First Half Slump

My boys’ team is expected to arrive 1 hour prior to kickoff. Within that time, they stretch as a team, go through their warmups, and we go over game-plan/lineup.

We’ve played two games and came out flat in both of them. Halftime comes, I yell, they become a whole new team second half.

I have never been a coach that yells and I hate to think that me yelling at them is motivating them, but the difference is night & day.

I’m sure others have dealt with this before, but what have you done to combat this issue? Do I need to just yell before kickoff?

Top replies, most upvoted first

• (+10) Do you do it in this order? Stretch, warm up then discuss the game plan? If so, you are slowing them down right before the game. Start with talk then build the speed and intensity of prematch drills etc from slow to game speed with the latter finishing right before kick off. Imagine a line. Doing it how you are doing it is going up from zero to a peak then back to zero. What I am suggesting goes gradually up from zero to game speed then they play.
• (+7) Maybe they're arriving too early? Or could be a nutrition issue, eating a bunch of protein right before gametime? Sounds silly but sometimes that makes a big difference early in the game.
• (+6) What age? I laugh to my wife that coaching u9/u10 is exhausting because i feel like i have to bring a level of energy that is WAY outside of my normal state of existence. I usually get them going with a dribbling activation, then move to something like a rondo to get them thinking, then we do some basic shooting.
• (+2) This is how I’ve run 14 y.o +warm ups and have never had an issue with start of game slumps. A trick I’ve always had is also write it on a whiteboard where everyone can see it so it’s no surprise. All are before kick off -1 hr - arrive, greet coach and teammates (personal stretch, taping, foam rolling to be completed in this period) -40 minutes - prepped, ready to go, team talks (game focus, line up etc) -35 minutes - all players on grass moving ball (small rondos, short passes, individual juggling) -30 minutes - start initial warm up (short passing. 10 yards apart. Two touch, one touch,...
• (+1) How old are they? An hour is a long time. You don't have to yell, but energy is contagious. I do hype them up big time, and I use high energy language and antics. I'm not berating them, I'm telling them I believe in them and know that if they focus and play hard they can play with anybody. Coaches yell in all sports especially at older ages, most of the time just to get players attention. Sometimes there's this idea that soccer coaches need to be zen masters and calmly observe. Yes you need to guard against over instruction, yes guard against yelling too much, and yes guard against any...
• (+1) What’s your play style, and what’s your definition of flat? This happens to us often and we have our definition of flat. Just wondering what you mean more precisely.
• (+1) Too long of a warmup in my opinion. An option is to hype up the kickoff. Get excited for who gets the first big tackle or if you have the kickoff, PSG it and high pressure from the throw in!
• (+1) your warmup sucks. High energy and game like. I watched a state championship HS team run thru warm up the other day - it was 11v11 half field.
• (+1) FWIW you framed your post around the fact that your team is arriving 1 hour early and it seems like you might think that is the reason for a flat 1st half performance (entirely plausible). Is the reason for having them arrive 1 hour early due to parents/kids traveling from all over the place & you want to make sure everyone is there “on time”? Or, is the reason bc you have a pretty structured & lengthy warmup/progression to kickoff? I wonder if halftime works because it’s short, most are already warmed up, and there is momentum from the team bench/tent/sideline to the start of the 2nd half?...
• (+1) How intense is the warmup? I've seen a lot of teams where the warmup is half-hearted at best. So the match starts and no-one's mind or body is in gear yet. They flounder about trying to build to a game tempo, meanwhile now down 2 goals in the first 10 minutes. I think serious warm-up should begin about 20 minutes before the whistle and be at game tempo, with intensity. The players should have elevated breath and maybe a slight sheen of sweat. I watched a slow-to-start U13 team become a powerhouse team. They switched to a short but intense warm-up then started completely demoralizing the...
• (+1) What is your warmup? If they’re a pre-teen team then play a SSG as warmup that contains elements of how you want them to play. There was a research paper I read that said physically the SSG outperformed traditional warmup, and I used to use it with rec futsal teams. It always made a difference in the beginning of games against better teams, and conversely it’s easy to predict when teams are going to start poorly simply by watching their warmup.
• (+1) Kind of, yeah. Not angry but I bring the energy. Id say Im more animated than yelling. When we do our team break I want them yelling though. I tell them straight up I want the other team to hear how loud and fired up they are and be nervous. I want them to be animals. If you're calm and laid back they will follow that tone too. Not always because the first goal of course change the mood and talent differences overcome any "hunger" but you can effect that first passage of play, or you may as well try.