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.
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
A non-contact game that keeps players apart. If you want your team to have more creative options in the final third, use this session to encourage players to support team-mates and improve first-touch and accurate passing. MORE
This session fits in with the latest advice regarding returning to play. Passing sequences are fun ways to get your team used to linking play and using the ball with good direction and weight. MORE
The key rondos passes can be used in tactical play during matches to play between the lines with the key play splitting lines of defence to create goalscoring runs MORE
When I am planning my coaching sessions or thinking about warm ups before a match I always start by planning in a Rondo. It is a great way to get players ready for training or for a match – and they never complain about doing it because they love it. MORE
I work my players every training session on keeping the ball. Small sided passing games that are opposed in overload situations are a key way to getting players used to keeping the ball by passing and moving under pressure. MORE
