Possession
Counter Rondo Ladder
Keep the ball under pressure in a tight area
Possession
Passing
Receiving
Counter Rondo Ladder is a 16-minute possession drill for 5-12 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, bibs. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryPossession
Passing
Receiving
Technical Practice
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Counter Attack
Duration
16 min
Players
5-12
Pitch size
18 x 18 yards
Ability levels
Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Counter Rondo Ladder — Circle — pass around and through · 18 x 18 yards
Step 1 of 5Outside players keep the ball away from the middle defenders.
- 1. Outside players keep the ball away from the middle defenders.
- 2. Ten consecutive passes wins the round.
- 3. The defender who wins the ball swaps with the player who lost it.
- 4. The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
- 5. Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.
- Ball
- Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
- Circle organisation — players on the outside
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Keep the ball under pressure in a tight area
- -Find the pass through or around the press
- -Improve body shape and support angles
Setup
- 1A rondo circle with defenders in the middle in a 18 x 18 yards area.
- 2Place two mini goals on the halfway line for the counter-attacking side to aim at.
- 3One ball, bibs for the middle players.
Coaching instructions
- 1Outside players keep the ball away from the middle defenders.
- 2Ten consecutive passes wins the round.
- 3The defender who wins the ball swaps with the player who lost it.
- 4The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
- 5Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.
Coaching points
- -Open the body to see both sides
- -Split the defenders when the gap appears
- -Support at an angle, not flat
- -Counter in a straight line — the first pass forward beats the recovery run
Common mistakes
- -Passing round the outside only
- -Standing flat on the cone
- -Dribbling into traffic when the counter is on
Where this drill fits
- More football possession drills
- More football passing drills
- More football receiving drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme