rondos - up back through

inspire!

1

To reference this work please use the following wording in the references section of your work:Davies, J. (2015) Football Rondos. London: Inspire Football Publishing

@inspirethegame facebook.com/FootballRondoswww.Inspire.football

FOOTBALL RONDOS

inspire!

@inspirethegame facebook.com/FootballRondos

The 4 v 2 Rondo provides the foundation for the theory needed toprogress onto the ‘Up-Back-Through’ Rondo detailed in the remainder ofthis presentation.

The size of the rondo and any of the possible conditions of play depend on the technical ability and physical profile of your players. For the purposes of beginning the conversation, the suggested dimensions have been proposed as 8x10 yards.

There are three types of pass in football and the terminologygiven to these three passes often causes confusion. The originalterminology I learned when observing rondo theory was that of‘first line pass’, ‘second line pass’ and ‘third line pass’.

• First Line Pass: any pass that takes place in front of theopposition and does not bypass the opposition player.

• Second Line Pass: any pass that looks to go ‘around’ theopposition

• Third Line Pass: any pass that goes through the opponent, asplit pass.

The purpose of the first line pass is to promote the conditionsfor a third line pass opportunity. You should encourage the thirdline pass as often as possible – this can be seen as a‘penetration pass’ from a central defender to a striker whomight have dropped into a pocket of space for example.

The defenders should look to position themselves to block anysecond line pass and ‘layer’ themselves so they could bothpotentially intercept a third line pass as well as potentiallypressure any first line pass. The objective of the defenders is notto tackle but to intercept.

Please use language you deem appropriate to paint the bestpictures for your players to build understanding.

2

Davies, J. (2015) Football Rondos. London: Inspire Football Publishing.

6 - 12

8-

16

www.Inspire.football

inspire!


The attacking learning outcomes for this rondo include: • body shape (opened up to be able to play the penetrative pass whenever possible)• Three types of pass (prioritising) • Tempo control to move the opponent (half a touch – quicker, stopping with the sole – slowing)• The creation of supporting angles and finding angles to receive or create penetration• Pulling the opponent’s to be flat / square (removing ‘layers’)• Pulling opponents wide / horizontally to find gaps • Learning the principles of a diamond (as above)

If we consider this rondo to be positional specific then we canthink about the red team players as a central defender (at thebottom of the image), a full back and a central midfielder eitherside of the box and an advanced player at the top of the rondo(a winger that may have dropped inside / a striker that hasdropped into a pocket and so on).

Some conditions / progressions / optional variations:• Time: during a timed contest you may wish to tally up a point scoring

system that places more value to a third line pass than a second orthird line pass.

• Points: you may wish to create a point scoring system (perhaps 10points means the defenders must now win the ball twice to get out…)

• Touches (to increase tempo and concentration): you may wish tointroduce a rule whereby pass A has to be one touch and pass B has tobe two touches (A,B,A,B,A….)

• Organisational: to increase values of team work in defending andattacking, you should look to ensure BOTH defenders are rewardedupon winning the ball and BOTH attackers are punished (the one wholost the ball and the person who passed him the ball before). If youinclude any transition / change then this should be done with speedand aggression as a priority – NO WALKING OR WAITING! Tempo!

• You may have this rondo functioning in a dual-directional manner(North to South, the mirroring back) or freely directional. Preference istaken to eventually mastering the dual-directional design (purposeful).

• Passing sequence: one first line pass (minimum) must be made beforea third line pass (to allow defensive recognition)

3



inspire!


The Up-Back-Through Rondo

This rondo moves on from the 4 vs. 2 rondo (principles of the diamond)and looks at a number of different areas. Many of the same learningoutcomes still stand from before.

The objective is to get the ball from one end to the other end and backagain – over and over. You can only do this by playing into the receivingarea outlined in the centre of the possession box. Only the ‘striker’ isallowed into the receiving area. The receiving area should be no biggerthan 6 yards in height (so that his marking defender can mark him andprevent him from playing forwards).

The ideal scenario is for the ball to be played UP to the striker (whocannot wait in the receiving zone and must only move into the zoneupon seeing a penetration opportunity), the striker will then set the ballBACK to a player giving a supporting angle underneath and then it isplayed THROUGH to the winger making a diagonal run into the next box.

Once the ball has travelled to the other end (played into the target fromthe winger that received the ball), the format is completely mirrored asshown in the following images in the presentation.

Perhaps specific to a 2-3-1 formation in 7-a-side but the principles aremore important than the formation. The language of UP-BACK-THROUGH is to be understood through moving a CB out of his slot andcreating space for a winger to make a diagonal run into

Right WingerLeft Winger

Goalkeeper / Central Defender

Right-sided Defender (RCB / RB)

Left-sided Defender (LCB / LB)

Striker

Central Midfielder

Target (phase B)

Receiving Area / ‘the pocket’

4


Opposition Midfield Line

10-16

8-1

4

8-12

4-6


inspire!


The image shows the movements required to ensure the structure ofthe rondo flows. Once the structure and format is understood by playersyou can then begin to bring about position specific learningoutcomes.

