Possession
Tempo Rondo Ladder
Keep the ball under pressure in a tight area
Possession
Passing
Receiving
Premium
Tempo Rondo Ladder is a 14-minute possession drill for 5-12 players, suitable for Under 8 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
Foundation Phase
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Tempo
Duration
14 min
Players
5-12
Pitch size
14 x 14 yards
Ability levels
Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Tempo Rondo Ladder — Circle — pass around and through · 14 x 14 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 clock starts the moment the first pass is played in.
- 5. The sequence must reach the end action inside eight seconds or the rep is void.
- 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 14 x 14 yards area.
- 2Set a visible timer or have an assistant count aloud from the side of the area.
- 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 clock starts the moment the first pass is played in.
- 5The sequence must reach the end action inside eight seconds or the rep is void.
Coaching points
- -Open the body to see both sides
- -Split the defenders when the gap appears
- -Support at an angle, not flat
- -Pass with pace and intent — under-hit passes cost the clock
Common mistakes
- -Passing round the outside only
- -Standing flat on the cone
- -Slow, sideways passing that burns the clock
Where this drill fits
- More football possession drills
- More football passing drills
- More football receiving drills
- football drills for U8s
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme