Todd Beane is the founder of the TOVO Academy Barcelona. Todd moved to Barcelona in 2002 to begin working with Johan Cruyff to launch and build the Cruyff Institute and eventually Cruyff Football. Todd married Chantal Cruyff, Johan’s daughter, and worked with his father-in-law for nearly 15 years before Johan’s untimely death in 2016. TOVO Academy is Todd’s continuation of the legacy he set out to establish with his late father-in-law. Over the past two decades, Todd has learned from practitioners at La Masia, Barcelona’s infamous youth academy, and his father-in-law, Johan Cruyff, to develop clear ideas about youth development, positional play, rondos, and all aspects related to the success of Spanish and Catalan Football.
Reconsider the Rondo
by Todd Beane
Most coaches use the Rondo as a frivolous warm-up drill. We do not. In fact, it is the cornerstone of cognitive, competency, and character development. It is also the first step teaching our preferred system of play exploring width and depth.
But for today’s tip let me just touch upon cognitive processing and more specifically the first step.
1. Perception (Scan)
2. Conception (See options)
3. Decision (Select best option)
4. Deception (Disguise intentions)
5. Execution (Pass)
6. Assessment (Evaluate & Adjust)
Coaching Suggestion
As your players conduct the rondo, do not look at the ball. Do not follow the sequence of passes as a spectator. Most coaches do. Instead, look at the heads of the players.
Does each player scan? They should look centrally to see what space is available and what options might be playable BEFORE they get the ball.
I guarantee the moment they scan consistently will be the moment that they start to perfect this activity. There is an abundance of research on the effects of scanning on pass completion. Better scanning leads to better pass completion percentages.
So use the Rondo as a dynamic and challenging problem-solving activity and demand maximum concentration from your players.
TOVO TIP: Reconsider the Rondo as a Perception Activity: The First Step in Cognitive Processing
TOVO Rondo 4v1
Setup:
As shown.
Instructions:
Space: Increase or Decrease
Touches: Limit to 3, 2 or 1
Transition: Loss of Possession
Coaching Points:
Perception: Head up & Scan
Passing: Inside of foot
Depth: Pass deep when available
Receiving: Inside of foot of far leg
Angle: Hips open to center
Distance: Shuffle to support player with ball