Rondo
Four-Square Rondo: 4v2 into 6v3
Build a 4v2 with a red on every side of the square, move the ball on after five passes, and react at once when it is lost: three reds against six yellows have to win it back before ten passes.
Duration
20 min
Total drill time
Players
16
Recommended
Pitch
30 × 35 m
Setup space
Level
Advanced
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark a 30 x 35 m area and split it into four squares with cones. Ten reds: seven on the outer lines (one along the top serving both top squares, two on each side line, two on the bottom line) and three inner reds on the two lines that split the area. Six yellows defend. Play starts with the coach playing into one square. The four reds on its sides keep the ball from two yellows: the square's own yellow and the nearest spare one. After five passes the reds transfer the ball into a square next door, and the nearest two yellows press there. Outer reds slide along their lines; the inner reds slide along the middle lines to cover the sides of the square in play. If the yellows win it, play becomes a 6v3 central rondo: all six yellows keep the ball across the whole area, the three inner reds press, and the seven outer reds stay on their lines out of play. Ten yellow passes is a goal for the yellows, and the coach plays the next ball into a square. If the three reds win it back, they play it out to a red on the line and the 4v2 starts again in that square. Play three-minute games and rotate six new yellows in after each one.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
The four-square rondo turns a 4v2 into a whole-team transition game. A 30 x 35 m area is split into four squares. Ten reds keep the ball: seven stand on the outer lines and three on the lines that split the area. Every square has a red on each of its four sides, so whichever square has the ball becomes a 4v2 against the two yellows nearest to it.
In the 4v2 the reds need five passes before they may transfer the ball into a square next door. A red on every side means there is always a pass either side of the two yellows and, when they are drawn apart, a split pass straight through them. The inner reds are the key: they slide along the middle lines to cover the sides of the square in play and get ready for the transfer while the ball travels.
When the yellows win it the picture flips. All six yellows keep the ball across the whole area in a 6v3 central rondo, and only the three inner reds can win it back; the outer reds stay on their lines out of play. Ten yellow passes is a goal. That puts real weight on the counter-press: the nearest inner red goes to the ball, the other two cut the passes to the nearest yellows, and if they win it they play straight out to a red on the line to restart the 4v2.
For the yellows it is two lessons in one. In the 4v2 one presses on an angle while the other screens the split. In the 6v3 they spread to the corners and move the ball round the outside of the three reds, switching when they squeeze.
How to run this drill
- Mark four squares. A 30 x 35 m area split into four squares with cones, a coach with spare balls off one corner.
- Set out ten against six. Seven reds on the outer lines, three on the middle lines, so every square has a red on each side. Six yellows defend.
- Keep a 4v2, five passes. The coach plays into a square. Its four reds keep the ball from the nearest two yellows, and after five passes transfer it to a square next door.
- Yellows win it: 6v3. If the yellows win it, all six keep the ball across the area against the three inner reds. The outer reds stay on their lines.
- Ten passes is a goal. Ten yellow passes scores a goal for the yellows, and the coach plays the next ball into a square.
- Reds win it back. If the three inner reds win it, they play out to a red on the line and the 4v2 starts again in that square.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Make the square a diamond of options: a red on every side, so there is always a pass either side of the two yellows and one through them
- Look for the split pass between the two yellows: it beats both defenders at once
- Scan the next square before the fifth pass so the transfer goes the moment it is on
- Inner reds: slide along the middle lines to the side of the square in play, and get ready for the transfer while the ball travels
- Lose it and press straight away: the nearest inner red goes to the ball, the other two cut the passes to the nearest yellows
- Yellows in the 6v3: spread to the corners of the area and move the ball round the outside of the three reds, switching when they squeeze
- Yellows in the 4v2: one presses the ball on an angle, the other screens the split
Common mistakes
- Two reds on the same side of the square, so the 4v2 loses a passing option
- Inner reds standing still on the wrong middle line when the ball transfers
- Transferring after three or four passes, or waiting so long the next yellows are set
- After a regain, the inner reds all chasing the ball instead of one pressing and two cutting lanes
- Yellows in the 6v3 bunching in the middle, where the three reds can cover them all
- Outer reds drifting into the area during the 6v3
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Two touches maximum for the reds in the 4v2
- Seven passes before a transfer instead of five
- Transfers may go to any square, including the one diagonally across
- The outer reds may join the 6v3 as bumpers the reds can use to win it back
Regressions
- Unlimited touches
- Three passes before a transfer instead of five
- One yellow presses in the square instead of two, so the reds have time to find the split
- A bigger area (35 x 40 m) for more time on the ball
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