I've met guys with decent skill who seem to hate this game. I don't see many casual players warm up with this drill before a match. I personally like this drill. I regularly played it with my buddies when we didn't have access to proper goals.
i think it's a great drill for lesser skilled players. but i personally don't like playing it. i especially don't like being in the middle. if you already have decent skills and know how to play soccer, it's a bit boring. and if your teammates have decent skills and know how to play, you'll spend all day in the middle (for numbers > 2v1). (to be fair, it's no more boring than just passing back and forth, but there's less exertion than pickle-in-the-middle.) however, i tend to put up with it on teams with less skilled players, just because i know that others need the drill to get used to touches and timing and spacing.
Interesting. Rondo was introduced to me by skillful player. He seem to enjoy it the most. I see your point. Rondo can be an endless game if there's only one in the middle. But after seeing the Barca wembley warm up I realized how you can adapt it.
I've never heard it called "rondo". Where I live at least, it's usually called monkey in the middle, or circle keep away. I've also had some Vietnamese coaches call it 5v2 (because that's the numbers they used for it), haha... Regardless though, I really love this drill. I just find it really fun. Elegance in simplicity, I suppose? So long as there's a good ratio of players, good spacing, and you limit yourself to two-touch at most, it can create a fairly fast paced, yet "easy" training drill
I like it alot especially in when your in the middle. I am a player that likes to analyze there opponents. I have pretty good game vision. Most players always have some flaw for example some always pass to the left. You just got to not give away that you know where they are passing and you'll get the ball. I think this belongs here[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPqD-N6GOk"]FC Barcelona's Best Rondos - YouTube[/ame]
Maybe that's it. The guys I know who hate this game are instinctive players who don't analyze the game. Most of them lack "Off the ball movement" although they have decent enough skill.
I love the game. Mostly because I am almost never in the middle. It just seems so simple to stay out of the middle. 2 touch, trap, look where the defender is and go the opposite direction. Players who hate it usually have a poor touch, or hold onto the ball for some strange reason. Then when they get in the middle they don't put out a good effort. I love torturing them. Anyhow, if it gets too troublesome for the player in the middle the best solution is to make the box smaller or add another defender.
I can usually tell how our team's gonna play by our keepaway game during warmups. If it's aggressive and feisty, we're in for a good day. If it's passive, we're gonna get beat. It's a great drill, though. Applicable to every level of the game....
We called it monkey or monkeys in the middle. You notice the ball never got out of the circle.Well it does when your not Barca. Can play it with points a pass outside of the circle is a point. Pass across the circle is two points. To get out of the middle you hac=ve to win the ball not just touch the ball.
I like how Barca doesn't change out the guy who wins the ball, but the one who is in the middle first. It reinforces the work for your teammates idea.
i had not noticed that. that's a really good way to play it. one of my pet peeves is when i'm constantly pressuring, forcing play to one side, forcing bad passes, etc. and then my partner in the middle scoops up an easy interception, but i'm still in the middle because i didn't win the ball (even though i did all of the hard work to create the turnover).
I love this game, being outside and in the middle. But my teammates don't take it as serious and hold it too long (they try to take on the player in the middle) which isn't the point of the drill.
naaa I dont really like it I don't like chasing the ball, though it can be OK when your dominating the guy(s) in the middle. Though it's often used for warm up and when I'm in the middle and cold I don't have any sort of will or energy to really chase. And when I'm on the outside passing the ball doesn't warm me up at all.
I met guys who can play this game very well because they do it in every warm up. But are not good playing the real game.
that's because the drill is good for some things (like taking less time on the ball). but it has limited use (like it doesn't force you to look around much--all of your passing targets are in front of you--and if you're on the outside, it doesn't force you to think too far in advance--in terms of moving after you make the pass).
That's right again they do it before every practice and every game. Make the circle a little larger with less players in in. Then have two or 3 other players moving out side the circle in different directions. 1 pt for the dribbler passing left or right of his position in the circle. 2 pts for the dribbler passing across the circle and 4 points for the breakout pass to the players moving out side that circle. Also have a defender trying to stop that breakout pass. It is more real game like.
I hate it and would try my hardest elevate my passing technique to avoid being in the middle and I'm a defender....
Ok this is my oberservation. In any 11 on a side game there is always going to be small sided play near the ball. Until someone can make the break out pass. But how many times do you see 1 person with the ball and 8 team mates near that player? Does that happen in real games? Is there only 1 or 2 defenders near the player with the ball in real games and no other defenders in real games? To hold the ball in a small space in real games your need your team mates to pass and move to get open. As your doing that you are also always looking to make the break out pass. They are not just standing around without moving. At youth tryouts it is true that most coaches look for players who can hold the ball in a small space. But it depends how you set up that small sided game. I scout players for my old club team looking for youth players. I scout players for our adult team. I also scouted players for an A league team. Do you know how long I watch a player before I make a judgement about that player 5 or 10 minutes tops. I don't watch their warm ups. I watch them play in actual games. I look for quickness in a small space, ball touch and vision. If I like what I see I invite them to practice with our teams. So what else do you need to know?