Possession
Underload Rondo Ladder
Keep the ball under pressure in a tight area
Possession
Passing
Receiving
Underload Rondo Ladder is a 14-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
Underload
Duration
14 min
Players
5-12
Pitch size
10 x 10 yards
Ability levels
Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Underload Rondo Ladder — Circle — pass around and through · 10 x 10 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 attacking group starts a player short, so every entry pass has to be sharp.
- 5. Defenders score a point for every clean turnover; attackers need three clean end actions to win the round.
- 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 10 x 10 yards area.
- 2Add one extra defender to the working area and mark their start position with a flat cone.
- 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 attacking group starts a player short, so every entry pass has to be sharp.
- 5Defenders score a point for every clean turnover; attackers need three clean end actions to win the round.
Coaching points
- -Open the body to see both sides
- -Split the defenders when the gap appears
- -Support at an angle, not flat
- -Protect the ball and wait for the second runner rather than forcing it
Common mistakes
- -Passing round the outside only
- -Standing flat on the cone
- -Trying to beat two players instead of releasing early
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