When is it the best time to call a timeout? Why should we call a time out and what do we say in the time out? Questions we ask ourselves in the heat of the moment! Here are few reasons I will call a timeout.
Game Point for the Other Team.
When the game is close and you have a timeout left and you want to give that server a little extra time to think about what that serve means fro game point. This tactic is used in multiple sports like football against a kicker and basketball against a player shooting free throws. But if my team is passing well, I will not interfere with the rhythm and let the kids play it out!
After a Run From The Other Team
If the team manages to string a couple of points together. Might be a good time to slow the game down. This game is about creating runs of 2 or more points when you go back to serve. If a server goes back and stacks up 4-5 points you might consider using a timeout. Even if it is 0-5. Make some changes to the goal of passing or move some people around to help your team get back in the game.
Strategy Changes
If you see opportunities for scoring points or defending a hitter that you didn't see in other games. This is a perfect time to call a time out and change the game plan. This could be the difference of losing by 2 or winning by 2.
Those are my top three reasons to call a timeout. I don't call timeouts if I have nothing positive or constructive to add to the team. Sometimes your team will make mistakes like missing serves, hitting the ball out of bounce, or serve receive becomes unpredictable. As frustrating as it is to watch, the team already knows what they need to do to be successful. I try to remember no one tries to miss a serve or purposely hit the ball out of bounce. So calling a time out to tell them not to make mistakes is probably not the best strategy to get the team back on track.
When would you call a timeout?
Author - Austin Cass (Director and Coach at I AM Volleyball)