The key to Pep's success at Barcelona and Manchester City is the Rondo.
Rondos have transformed modern football. Not only have Rondos helped Pep dominate European football, they've helped turn the Spanish national team into the best in the world. The system behind Rondos was the beating heart of the brilliant Barcelona teams, which dominated Europe for a decade from 2005. They made soccer even more exciting to watch, improving players' technical ability and creating a proper, total football (in the European sense) game. Their approach was reminiscent of the fantastic Ajax team of the 1970s and the great Dutch teams of that era. They led to the excitement of the high press and the thrilling soccer, which follows when the press is defeated.
They proved the benefit of technique over physical prowess.
So, what is this miracle of the training pitch which has so transformed the game of soccer? The beauty of the rondo is its simplicity. It is a drill where the objective is to retain possession. As rondo drills become more complex, this aim might develop. It might be about keeping possession in transition or maintaining possession to create a goal-scoring opportunity. However, at its heart is the objective of one side keeping hold of the ball.
A second key element of a rondo is that the sides are uneven. One team has extra players. It can take a form as exaggerated as 10 v 1, or as close as 5 v 4. However, the point is that some pressure is applied, but not so much as to make the drill difficult to perfect. Thus, confidence grows, and in turn, touch and vision.
A rondo is usually a drill that takes place in a limited space; typically a circle, square or rectangular grid. Thus first and second touches are perfected because there is not much time to take many touches.
Finally, and crucially, rondos are drills that are fast and fun. They involve lots of touches for the players in possession and a real sense of achievement on the rare occasions that the smaller side actually wins back the ball.
So simple. Yet so effective.
This coaching book celebrates the rondo and offers drills, tactics, and coaching techniques to help soccer players at any level, from the unbounded enthusiasm of Under 6s to the worldly view of veteran teams. From the pub side who turn out on a Sunday morning, cooked breakfast weighing heavily on their hangover-infused stomachs to the champion youth team of the region.
We can all improve as coaches and players. The rondo is the system that enables progress to happen more quickly and efficiently than any other soccer coaching strategy.
Even if you haven't heard of Rondos before, you'll gain a lot from this book.
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