Rondo Circle Passing Progression

By: Alyssa (Gagliardi) Sleasman

The Rondo Circle Passing Progression from Coach Alyssa Gagliardi is a great activity that can be used as a passing warm-up, or as an activity to improve overall awareness and passing with your head up. Rondos are popular activities in soccer. Rondo games are similar to keep away, where a group of players work to keep possession of the puck / ball.

Progression Details

• Setup: Can use 6 to 8 players around a circle. 
• Part # 1 - One Puck Passing: Players work to pass one puck around the circle to all of the players. More skilled groups can work on one-touch passing, sauce passing, or backhand passing.
• Part # 2 - Two Puck Passing: Players work to pass two pucks around the circle. This requires more awareness as players need to pay attention to both pucks. 
• Part # 3 - One Puck Follow Your Pass: Players make a pass and follow their pass to the player they passed to. 
• Part # 4 - Two Puck Follow Your Pass: Players make a pass and follow their pass to the player they passed to. This requires more awareness and players to keep their head up since there will be two pucks and people skating in the middle of the circle. 
• Part # 5 - One Person Keep Away: Players work together to pass the puck and play keep away from a player in the middle. If the player in the middle steals the puck, they will become a passer and the player that passed the intercepted puck will go in the middle to become the defender. Coaches can rotate defenders if they are in the middle for 15+ seconds.
• Part # 6 - Two Person Keep Away: Players work together to pass the puck and play keep away from the two players in the middle. If a player in the middle steals the puck, they will become a passer and the player that passed the intercepted puck will go in the middle to become the defender.
• Part # 7 - Two Person Keep Away to 2 on 1: Players work together to pass the puck and play keep away from the two players in the middle. When the defenders steal the puck, it initiates a 2 on 1, where the 2 defenders now go on the offense and the player that passed the intercepted puck becomes the defender on the 2 on 1.

Coaching Points

• When passing, players should keep their hands away from their body and chest so they can pull with their top hand and push with their bottom hand.
• Players without the puck should keep their stick on the ice and give their teammates a target to pass to.
• When playing keep away, the players that are passing should work on deception by using their body language (hands, eyes, and body) to trick the defender and make them think they will be passing somewhere else. 

Variations

• Coaches can set this up in different areas of the ice.
• Coaches can do this rondo progression with 4 to 8 players. 
• Players can work on forehand, backhand, one-touch and sauce passes.