The rondo is a very simple drill that has revolutionized the way that professional players have practiced, and even played. This 7 person drill is amazing for soccer players to work on passing, predicting the next play, defending, transition, deceptiveness, and many more! If you become very good at this drill then you will separate yourself from everyone else on your soccer team.
Supplies:
- 7 players
- One ball
- Pinnies (optional)
Set up:
- There will be two defenders, each will hold a pinnie.
- The rest of the players will position themselves in a circle surrounding the defenders.
- One player will start with the ball.
Instructions:
- The player that starts with the ball will pass it to another player that is on the outside of the circle.
- Meanwhile, the defenders are trying to intercept the ball. The players on the outside will try to keep the ball as long as possible until the ball is intercepted.
- Once the ball is intercepted, the player who passed the ball will replace one of the defenders, taking their pinnies.
- The Rondo can be played with many different variations including one touch or two touches only.
Tips:
- Quicken up the passing, try not to hold on to the ball too often, and know where you’re going to pass before the ball comes.
- Be predictable when you defend, don’t be split, and force the ball where you want it to go.
- Try to make the drill harder by adding some of the variations below.
Variations:
- One-touch only – Perform the rondo like normal, but restrict passes to one-touch only. Doing so forces every touch to be detailed and perfect while working on the speed of play and knowing where to pass the ball before it comes to you.
- Target player in the middle – Set up a rondo like normal, but with 6 players on the outside and one player in the middle. The player in the middle will act as a target player. The point of a target player is to receive the ball centrally and connect somewhere else. During the course of the rondo, the target player must move around and get open so they can support the players on the outside. Remember, you don’t always have to pass it to the target player, but it’s a good idea to involve often.
- Dribble to the middle – In the middle of the rondo circle, create a small circle with cones. After you connect and pass around the rondo for awhile, one of the outside players should see an opening between the defense and the middle. Once this situation arises, dribble with speed directly into the middle of the circle without getting the ball stolen from you. Once the player enters the circle, or the ball is taken away from them, the rondo will resume like normal.
- Small circle – Looking to challenge yourself or your team a bit more while doing a rondo? Simply make the circle smaller. This forces your touches to be on point, not too fast or slow, and very accurate.