Managing the half time huddle
This is a vital time for the coach. It must be carefully thought out to leave the players revitalised and prepared for the second half.
The half time team talk requires tact and diplomacy skills on the part of the coach. He must achieve a number of goals: motivate and re-hydrate the team, re-organise or re-emphasise the strategy and tactics, and maybe make some substitutions. The structure of the time must be carefully thought out and planned beforehand.
By the end of the talk the players will need to be revitalised and prepared to make the most of the second half. Follow this checklist of tips to maximise your time with the team in the half time huddle.
Where on the pitch?
It should be away from crowd distractions, so often it should be centrally between the 22m and 10m lines. A good tip is if the coach can move to the players, so if the coach gets onto the pitch quickly they can dictate to both sides who goes where.
Who else comes onto the pitch?
Apart from the coach, the fewer distractions on the pitch the better. The luxury of a physio might mean that a player may be treated. It is better if running repairs and injury checks can be made before the group settles at half time. Substitutes should be aware of their duties before half time and therefore will not need to be briefed at this stage.
Sitting or standing?
A number of coaches prefer their players to sit down – this makes communication much easier. However some players may need to be moving around, but the coach should be aware of these players. Recovery and hydration work much better with seated players. The coach can either stand to demonstrate areas of the pitch and be more commanding, but it may be better to crouch down as well. This puts the coach on a similar eye level, meaning that the communication is calmer. At the end of the talk, when the players rise, it is then possible to motivate them by either having a group bonding or walking amongst them to speak to them individually.
Rehydration – when does it happen?
It should happen throughout half time, little and often. These days it is not beyond most players to have their own water bottles and they should, for medical reasons as much as any reason, be sipping from their own bottles as soon as they reach the huddle.
Who speaks and when?
When the players are settled and starting to hydrate then it is the coach who normally speaks first. There should then be a set order of who speaks next. This should be planned so there are no repetitions of what has been already said and no surprises in the sense of changing what the coach has said. To help this the coach should speak to the captain before they reach the huddle.
How much do you say?
How many ideas can your average player take in at half time? The obvious answer is – not as many as you think. Try to limit yourself to three major instructions and reiterate them at the end of the talk. So it might be that you say: kick for the corners, lower in the rucks, get the ball wide off second phase, but then leave it at that.
The half time road map
The "road map" can help you maximise this most precious time. As you are moving to your designated half time area, make quick assessments of injuries and problems by talking to those players who are a concern.
Take on fuel: Let the first minute in the huddle be a time for players to take on water, or other fuels such as oranges. You can perhaps talk to the key forward or back to ascertain problem areas.
Make pertinent points: When you have everyone's attention (their breathing and eye contact will be key indicators) you can outline the way forward for the next half. This essentially means no more than three pertinent points.
When you have finished making the points, reiterate them in a summary. Ask for any other points. Perhaps the captain or a key player may have an additional piece of information. This needs careful management. Too many voices can confuse the message.
Divide up into groups: More senior teams can split into forwards and backs for a quick word. A note of guidance before they split is useful. For example, you might highlight the opposition's weaknesses. The coach should go with the group who needs the most guidance.
The half time huddle: When the referee blows his whistle for the finish of half time, the players gather around either the coach or captain for a final summary. No new information should be added.
Note I have not put timings against these points. Five minutes is normally sufficient and referees are not generally going to call you up if you are 30 seconds late.
What not to do
From my experience of the first part of the season, watching, giving and being given team talks here are some of the real no-nos!
- Don't talk until everyone is listening.
- Don't be general in your comments, e.g. we all need to tackle more. Be specific to the area of weakness.
- Don't dwell on the negatives. Players are not motivated by knowing what they did wrong, more by how to improve, e.g. better to say we need to ruck more aggressively at the breakdown rather than "come on boys, our rucking was ****".
This article is taken from the
Better Rugby Coaching e-newsletter.
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