This topic contains 27 replies, has 15 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
Our experiences so far with a new U12 girls team (below premier – club level).
One change we implemented is to replace the cones with pinnies. The game doesn’t stop because a ball bounced off a cone anymore!
This is our core rondo progression:
4v0 static in a diamond
4v0 static at the corners (pinnies)
4v0 dynamic
4v1 shadow defender (we just call it shadow)
4v1 live
3v0 dynamic
3v1 shadow
3v1 live
We interleave the training. For instance, the first two-three sessions we might do 4v0 static (both), then one 4v0 static and 4v0 dynamic for a couple of sessions. Then 4v0 dynamic and 4v1 shadow for a couple of sessions, then back to a session of both 4v0 static, followed by two sessions of 4v1 shadow and 4v1 live. So, with 8 progressions, we might do sessions like this: 1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 2-3, 1-3, 3-4, 3-4, 1-2, 2-3, 1-3, 4-5, 3-4, 4-5, etc.
Recent research seems to indicate that interleaving concepts and skills is the most effective method of teaching (I’m a HS English teacher, too). It appears to be more effective than delivering the same activity until mastery before moving on. I hope I explained interleaving well enough.
We also utilize the S drill, but we usually end it with a shot on goal. So the last player to receive settles then shoots on the GK. We interleave this, too. 2-3 sessions on, 1-2 sessions off.
We interleave the losing your man activities, but with colored pinnies as visual cues. Start at the orange, check away to blue, check back to green, circle around red, angle to yellow… yes, they need that much guidance 🙂 We aim to take a pinnie away every couple of sessions.
We’ve just introduced double rondos, which they love. They’ve been surprisingly good at these – at least, better than we expected.
I’ll post a short video in the video section that takes a look at the progression.
Letting everyone know the 6v6+3 positional rondo game is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. We do the 4v0/4v1 rondos as a warm up in every training session and pre-game. The 6v6+3 activity adds an element of simplicity to a bigger game, eliminating players making random runs to keep the ball, realizing the importance of just getting big in possession and shrinking down in defense. The passing as a result under pressure is getting WAY better with the right amount of touch to feet or space, and recognizing when to play one time. It has helped my center mids and 9 tremendously in terms of checking their shoulder before they are played and our switching of points, either lateral or north/south, is very good.
One element introduced last night was an incentive to get 10 “clean” passes in a row, meaning the ball is not knicked by a defender. If the defense gets 10 passes connected against them, they immediately drop and do 5 pushup. The activity does not stop and while the defense is doing the pushups, the attacking team is trying to connect another 10 passes to punish the defense.
The impact is what I thought was pretty possession, suddenly started breaking down because of the intesity of the defensive pressure, the orgnaization of the defensive pressure in the form of communication (calling ball, where to press, how to ballance) and the engagement of more players in shrinking the field. This caused the team in possession to have to find new ways to retain the ball, playing dimensionally (short chips) and false steps to open up space. Overall, the competive element made a fun game even more enjoyable. Hated killing the activity after 35 minutes to progress on pattern work.
Paul, can you summarize how it’s set up? Link below does not work for me (I found it in an old thread).
http://www.coaching.3four3.com/6v6-3-positional-rondo/
That’s the correct link to video, could be the browser you’re using. As for the activity, it was laid out 35-40 yards length (penalty box to midfield) and 20 yards wide (touchline to edge of center circle). Space is largish for a rondo, but appropriate considering the number of players. The two teams of 6 comprise of your perimeter players (7, 2, 4, 5, 3, 11). The +3 players are neutral which include two of your three center mids and your 9. In the video, I believe the 9 plays outside the grid, I changed this to within the grid because I wanted the player not to be immune from being pressed/tackles. You can make the argument that the 9 out of the box is more game realistic, not likely to get pressed on the negative side of the ball, but I’ve spent a lot of work improving the strength of our 9 to hold the ball so our 8/10 can combine getting forward or for shots, thus wanting pressure on her at all times.
My suggestion is to change browsers so you can see the video. Basic shrink the field on defense, expansion on the attack being done. Concepts I believe most of us already understand. What I like most of the activity is the positional placement of players relative to one another. There’s less random movement of players to keep the ball, so you’re not having your 2 combine with your 11 which never happens in games (not in mine yet, at least). Watching interviews of Caleb Porter from a couple of years ago, the framework of every training session involved positional rondos, coordinated pressure activities and pattern play. Every activity must be functional (look like the game) to imprint upon the players how the game at match time should be played.
This is a high school girls team I coach. It is my first year for this particular school who has always played direct previously. We’ve progressed a TON since the start of the season a month and a half ago. Its ends in less than a month. Not a lot of time, but the team has progressed significantly from where they were and considering we train/play games 5 days a week, a lot of repetition can be had in that small amount of time.
Paul,
I don’t suppose you still have a link to those Caleb Porter interviews do you?
this link doesn’t work for me either
Hi guys,
The 6v6 +3, along with a few others, are “bonus” activities we make available after around the 6 month mark for new coaching members.
(It is a new, more advanced, layering to the methodology that should come after the core set of activities have been ingrained in training)
We are close to that point now, so it will unlock for you guys soon.
