Player development is high on the list of coaching responsibilities. Hours are spent crafting practice plans that help athletes improve. But coaches must remember that their own skill development is important, too. 

And I’m not talking about better practice planning. I’m talking about game management, a crucial skill and worthy investment of your time and energy. Because no matter how good your players get, they don’t fill out lineup sheet, make subs or call timeouts.

Unless your penmanship is awful, filling out lineup sheets probably doesn’t need much practice. And my thoughts on substitution strategy are five pages long. So today, we’re going to talk about the art of calling a timeout.