England insight
Half-time with England U20s
England U20 head coach, Paul Simpson, outlines his approach to delivering an effective half-time team talk.
Half-time is the main, and possibly only, time during the game when you have the opportunity to affect the players’ thinking for the second-half performance.
In the heat of the game, coaches will stand and shout instructions and encouragement from the technical area, but in truth the messages are very difficult for players to understand and put into practice. At half-time, it is vital that you are able to deliver clear messages to allow them to go out and perform in the second-half of the game.
This is how we structure half-time with our England U20 players:
Time on your ownWhen the players get into the changing room at half-time we allow them a couple of minutes to speak to each other, get drinks and have any issues looked at by the medical staff. If possible, the coaching staff will get together away from the players. Each coach has their own area of the game to focus on - in possession, out of possession and set-plays - and will make notes of their observations. I sit and make my own observations. We then come together and decide the most important points for me to deliver back to the players. The medical team will also speak with the players and let me know as soon as possible if there any issues that may affect a player being able to start the second-half.
I have learned that it is important to be in control of my own emotions during half-time
Ask the playersI ask the players what they think: how do they think the game has gone? Have they been able to deliver the game plan? If not, why? We feel it is important for the players’ football education that they are able to identify what is going on in the game and to see if they are able to find solutions to affect the flow of the game, if necessary. At first, players are not sure about voicing their opinions, but they very quickly become more comfortable and are normally very clear about what has gone on. We feel it is important for them to take ownership of their performances.
Key messagesI then deliver what we think are the three key messages for the players to take into the second-half. This may be praise or tactical information. We avoid singling out any individuals, unless really necessary, and tend to make points to the units involved. Through experience, I have learned that it is important to be in control of my own emotions during half-time. This way the players know that we are all calm and clear about what needs to be adjusted or continued for the next half of the game. Occasionally, there may need to be a more robust delivery of the message but in general players respond better to calmer environments.
Individual messagesWe usually have a Subbuteo board set up in the changing room and once I have spoken to the group, one, or all, of the other coaches may get the group, a unit or an individual to show them any information that needs visuals to help. Players take on information in different ways and sometimes a more visual method can be more effective for their learning. These last few minutes are key to getting messages out to as many players as necessary.
Final messageOnce the players are ready to go again we try to send them out on to the field with a positive mindset. Our last message is usually something to make them feel good about themselves and each other. It is important that they feel our trust and are confident to show their level of ability for the remainder of the game.