Are you setting your team up for a win in the second half with your halftime speech? Or are you letting them off the hook since you are leading the other team by assuming your team will continue playing the same way in the second half? The halftime speech is a critical skill for coaches and one that is primarily about setting up a strong mental state in each of your players.
Let me demonstrate with an example…
One of my favorite college teams is very talented, well coached and they have great potential. They also have a weakness that could keep them from advancing as far as they could into the post season playoffs.
Their problem is that they almost always win the first half of games, often by 10-20 points, only to let the other team back into the game in the 3rd quarter.
How could this be addressed?
First, we must recognize that the problem is 100% mental, especially if the team is up by more than 10 points at halftime. Clearly they have the ability to beat the other team.
The underlying thinking must be something like, “We won the first half so we can relax and not try quite as hard because we have a [10-20] point buffer.”
The change in thinking has to be that NO BUFFER is safe. Every possession and defensive stand is win or lose. It is NEVER OK to LET the other team score or to LET them keep us from scoring.
“But that’s not realistic”
You are correct. A shutout is a near impossibility in basketball but would you rather WIN or “be realistic”? One of my favorite quotes is “How you do ANYTHING is how you do EVERYTHING.” Translated to a basketball game… “How you think about each possession is how you think about winning or losing.”
Are you willing to “BURY” the opposition?
Or do you want to give them a chance to win? You have proven that you can beat them in the first half and right now the other team’s coach is telling his or her team, “You have to play better, try harder, do something, or you are going to lose.”
They will come out motivated to play better basketball. Most likely they will try something different in an effort to gain an advantage. If you take their best and build the lead, by the 4th quarter they will give up. The end of the game will be played by their scrubs.
Or you can let them back into the game so you have a chance to lose the game at the end.
Don’t take them lightly. Things can happen. We have seen our key players get into foul trouble. Maybe they have someone who could get hot and score a bunch of points. There are still many ways for them to win. Let’s make sure we don’t give them the opportunity.
STEP UP and take this game away from them. It is our time. Our game. Our win starts NOW.
Will any coach who reads this post have the humility and confidence to use the ideas here? I suspect that there aren’t too many… but if I can help my favorite college team go another round or two in the NCAA playoffs, then I will be very happy.
We want your Halftime Speech story too…
What’s your “go to” halftime speech? Do you have a story about a challenge your team faced and how you turned it around at halftime? What do you think about this approach? Please leave a comment below with your thoughts, ideas or suggestions.