teams that just struggle coming out of the locker room at halftime. It’s hard to pinpoint why but there are no minutes to be wasted in a game. So, if your team takes a while to get going after the break, consider some of these tips about what to say at the half from Bert DeSalvo, who has been an assistant men’s coach and head women’s coach at several collegiate levels.
1.Have a discussion – Players are tired. Don’t overload them. “I ask players questions and keep them thinking at all times. I rather have a dialogue than a monologue from the coaching staff”.
2. Keep it loose – Players pick up their cues from staff, so don’t be too uptight, or players may take the court the same way. “Coaches must practice relaxing techniques to portray a cool, calm and collected sense, and build confidence in players”. DeSalvo adds he sometimes uses music or video clips to lighten the mood but it depends on the game situation and the types of players he has.
3. Find a spark – If you need to find energy, maybe open the half in a full-court press for a few possessions. Insert a bench player who excels in full-court defense to shake things up. “This hopefully excites our team and lets them know the coaching staff is staying aggressive, and has confidence in them”.
I’d always heard of football coaches scripting out their first 5 or 10 plays of a game, but it’s not something I’d heard of basketball coaches doing. However, when I met up with frequent Basketball Coach Weekly contributor Justin Duke (author of 46 Winning Warm-Ups), who says he sometimes scripts his first few plays to help build confidence.... MORE
Recently, I discussed blowouts and how to handle them from your perspective. Roy Nickerson, a coach in Billerica Travel Basketball, Massachusetts, says he uses a statistical model by Bill James, who is more usually associated with baseball analytics. While Nickerson says the model was developed for college games, he says it can be used for lower levels.... MORE
