Breakout Rondo | Winning the Ball and Flipping Possession

Overview

• A game-realistic session built for your older age groups
• Starts as a rondo in a tight space, then grows into bigger areas step by step
• Trains both sides of the ball at once—winning it and keeping it
• Gets players thinking about the whole team’s defensive switch and keeping attacks alive

Objectives

• Get players reading how the possession team and the pressing team work off each other
• Sharpen quick decisions in tight spaces and the ability to link passes under pressure
• Drill the instant reaction to win the ball straight back after losing it
• Give players a game-like feel for defending and attacking as one connected unit

Setup

The possession team has to complete a set number of passes before the drill moves to the next phase. You start in a tight grid to build the basics, then widen it as you go to crank up the difficulty.

1）Setup: Split 12 players into two groups. Work inside a 30 x 30 area to start, with a smaller 6 x 2 grid marked out inside it

2）Start: The 6-player possession team gets the rondo going. Two players sit in the middle and try to win the ball

3）Possession phase: The possession team’s goal is to string together a set number of passes in a row (e.g. 5)

4）Expansion phase: Once they hit it, four players from the defending team wait in the bigger outer area. Now the roles flip—the team that had the ball has to win it back, with all four working together to get it

5）Switch: Whoever wins the ball becomes the new possession team, and you run it all again