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Free activity · 100 Possession ActivitiesFive-Second Rondo
A 4v2 rondo with one extra rule: when the defenders win it, they try to keep it in the square and the four have five seconds, counted out loud, to win it back. The first counter-pressing activity.
Setup
A 12x12, 4v2. One extra rule.
How it works
- When the defenders win it, they try to keep it in the square. The four have five seconds, counted out loud, to win it back.
- Win it back in time and carry on. Fail and the loser and the player to their right go in.
- Six passes is a point.
Scoring
Most points in two minutes.
- React first, think second. Nearest player goes now.
- The second and third close the passing lanes.
- After five seconds, stop chasing and get small.
Make it easier or harder
- Progression 1: Three seconds.
- Progression 2: Two squares: defenders who win it may play to the other square.
Coach’s notes
- If It Stalls: Nobody reacting? The coach counts loud, then a player counts.
Why it works
Counter-pressing is a reaction, and reactions are trained by repetition with a clock. The count out loud makes the five seconds real, and the penalty of going in the middle makes the reaction immediate.
The third coaching point is the one coaches forget: after five seconds, stop chasing and get small. A press that never ends is how a rondo turns into a 2v4.
Where it sits
This is activity 81 of 100 in 100 Possession Activities (Theme 9 · Win It Back: Counter-Pressing). The book is ten themes of ten rungs each, from a 3v1 square to a full 9v9 transition game, and every activity has its setup, rules, scoring, two progressions, three coaching points and an animated video like the one above.
More like this
Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionWin-It-Back BoxesSeveral 12x12 boxes with a 2v2 in each. Five passes is a point, and if you lose the ball you have five seconds to win it back for two.
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Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionWin and Go3v3 on a 20x15 with a mini goal at each end.
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Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionTransition GameA full 9v9 with nothing marked and one rule: every time possession changes, the bench calls it.
Open the activity ›All ten rungs of this theme, and nine more themes
100 Possession Activities is a 115-page PDF with 100 animated MP4 videos: rondos, playing out from the back, through the lines, support, switching, overloads, movement, timing, counter-pressing and counter-attacks. Print the page, watch the clip, run the session.