Training Library › Keeping the ball, progressing
4v2 Rondo (+ Mobility)
Technique and individual/group tactics in possession
Players: 4+2Area: 15×15 mAge: U-11Time: 15 minLevel: IntermediateIntensity: HighPhase: Keeping the ball, progressing
Use this when…
- You want players to string together accurate passes while on the move.
- Players don't notice when a space is open.
- Players can't make movements that create space or use space.
Setup & rules
- At first, the attackers are positioned four on the outside.
- After passing, a player must always move to another space (the middle is fine too).
Key factors
- When there is no passing lane, buy time with a dribble
- If a teammate dribbles into your space, move away or overlap
- Watch your teammates' movement and see where space will open
- Move while anticipating
Questions to ask your players
- Where can you move to receive a pass?
- What should you do when there is no passing lane?
What success looks like
When there is no passing lane, do players genuinely try to keep the ball?
Progressions
- More players is fine too (5v2, 5v3)
Kazu's notes FROM THE COACH
- Basically, encourage players not to end up in the same space, but when they do overlap, encourage improvisation too
Use this drill in your own session
Download it and open it in TRAINING DESIGNER — a free drill designer and session planner in your browser. Edit the diagram, change the numbers, add it to a session, and export as PDF, GIF or video.
In the app: menu → “Import external data” → choose the downloaded file. No sign-up needed.One idea a week from Japanese youth football
A free weekly essay on how kids actually learn the game — complexity, the ecological approach, and what 30 years on Japanese grassroots pitches taught me.
Related drills
4v2 Rondo (3 outside, 1 inside) — Attack4+2 players · U-10 and up · Keeping the ball, progressing
2v2 + 2 Servers Rondo — Losing Your Marker and the Third Player6 (2 + 2 servers + 2) players · U-11 and up · Keeping the ball, progressing
5v3 Rondo — Creating Local Overloads and Fluidity5+3 players · U-11 · Keeping the ball, progressing
2v2+3 Rondo — Width and Depth with Your Teammates2+2+3 players · U-11 · Keeping the ball, progressing
I'm Kazu — a youth football coach in Japan since 1995. These are sessions I actually use, shared from the Japanese coaching site I have run for years (Junior Soccer College). I also write a free weekly newsletter on how children learn the game.