The movement from the striker should look to fit into one of thefollowing options:• Checking into his defender before moving into the receiving channel

as pace (and other ‘fake’ double movements)• Going behind the eye-line of his defender before racing in to the

receiving channel upon losing the defender momentarily.

Any time the striker moves into the receiving area and he does not getthe ball he should reset his movement and stretch the oppositiondefence back again (creating the defensive line – midfield line space in agame). Ensure the striker is moving into the receiving area at anyopportunity that the penetration pass (third or second line) can beplayed.

If the striker can turn because the defender has not followed, then he isencouraged to do so. However, the defender should follow out of his slotand then the UP-BACK-THROUGH can occur. The UP-BACK-THROUGHshould ideally be carried out all with one touch and therefore propertechnique should be taught here (body over ball, compact and tensedbody structure, toes up ankle locked etc.)

Wingers are to make the diagonal runs at pace and once they’vereceived the ball they should play to the target player at the end. Timingof this run is vital.

Right WingerLeft Winger

Goalkeeper / Central Defender


Left-sided Defender (LCB / LB)

Striker

Central Midfielder

Target (phase B)

5




inspire!


Once the ball has reached the target player, the rondo should completelymirror itself and the scenario is repeated. The rondo now flips and iscarried out in the other direction.

The pace at which full backs should sprint out to their wing positionsshould be encouraged with intensity, as with the nearest defender (orrotational) sprinting in to the second box to become the second defender.

If you are carrying out position specific learning, then you can have thestriker and central midfielder rotate positions upon the through ball.

The CM’s positioning and receiving shape is an area where coachesshould pay attention to: can he play forwards? Can he create space forothers to play forwards? Etc.

Communication is a vital theme throughout these structures. The coachshould emphasis ‘Up-Back-Through’ until players take over vocally

Conditions / Management Ideas:• Organisational: you can have this rondo either timed before positions

are changed or placed on a point scoring system (whoever thedefender wins the ball off of on his third interception of the ball forexample). You may wish to reward the attacking team and againcreate a point scoring system for reaching their target that punishesthe defenders (by staying in again)

• Intensity: players are changed into defenders if a third reminder aboutintensity of action (sprinting to newposition)

• Encourage use of central midfielder once before option to penetrate isavailable

Left WingerRight Winger

Target


Left-sided Defender (LCB / LB)CM

Striker

GK / CB

6




@inspirethegame facebook.com/FootballRondoswww.Inspire.football

The Up-Back-Through Rondo Continuous Cycle

7


@inspirethegame facebook.com/FootballRondos 7


VISIT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p22FnMLUU80

FOR AN ANIMATED VISUAL OF THIS RONDO


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p22FnMLUU80

inspire!


Content created by Jed Davies (@TPiMBW)

ABOUT RONDOS

Spain, Barcelona and Pep Guardiola have brought about a world-widerecognition for rondos in the last decade and in most nations, ourpossession box games shrunk overnight.

Unfortunately, possession box games have also become a neglected timein our sessions, often un-coached and without many learning objectives.The objective of the rondos presentations delivered by inspire footballcoach education (UK) is to highlight potential learning opportunities in thistraining methodology and format.

Kieran Smith will deliver a webinar for Inspire on rondos and give his firsthand account and insight into how ideas can be implemented throughrondos (Kieran Smith is a former AD Alcorcon coach 2014-15, who wouldplay fixtures against many of Spain’s biggest clubs such as Real Madrid).

I owe the foundations of my knowledge to a coach I worked alongside atthe University of Oxford (2013-14) called Jon Collins (who was writing aPhD in Spanish training methodology at the time). Jon Collins opened myeyes to the hundreds of details that turn rondos into a truly valuableeducation tool.

Some months before beginning my work at the University of Oxford I was

fortunate enough to undertake study visits to clubs such as Barcelona,Villarreal, Swansea, Liverpool and others. All the rondos that will bedetailed each Thursday for Inspire (www.inspire.football) have beencreated with a heavy influence from those I’ve observed before.

Positional rondos, rondos that look to educate the languages of the game,rondos that promote specific principles (overloading, penetration,movement, the responses in transition etc) and much more will form themajority of the theoretical content in these presentations.

My sole objective is to promote multi-directional possession box formats(rondos) as valuable tools for player education. I do not believe thatrondos serve a purpose to imitate the playing style or the trainingmethodology of Spain or Barcelona.

Barcelona youth academy graduates spend around 20% of all contact hourstraining in rondos (referenced in the book ‘Coaching the Tiki-Taka Style ofPlay’, pg. 34). The La Masia graduates may have spent 1,000 hours inrondos, but they’ve done so in a very specific type of rondo, specific to theBarcelona playing style.

Please share these presentations freely and use your Thursdayswisely! Visit www.inspire.football

8

To reference this work please use the following wording in the references section of your work:Davies, J. (2015) Football Rondos. London: Inspire Football Publishing.


http://www.inspire.football/

http://www.inspire.football/

rondos - up back through

Sports