HALFTIME - DO YOU HAVE A SYSTEM?
We were not good the first drive or two after half-time in 2019. We would come out slow. We were not in attack mode like we were to start the game. How do we fix this?
Get a better SYSTEM.
This is for another blog, but we practice half-time each day. Our simulated half-time is 5-6 minutes. We meet as unit groups; our coaches talk about the week's leadership topic, a horn blows, and we do one minute of warmups then one rep of kickoff or kickoff return. After this, we go four minutes of 'ball down', which is North Forney offense vs. North Forney defense full speed, game-like.
The great Bill Walsh said this years ago, "if it happens in a game, practice it!" Half-time happens every game. In Texas, it lasts 28 minutes! (both bands perform)
For years, I had used the same routine at half-time, and it seemed to be fine. Then... we began to come out lethargic when we came out in the second half.
I am embarrassed to tell you this, but we were doing the same half-time routine we did when I was in high school in the '80s.
players go in, use the bathroom and get a drink
wait 10 minutes or so for the coaches to come in and tell us the adjustments
Head coach final thoughts
Warmup and kickoff
What is still relevant that was used 40 years ago in sport? Not much, just like our half-time routine.
How do you improve on anything? (yet another blog)
Interview some experts!
I called a few friends who all had a systematic plan for half-time. We took what we liked from all of them and made a system that works for us.
Our system at North Forney:
In the locker room - 20 minutes
Breathe - 6/2/8 x 5 (2 minutes)
Head coach addresses the team - 1 minute
Special Teams Coord discusses each phase - 4 minutes
O and D coaches now come in from outside, where they have been discussing adjustments
O and D split up - 10 minutes (11 min remaining)
Jackson address team - 3 minutes
The team outside to warm up - (8 min remaining)
We have performed better after half-time with this system. Our guys are not sitting around as long. We aren't just winging it' each game.
