When do you call a timeout? I get asked this question at many tournaments. The answer is there is no answer. Here are some examples of memorable timeouts that turned matches around and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Junior nationals is the roughest. These are kids without a long competitive history. That can work for a coach though. Kids don’t know they cannot win. Adults with a long history of getting beat by certain players. Timeout gems
“Nobody has worked hard for this, nobody!” True, my first memorable upset junior nationals we trained on a brutal machine called the real-runner. The last points from upstairs I yelled, “Real-runner”!! It worked!
“You are the leader here, You are the pro. Your partner needs you to lead! At the same time I told the partner of the doubles team, “You are the leader here. You own your own business and you are the one that has to lead!” It worked after losing game one and being down 11-4 this team came back and won the nationals!
“Don’t play at their level! Make them have to play to your level!” I used that one extensively over the years.
When things are going bad and your inner voice says “I don’t need a timeout” you probably need a timeout! d
Recently I changed serve strategies during a brutal doubles match and it worked but the timeout had to be called twice in the breaker, leaving the with no timeouts left and the score was only 5-3. Luckily it was the right call as our team won.
I have asked athletes to call timeouts when they were way ahead in the first game. Why? To make sure they work on a certain serve or shot they might need in the next round.
I have not asked them to call timeout at match point many times. Why? It helps the opponent more who has the serve for one thing or if my athlete is receiving serve they never looked back earlier. I hate TOs at match point receiving serve!
So no one rule except maybe the ignore the inner voice advice!
Go get’em tigers!!