Training Library › Keeping the ball
5v2 Rondo with Position Changes
Progressing and keeping the ball (keeping balance while changing positions)
Players: 5+2Area: about 15×15 mAge: U-11 and upTime: 20 minPhase: Keeping the ball
Setup & rules
HOW IT WORKS
- Place four attackers outside and one in the middle, then keep the ball
- After passing, the ball carrier must always move to a space other than the one they are in
- The other players move into free spaces according to the situation
- The attackers keep moving so that no two players occupy the same position
- If there is no passing lane, players can dribble into another space
- When the defenders win the ball and take it out of the area, attack and defence switch
RULE
- The player who passes must always move to another space
TIME
- 15–25 min
Key factors
- PLAYERS WATCH ONLY THE BALL AND END UP IN THE SAME POSITION → FIX
- Keep the ball in your peripheral vision and always watch your teammates' movement
- Repeat: look at the ball → look at your teammates
- A TEAMMATE DRIBBLES TOWARDS YOU BUT YOU STAY IN YOUR SPACE → FIX
- When a teammate dribbles towards you, leave the space with an overlap
- Always go behind the ball carrier (on the inside you are close to the defenders, so the switch is easy to target)
- PASSING BEFORE A TEAMMATE IS IN POSITION → FIX
- Hold the ball until your teammate gets into position
- Buy time while avoiding the press with feints and dribbling
- Buy time while exchanging passes with the middle player
- PLAYERS FOCUS ON EMPTYING A SPACE → FIX
- Think: after passing, receive again in a different space
- By moving to receive again, a space opens as a result
Progressions
- If it's difficult: make only the middle player move after every pass (the practice becomes easier, but you can train the same concept)
Kazu's notes FROM THE COACH
Adjust the area size according to how often the situation you want actually happens. Tools: tactical concepts = support, using space, overlapping / technical actions = passing, carrying dribble, feints.
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. The original Japanese article: junior-soccer.college.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.
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4v4+4 Possession (No Passes to Your Own Colour)12 players · U-12 · Keeping the ball
3v3 + 1 Floater Possession — Escaping the Press with Fluid Movement3+3+1 floater players · Any age · Keeping the ball
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.