The link may not work because not everyone has access to that level of material. I cannot see it and I am in the first year of the coaching program. I think 2nd year people have greater access to more activities. (looks like Gary beat me to the punch)
On a separate note we have had a hard time getting our players to understand the concepts of playing away from the pressure and finding the 2 v 1 on the field. We have gone to playing a lot of 4v4v4 (or 5v5v5) depending on numbers to drive home the point of playing away from the defending team. The structure is simple. We take the Rondo grid which we use for S-Drill and all of our Rondo series (a large square with 4-10 step by 10 step rondo squares spaced 10 steps apart, which created three channels to run s drill). After we have finished we pull the middle cones out leaving the a playing area in the middle that we used to play a color possession game. For example we have teams of 5 (blue, red, white) and it is always 2 teams versus 1. Whoever loses possession is the defending team. Once we complete this for possession we play the same game with 4 pop up goals in each corner of the field. The goal is to get the least goals scored against your team. So maintaining possession guarantees you cannot get scored against and in turn allows you to put the other team out. This has been helping our players understand the concept of playing away from pressure in competitive scenarios. They are starting to figure out that they have to try to avoid playing to players with defenders in the area and find players that are the most open which often involves short and long play to get there.
-
This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by
Michael Perkins.
Without question, the set tactical work is outstanding and can be applied pretty easily IMHO, just so long as there is repetition. I’ve been doing that a lot with both my U11G and U14G team, with both teams showing excellent composure – especially when building from the back. A little more struggles with the offensive patterns, but using them as a guide while instructing them to be creative has helped possession up top as well.
Rondos are a given…a staple of my training since day 1. I do like the 4v0 game proposed by the coach in this thread – may try it tonight with my U11G team.
I believe Ryan posted the Porter interview, (not able to confirm it as I can’t acess it from work). Thank you for doing that.
When I first heard the interview, Porter described a positional rondo game and I immediately tried to figure out how he was doing it. I came up with a 7v7+3 game and went from the box area to about the center circle arc, and the width of the penaly area (30 yards by 44 yards). My intent was to exploit the width while in possession, try to replicate the build up play of the backs. I see merit in doing this, but the transition from offense to defense was slow and probably a condition of the grid size. Also the center mids got clobbered in the middle and often would lose shape during transition. It just didn’t flow the way i wanted to.
The adjustment of the 6v6+3 rondo being more long than wide, helps solve some of the transitional issues and definitely helped simplify how the two center mids play. Again, less random movement by all players compared to my original scheme including the centers. More effective possession for the team with the ball, easier transition into defense as the play is squeezed laterally, and ultimately, it makes possession fun which not every player finds to be a fun activity. Probably because there is too much running to keep the ball. The way the activity is set up, creates a bigger descrepancy between how much work has to be done for the team with the ball compared to the team in defense.
A couple things I have done as tweaks I liked to some of my most-used content, some of it for players as young as U11/12 but mostly for U13-university.
4v1 rondo: Instead of starting players out at 4v0, I put a passive defender in the middle who could only get out of the middle by calling their teammates on not receiving across their body or taking more than 2 touches. I did this for a couple reasons. The first is that it does add a bit of spatial awareness that no defender just doesn’t provide. The second (and more important) is that it gets the players used to holding each other accountable for their performance. After a couple weeks of that, the players were more comfortable telling others and being told by others that they need to get their shit together and saw a collective rise in attention to detail and maintaining high effort.
6v6+3 positional rondo (I used the same basic principles in a 4v4+3 for this tweak): After a couple weeks of using this, I decided to progress it into a transition activity with my U15-18s (note that I’ve been working with that group for 3-4 years, so they were already used to some of the more basic stuff). I would set the rondo up around midfield and then add a target 9 with two centerbacks defending them. When a team lost possession, the other team had 3 passes to find the 9 and counter to a goal. Many different things to focus on with the transition portion on both sides of the ball. Defense: who steps and who drops based on where the ball was lost, when it’s appropriate to do a tactical foul, defensive rotations in transition, etc. Offense: transitioning into space based on where the ball was won and direction ball handler is facing, whether a pass into the 9 is on, how to combine off the entry pass into the 9, etc. I think from there it isn’t a far leap to work on counter-pressing too with more advanced players.
Midfield pressure: Eventually I added a progression where I got rid of the goals and instead used two target players who were free to move on the endline. Forced the offball defenders to check their shoulders and communicate runs with their teammates. Also allowed us to work on penetrating passing/receiving with the offense a bit.
I’m moving back to Seattle in a couple weeks and am excited to pick up a brand new team and teach them the details now that I have some experience looking for and coaching them.
-
This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by
andrew crollard.
Andrew, I liked your idea of adding in a transition element to the 6v6+3 positional possession game. Would the neutral 9 participate in possession or just be a target? Also, would you say after 3 passes the team would then need to get “X” amount of passes for a point (to reflect the idea if you can’t penetrate quickly after recovering the ball, look to possess)?
Another element I’ve added to the 4v4+3 is giving the end neutral players (ex. CB & CF) a yellow and orange cone to hold. When one neutral player received, the other would have to hold up a color. Before the next players received, whether that be an outside player or middle player, they would need to say the color held up prior to receiving. For example, if the ball got to the CB player, the CF would need to recognize that and hold up either yellow or orange. If the middle neutral player moved to receive the ball, he/she would need to check over his shoulder and say the color prior to receiving. I only added this element after probably a year of doing 4v4+3, and the difficulty level went through the roof. It was easy to see who is engaged and who wasn’t!
-
This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.