Introduction Invasion games involve limited opportunities to affect performance during competition. Half-time breaks have been suggested as appropriate occasions to intervene, with coaches` non-verbal expressions changing players` perceptions of first-half performance (Van Kleef et al., 2019). Moreover, coaches` verbal communication at game breaks have typically been analysed during time-outs, end of quarters, and half-times in combination or have been examined qualitatively (Avugos et al., 2018). Therefore, a mixed-method approach was employed to explore the verbal behaviours of youth-elite coaches and their underpinning knowledge exclusively during half-time talks. Method Three qualified, youth-elite Spanish coaches (Miguel, Manuel, and Joaquín) working with U9, U13, and U18 players, respectively; consented to participate. Four half-time talks per age-group were filmed and coded using an adapted version of the CAIS, and coaches were interviewed to explore their behaviour rationales. Mean percentage time (%) of behaviours were calculated for each coach individually and interviews were analysed utilising thematic analysis procedures. Results and discussion Manuel and Joaquín were engaged in `instruction` (35.72, 45.58 %) and `feedback` (16.93, 12.77 %) for longer compared to `player-talk` (10.00, 2.43 %), whereas Miguel exhibited an opposite tendency (instruction: 23.52, feedback: 7.85 %; and player-talk: 27.17 %). This behaviour was greater for coaches who displayed higher `divergent` than `convergent` questions (Miguel: 7.02, 3.90 %; Manuel: 4.32, 3.43 %). Miguel and Manuel suggested `divergent questioning` enabled understanding of players` emotions, whereas Joaquín rationalised his lower values (3.11 %) as an approach `for avoiding divided opinions within the group`. Coaches highlighted their tone and volume regulation suggesting the `level of play` and `score` as the main factors strengthening or attenuating their message`s intensity. Only Manuel`s assistant was actively involved during talks and was purposefully empowered to provide instructions or complement Manuel`s messages when required. Conclusion These results suggest similarities and differences in coaches` behaviour due to a combination of their individual beliefs, contextual factors, and age-groups coached. Questioning behaviours and player-talk were employed more frequently by Miguel and Manuel and vocal factors seemed to be more relevant that actual behaviour type for inferring meaning to messages.
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