Triangle keep ball

Difficulty rating ☆☆☆★★

The addition of the triangle to this 5v2 rondo makes it much more difficult and adds factors into the game like awareness and communication.

This is a simple 5v2 keep away game made harder by having a triangle in the middle which the two defenders must protect or stay in the middle longer. It is a great warm up to get players’ thinking and reacting.

Set up

Set up an area 10×10 yards – you need balls, bibs and cones with a 2 yard cone triangle in the centre. We used seven players in the session.

How to play it

Teams work in a 5v2 with the five players in a circle inside the area and the two players inside that. Place the 2 yard triangle in the centre of the area. If the passing team can keep the ball and get it through the cones they score a point, and if the defending pair win the ball they take a point off the score. Play for 30 seconds and see how many points the team can score then change the two players in the middle. The pair in the middle with the less points against them wins. You can advance the session by adding 5 seconds to the time whenever the team has success playing through the triangle.

Technique

Players must be making quick, crisp passes with good communication and awareness to get the ball through the triangle. The pressing pair in the middle must be supporting each other as one goes to the ball to block passes and one drops back to cut out any loose passing.

1. The ball starts with the passing team who must try and keep the ball from the pressing pair
2. As the ball is passed around the team must try to pass through the triangle to score a point
3. The defending pair must try to press and win the ball to take a point off their score. The pair in the middle with the least points against them wins the session
4. The pair in the middle should have one player pressing the ball and the other player supporting behind
5. Make sure the game is played at a fast tempo and that players are using good technique to pass and receive the pass. Pressing from the two in the middle should be quick to block passes