Watching my U15s control the game at the weekend was one of those occasions when I felt really proud of my coaching. Pass, pass, move, one-touch, backheel… It was all there and I loved every minute of the way they ran the game.
They won 3-1 but the score was irrelevant – it was the way they played that mattered. When working out what to do with the U10s during the week, I looked back at what had inspired my U15s to play so well.
The answer seemed obvious to me – it was the rondos I’d used with them.
So what is a rondo drill?…
Rondos are soccer drills where one group of players has the ball with overload advantage (3v1, 4v2, 5v2, 6v3) over another group of players. The basic objective of the group with overload advantage is to keep possession of the ball while the objective of the group with fewer players is to win the ball back.
Now that you know what rondos are, I’m going to give you a small taster of what they look like in practice.
“Passing Pairs” comes straight out of my Rondos – Special Training Guide
You can start seeing progress in your players immediately by using rondos drills like this in your training sessions.
According to Fulham coach Steve Wigley this is a great session for passing and receiving, something that you cannot practise enough of if you want your team to retain possession and move the ball up the pitch into attacking areas. MORE
in Arrival activities, Rondos, Warm Ups
My go to activities when players have had been on the summer break are Rondos – and with this being one of the longest breaks from playing due to lockdown I am going to be using Rondos over the next few weeks to get players back up to speed. MORE
If you are social distancing please observe your local rules. This is very easy to set up and can be used for different distances, long and short passing coupled with a one-two skill. It is a simple unopposed activity but it needs good coordination. MORE
Great for social distancing rules and numbers at trainingThis is a game that encourages fast combination play and quick reactions that players need when they have won the ball. MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, Return to play, Soccer drills and skills
Watch the touch and ability to use all parts of the feet in tight spaces on the pitch from creative players like Eden Hazard and get your players to develop their creative side MORE
Please check out the latest sport and social distancing guidelines in your area, and follow the recommendations when planning training sessions. This is great for first touch and anticipating the pass MORE
