Rondo
3v3+2 Transfer Rondo
Find the spare player in a 4v3 transfer rondo: create separation from your marker, circulate eight passes with third-man actions, then transfer and support quickly to rebuild the overload in the other half.
Duration
20 min
Total drill time
Players
9
Recommended
Pitch
32 × 18 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark out a 32 x 18 m area and split it into two 16 m halves. Put a neutral on each end line and the coach with spare balls by the halfway line. Two teams of three, red and blue. The team on the ball plays in one half with that half's neutral, a 4v3 against all three of the other team. Neutrals stay on their end line and play for whoever has the ball. After eight passes in a row, the team on the ball transfers it to the neutral on the far end line, and all six players sprint into the other half: the attackers to give the neutral an option, the defenders to press, so it is 4v3 again. A completed transfer is a point. If the defenders win it, they may transfer to the far neutral at once if it is on. If not, they secure it with the neutral in their half, connect eight passes and then transfer. If the ball leaves the area, the coach plays a new ball to the team that did not put it out. Play three-minute games.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
The 3v3+2 transfer rondo turns a level game into a 4v3 overload and asks players to find the free man. Two teams of three play across two halves with a neutral on each end line. The team on the ball plays in one half with that half's neutral, so it is always four against three.
In a 4v3 one player is always free, but only if the others make it so. Marked players create separation from their defender with small movements: a step off, a check back, a change of angle. The neutral is the obvious spare man, and a pass into him with a lay-off to a third player is the cleanest way out of a press. Eight passes in a row earns the right to transfer.
The transfer is the second lesson. The ball goes long to the neutral on the far end line, and all six players have to cover the ground. The attackers race to give the neutral his next option; the defenders race to press. Whoever arrives first decides whether the new 4v3 starts cleanly. The space is big on purpose, so lazy support is exposed straight away.
When the defenders win it, they make a decision. If the far neutral is free, they transfer at once and score. If not, they secure it with the neutral in their half, connect eight passes, and then transfer. That choice, quick versus secure, is the same one teams face after every regain in a match.
How to run this drill
- Mark two halves. A 32 x 18 m area split into two 16 m halves, a neutral on each end line, the coach with balls by the halfway line.
- Play 4v3 in one half. The team on the ball plays with that half's neutral against all three of the other team. Move to separate from your marker and find the spare man.
- Eight passes, then transfer. After eight passes in a row, play it to the far neutral. A completed transfer is a point.
- Sprint across. All six run into the other half: attackers to support the neutral, defenders to press. It is 4v3 again.
- Win it: quick or secure. The defenders who win it transfer at once if the far neutral is free. If not, they secure it, connect eight passes and then transfer.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Create separation from your marker with small movements: a step away, a check back, a change of angle, so the ball carrier can find you
- Find the spare man: in a 4v3 someone is always free, so look before you receive and play to the free player
- Use the neutral as the extra player: a pass into him and a lay-off to a third player escapes the press
- Keep the half big: spread to the lines so three defenders cannot cover four options
- After the transfer, cover the ground quickly: the first player across gives the neutral the next option
- Win it and look up: if the far neutral is free, transfer at once; if not, secure it first
- Defend as three: one presses the ball, two mark the nearest options and leave the furthest
Common mistakes
- Standing behind your marker instead of moving to show for the ball
- Ignoring the neutral, so the 4v3 becomes a 3v3
- Watching the transfer instead of sprinting across to support it
- Forcing a transfer straight after a regain when the far neutral is covered
- Defenders pressing one at a time, so the spare man is always found
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Two touches maximum for the team on the ball
- Neutrals play one touch
- Ten passes before a transfer instead of eight
- Defenders who win it have four seconds to transfer
Regressions
- Unlimited touches
- Six passes before a transfer
- Neutrals may step into the half to receive
- Shorter halves (12 m) so the run across is shorter
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