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Coaching guide · Possession

How to run a rondo
with 6 to 10 players

A rondo is possession stripped to its bones: more of us than them, in a square, keep the ball. Ten minutes at the start of every session, all season, and your players will receive better, scan earlier and pass sharper without a single lap of the field. Here are three that work when only a handful of players show up, with a video of each.

Why every session starts here

A rondo is the arrival ritual. Players start as they arrive, the ball is moving before the coach says a word, and the first ten minutes teach the three things every possession activity is built on: receive on the far foot, move so the passer can see you, and pass to the foot that lets the next pass happen.

The one rule that makes a rondo work: something has to count. Five passes is a point, a split is three, the player who loses it goes in. Players try harder when there is a score, and a score gives you something to coach against.

Three rondos for small numbers

These are the first three rungs of the rondo ladder from 100 Possession Activities, exactly as they appear in the book. Pick the one that matches tonight’s numbers.

1 · 3v1 Square

Four players. The one to start with.

Format3v1

Players4

Area8 × 8 yd

Minutes8

Setup

An 8x8 square. Three attackers on three sides, one defender inside. The attackers may slide along their own side but not leave it.

How it works

• Two touches for the attackers.
• Five passes is a point.
• When the defender wins it or the ball leaves the square, the player who lost it goes in.

Scoring

Most points in two minutes wins the square.

Coaching points

1. Receive on the foot furthest from the defender.
2. Move along your side so the passer can see you.
3. Pass to the foot that lets the receiver play the next one.

Say this“Slide until the ball can see you.”

If it stalls

Passes flying out of the square? Make it 10x10 and take away the two-touch rule for a minute.

3 · 4v2 Split

Six players. The defenders learn as much as the attackers.

Format4v2

Players6

Area10 × 10 yd

Minutes8

Setup

A 10x10. Four attackers on the sides, two defenders inside working as a pair.

How it works

• Six passes is a point. A pass that splits the two defenders is three.
• Defenders swap when they win it: the attacker who lost it goes in with the attacker to their right.
• Attackers may use one or two touches.

Scoring

Attackers count points. Defenders count wins. Compare after two minutes.

Coaching points

1. Attackers: pull the two defenders apart with quick passes, then split them.
2. Defenders: one presses, one covers the split. Never get side by side.
3. Receive facing the middle so the split is on.

Say this“Make them move, then go through.”

If it stalls

No splits happening? Give a point for a pass that changes the side of the square, so they start moving the defenders.

4 · 5v2 With a Link

Seven players. The first rondo with a player in the middle.

Format5v2

Players7

Area12 × 12 yd

Minutes8

Setup

A 12x12 with four attackers on the sides and one attacker inside as the link. Two defenders.

How it works

• A pass into the link and out to a different side is worth two. Around the outside is one.
• The link has two touches; the outside players have three.
• Change the link every minute.

Scoring

First team to 15 points, then swap defenders.

Coaching points

1. Link: get off the defender’s shoulder and show on an angle.
2. Outside: play the link when it is on, not every time.
3. Everyone: the second pass is the one that matters.

Say this“Can you find the link?”

If it stalls

Link marked out of the game? Let the link move outside for a pass and back in.

Eight, nine or ten players?

Run two squares of the 3v1 or the 4v2 side by side and rotate the defenders between them, or step up the ladder. The rondo theme climbs from these three to a rondo that flows straight into a game.

No.	Activity	Format	Players
1	3v1 square	3v1	4
2	4v1 with a call	4v1	5
3	4v2 split	4v2	6
4	5v2 with a link	5v2	7
5	Two-square rondo	4v2 × 2	12
6	Rondo to goal	4v2	8
7	Cross-over rondo	6v2	8
8	Bounce rondo	5v2	7
9	Rondo with targets	4v4+2	10
10	Rondo into the game	4v2 + 6v6	12