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Free activity · 100 Possession ActivitiesOverload Rondo
A 20x12 split in two, with 4v2 on one side and 2v2 on the other. After six passes, one attacker moves across and makes it 3v2 there. Players learn to create the extra player and then use it fast.
Setup
A 20x12 split in two. 4v2 in one half, 2v2 in the other.
How it works
- The 4v2 half keeps the ball. After six passes, one attacker may carry or pass into the other half, making it 3v2 there.
- The half that receives now keeps it; the other side becomes 3v2 the other way.
- Defenders never leave their half.
Scoring
A completed transfer and three passes in the new half is a point.
- Create the overload before you use it: one runner, one moment.
- Attackers in the 2v2 half: move as the sixth pass is played.
- Recognize the overload and play fast.
Make it easier or harder
- Progression 1: The transfer must be a pass, never a carry.
- Progression 2: Add a third defender to the 4v2 half.
Coach’s notes
- If It Stalls: Transfers failing? Let the receiving pair stand on their halfway line until the transfer is played.
Why it works
Overloads do not appear by themselves. A team has to make one, and that takes a player leaving where they are at the right moment. Here the moment is easy to see: the sixth pass.
Once players get used to it, they start to feel when the numbers are in their favor. That is the habit you want in a full game.
Where it sits
This is activity 53 of 100 in 100 Possession Activities (Theme 6 · Overloads: Numbers Up). 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+ · Attacking and finishing3v2 to Two GoalsThree attackers against two defenders on a 20x15 with two mini goals on the far line and twelve seconds to score.
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Ages 11+ · Attacking and finishingFull-Back JoinsTwo wide players and a striker against three defenders and a keeper on a 30x25.
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Ages 11+ · Attacking and finishingOverload the Middle3v1 in the middle, then one player goes forward to make it 2v1.
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.