Rondo
5v2 Transitional Rondo
Keep the ball under pressure with good angles and quick passing, and react at once when it changes hands: the pair who win it get it to their grid, the team who lose it send two across to press straight away.
Live animation
Duration
16 min
Total drill time
Players
10
Recommended
Pitch
24 × 12 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark two 12 x 12 m grids side by side, sharing a line, with a disc on every corner. Two teams of five, red and white. White own the left grid, red the right. White start with the ball in their grid, spread round its edges, and two reds press inside it. The other three reds wait in the red grid. After ten passes in a row, the two defenders come off and two fresh reds come in, so the press stays sharp. When the two defenders win the ball, they play it straight into the red grid: red now keep it 5v2 there, the two winners run home to make five, and the two whites nearest cross over to press. The other three whites wait in the white grid. Play on the same way in both directions. Keep spare balls by each grid so a ball out of play restarts at once with the team who were keeping it. Play 3 to 4 minute rounds and count the regains for each team.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
The 5v2 transitional rondo turns a classic rondo into a game with two teams and a constant change of roles: possession, press, regain, transition, possession. Two teams of five play in two grids side by side. The team on the ball keeps it 5v2 in its own grid against two of the other team, while the other three wait in their grid.
The team on the ball works on the rondo basics. Five players stay near the edges to keep the grid big, move every time the ball moves so the player on it always has two passes, and look for the pass between the two defenders when they get too far apart. A first-time pass beats a closing defender; a touch is fine when there is time.
The two defenders learn to press as a pair: one closes the ball on an angle to cut a passing line, the other covers the pass through the middle. After ten passes in a row they come off and two fresh players come in, so the press never fades and the team on the ball has to keep the quality high.
The key moment is the regain. When the two win it they play it straight into their own grid, and their team keeps it 5v2 there. The team who lost it must react at once: the two nearest cross over to press, and the other three get into their grid ready for the next regain. Every player has to switch roles in a second, which is exactly what the game asks of them on matchday.
How to run this drill
- Mark two grids. Two 12 x 12 m grids side by side, sharing a line, with a disc on every corner.
- Set out two teams of five. Each team owns a grid. The team on the ball spreads round the edges of its grid; two of the other team press inside it and three wait in their own grid.
- Keep it 5v2. The team on the ball keeps it against the two defenders, moving to open angles and passing quickly.
- Swap the defenders after ten passes. After ten passes in a row, the two defenders come off and two fresh players come in to press.
- Win it and transition. When the two defenders win it they play it into their own grid. Their team keeps it 5v2 there, and two of the team who lost it cross over to press.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Keep the grid big: stay near the edges so two defenders cannot cover five
- Move to open an angle every time the ball moves, so the player on it always has two passes
- Play quickly: first time when a defender closes you, a touch when you have time
- Look for the pass between the two defenders when they get too far apart
- Defend as a pair: one presses on an angle to cut a passing line, the other covers the pass through the middle
- Win it and get your head up: play it into your grid before the counter-press arrives
- Lose it and react at once: the nearest two sprint across to press, the rest get into the grid ready to receive
- Fresh defenders come in at full speed: the press should be at its hardest straight after a change
Common mistakes
- Players standing still on the line instead of moving to open an angle
- Everyone drifting towards the ball, so the grid shrinks and one defender covers two passes
- Defenders pressing one at a time, so the ball is played round them
- Winning it and dribbling instead of playing it into the grid quickly
- The team who lose it switching off instead of sending two across to press straight away
- Fresh defenders jogging in, so the ten-pass change gives the team on the ball a rest
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Two touches maximum for the team keeping it
- One touch for the team keeping it
- Smaller grids (10 x 10 m)
- The winners must pass it into their grid within three seconds, or the ball goes back to the other team
Regressions
- Unlimited touches
- Bigger grids (15 x 15 m)
- Swap the defenders after eight passes
- A 5v1 press for younger players, with one defender at a time
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