The Rondo Circle Passing to 2 on 1 from Coach Alyssa Gagliardi is a competitive activity that can be used to practice passing, overall awareness, and 2 on 1's. This game can also be modified to be set up in zone, if you only have access to half-ice (example at bottom of this page).

Rondos are popular activities in soccer and are similar to keep away, where a group of players work to keep possession of the puck / ball. To view an 8 part rondo passing warm-up, view Rondo Circle Passing Progression.

Setup

• Players work together to pass the puck and play keep away from the two defenders 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 created the turnover (either by a bad pass or fumbling a pass) becomes the defender on the 2 on 1. Quick thinking and reactions will help players be successful.

Coaching Points

• Passing Team
  • Plan ahead! Look at where the defenders are and where the open space is even when you do not have the puck!
  • 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.
• Defending Team
  • Keep your stick on the ice to take away passing lanes.

VARIATIONS

• Coaches can set this up in different areas of the ice.
• Coaches can set this up with different numbers of players. For example, instead of six players passing (like the video), you can go down to 5, 4, or 3. You can also have 1 defender instead of 2.
• If the forwards are struggling to complete passes, you can require one or both defenders flip their sticks over.
• Can set this up as an in-zone game instead of center ice (view diagram below). You can set up 2 in-zone games and require players to pay attention to the other game if there are two simultaneous 2 on 1's.