Training idea: Rene Maric 6 Zone ‘Rondo’
Probably my favourite practice from the sessions I have delivered this year, taken from Rene Maric’s ‘Football through Football’. The practice is highly challenging across all four corners, forcing players to always be thinking about the positions of themselves and the opponents. Although the practice has many similar aspects to a rondo, it is considerably more complex and therefore puts demands on players that are more realistic to a game.
Although the practice is difficult, it lead to some really high quality football when the players found a rhythm. Many of the coaching points mentioned are brought out implicitly by the conditions of the game. I added some variations to the original practice, to challenge the players to find different solutions.
The Maric Practice
Layout
The total area is approximately 27x15–18m (depending on age and ability), split in to six 9x9m zones, which each have a mini-goal attached to them. Team sizes can vary, however the team who start in possession (Reds) will always have an overload against the out of possession team (Yellows). E.g. 9v5 in the picture above.
Rules:
- Reds start with the ball
- No more than 3 Reds in the same zone
- No more than 1 Yellow in the same zone when out of possession
- No more than 3 Yellows in the same zone when in possession
- The Reds must play a pass within 3 (or 4) different zones before they can score
- The Yellows can score immediately after winning the ball
- You can only score in the goal attached to the zone the ball is in
Scoring*
- Goals — 3 points
- Breaking a rule — 1 point for the opposition (who must call it out)
*Maric doesn’t say how he would value each way of scoring, so this is what I went with
Challenges for players
The game is very challenging, with the Reds continuously having to adjust their positions in order play a pass within at least 3 zones before they can score. A pass ‘within’ a zone means the pass starts and ends inside the zone (passes into different zones do not count). Although they have a big overload, a lot of movement is required to maintain a 3v1 in the zone with the ball as it moves around.
To circulate the ball effectively, the Reds will not be able to linger on the ball and will need to use quick ball speed, allowing them to best exploit the 3v1 in each zone.
Although they cannot press the ball together, the Yellows in the zones around the ball still need to be switched on, taking up good positions to cover their pressing teammate and cutting off passing lanes.
With the point punishment for breaking the rules, players need to be constantly checking and adjusting their positions in relation to their teammates, as well as communicating effectively to avoid misunderstandings. Not only should they communicate what they are going to do, but also the situation of the game (i.e. how many zones they have played a pass in — can they score?)
By requiring players to call out the opposition breaking rules, they also need to be continually checking their opponents’ positions, challenging them even further. However, when players do pay strong attention to the position of everyone else on the pitch, the standard of play is incredibly high, demonstrating the value of doing so.
Here are some variations I tried and the challenges they provided to players:
Play with a reduced overload (8v6) but the same restrictions:
This increases the challenge of maintaining an overload when the ball changes zone, as the Red team will not have as many players ‘spare’. Quicker and more intelligent movement is required from players in zones away from the ball, as they do not have an overload in this area (shown below). If needed, a condition can be added that the Reds must have a player in at least five of the zones at all times, so that they still make the pitch big as a team and don’t solely focus on the 3v1’s in each zone.
3rd player movement and up-back-through combinations will help enable the Reds to solve the problem of the reduced overload, drawing defenders in before releasing the ball quickly. The timing and weight of passes will need to be good, to break lines but also enable the receiving player to release the ball first time.
After 4 passes in the same zone, an extra defender may enter:
This requires better support in the zones around and away from the ball, so that the ball can be circulated before 4 passes are required. Quicker decision making from the players on the ball will make this easier, requiring them to scan and be aware of their longer pass options before they receive the ball. Once 4 passes are played in one zone, body shape and checking shoulders will become more important, as players can now be pressured from behind. Defenders should be coached to press quickly from the blind side, to give themselves the best opportunity to win the ball.
Extra point for the Yellows if they score in the zone they won it in:
Quicker support and movement towards the ball from the Yellows is required if they are going to score the extra point, as the game becomes slightly directional in the zone the ball has been won in. It will therefore necessitate quicker reactions from the Reds to cover the goal closest to the ball, while also trying to regain possession.
An alternative could also be rewarding the Yellows if they win the ball in a corner zone, before scoring in the goal in the furthest zone from where they won it. It would be more challenging for the Yellows and also begin to introduce the idea of playing the ball away from pressure when they win possession.
Yellows must play one pass before they can score
By requiring the Yellows to play a pass before they can score, it provides the Reds with a better opportunity to counter-press when they lose the ball. This adjustment makes the game slightly more realistic, with a less immediate punishment for losing possession. The Reds nearest the ball should be coached to collapse on it, while their teammates in the zones around the ball cut off passing lanes.
Passes in to a new zone must be played first time
A personal favourite. Added even more difficulty to the practice, with players having to consider the detail on their passes to enable their teammates to play a longer pass first-time. It lead to an increase in the number of passes in each zone, which combined with the rule above, meant an extra defender joined more often. The number of touches per player was reduced, leading to a quicker game and a higher standard of play.
Players also found a work around to this — taking their first touch in to a new zone before passing short in there. Although this wasn’t the idea I had in mind, it still meant players were thinking about taking a positive first touch before they received the ball, which is still a positive.
Coaching points
In Possession
- Scanning and body shape
- Awareness of teammate/opposition’s positions
- Angles to receive the ball
- Positioning in the zones adjacent to the ball
- Transition when losing the ball
- Quick combinations
Out of Possession
- Forcing play when pressing
- Covering positions in the zones around the ball
- Anticipation to intercept longer passes
