Rondo
Counter-Press Rondo: Win It Back in Five
React the instant the ball is lost: press the ball at once, cut the escape pass and win it back inside five seconds, then spread out again to keep it. Defenders learn to escape pressure with their first action after winning it.
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
6
Recommended
Pitch
12 × 12 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark a 12 x 12 m square. Four attackers on the lines keep the ball from two defenders inside, with a maximum of two touches. When the defenders win the ball they must escape: pass to each other and play it out of the square, or dribble over a line. The moment the ball is lost, the four attackers counter-press. The player who lost it and the nearest team mate go straight at the ball, and the other two step in to cut the pass between the defenders. Winning it back inside five seconds scores a bonus point and play carries on. If the defenders escape, the player who lost it and his nearest team mate go in as the new defenders. Once the ball is won back, the attackers spread back out to their lines. Play rounds of about three minutes.
Setup time: 2 min
Tactical breakdown
Most rondos end when the ball is lost: somebody swaps in and the most important moment in the exercise is thrown away. The counter-press rondo starts there. When the two defenders win the ball they have to escape, and the four who lost it have five seconds to win it back. The turnover becomes the beginning of the work, not the end of it.
The reaction is the whole lesson, and it has a clear structure. The player who lost it and the nearest team mate go straight at the ball, because they are already closest and every step of hesitation gives the defender time to lift his head. The other two do not chase. They step in to cut the pass between the defenders, which is the escape route, so the ball carrier is pressed with nowhere to play.
How the presser arrives matters. Full speed to the ball, then slower for the last two steps, so he stays on his feet and does not get beaten by one touch. Five seconds is enough time for a coordinated press and short enough that it has to start immediately.
The drill also trains what happens after the ball is won back. The four attackers are now bunched around the ball, which is exactly right for winning it and exactly wrong for keeping it. The habit to build is compact to win it, big to keep it: the first pass goes out of the pressure, first time if possible, and everyone spreads back to their lines.
The defenders get a lesson too. Winning the ball is worthless if the first action after it goes nowhere. The escape rule makes them think about their first touch or pass before the tackle, which is the habit that makes a turnover dangerous in a match.
How to run this drill
- Mark a 12 x 12 m square. A disc on each corner. Four attackers on the lines, two defenders inside, a maximum of two touches for the attackers.
- Defenders must escape. When the defenders win the ball they pass to each other and play it out of the square, or dribble over a line, to score.
- Counter-press at once. The player who lost it and the nearest team mate jump the ball. The other two step in to cut the pass between the defenders.
- Five seconds to win it back. Winning it back inside five seconds scores a bonus point and play carries on. Count the seconds out loud at first.
- Get big again. Once it is won, play out of the pressure and spread back to the lines so the rondo can restart.
- Swap if they escape. If the defenders get out, the player who lost it and his nearest team mate go in as the new defenders.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Lose it? Five seconds to win it back
- The player who lost it and the nearest team mate jump the ball at once
- Full speed to the ball, slow down for the last two steps to stay on your feet
- The others cut the escape pass, they do not all chase the ball
- Compact to win it, big to keep it: spread back out as soon as it is won
- Win it and play forward out of pressure first time
- Defenders: your first action after winning it decides whether you escape
Common mistakes
- Stopping to complain after losing the ball
- All four attackers chasing the ball, leaving the escape pass open
- Arriving at full speed and diving in, so one touch takes the defender past
- Staying bunched after winning it back instead of spreading out
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Defenders escape by passing into a second box the counter-press must stop
- Cut the counter-press window to three seconds
- Play 6v6 plus two neutrals in a 25 x 20 m area with the five-second rule
Regressions
- Grow the square to 15 x 15 m
- Defenders must complete two passes before they can escape
- Unlimited touches for the attackers
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