5v3v1 Rondo
A 3v1 rondo lives inside a 5v3 — every time the ball is won, the whole game flips from one to the other.
Winning or losing the ball changes your job instantly, and this rondo makes that switch — attack to defense and back — the whole point of the game.
Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive
- Grab: Cones, two colors of pinnies, and extra balls to keep the game moving.
- Build: Build a 20-by-20-yard square. Sixteen or more players? Build two and run them at the same time.
- Place: Four players from the team of five spread around the outside; their fifth goes inside. All three from the team of three go inside too, and the ball starts with them.
Show me the setup picture
One thing to remember: Keeping possession in tight space, pressuring as the lone defender, and switching instantly between attacking and defending roles.
How it runs — the whole game in one sentence
The three keep the ball from the lone defender in a 3v1; when the lone defender wins it and finds an outside player, the game becomes a 5v3 — until the three win it back.
1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Make a team of five and a team of three in different pinnies. Put four of the five around the outside of the square and send their fifth inside with the three.
Coach says
Five in one color, three in the other. Four of you on the edges — everyone else inside.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk both states — the three pass and move to keep it from the lone defender; when the lone defender steals it, they play to any outside player and the five keep it, four outside and one in, while the three hunt it back.
Coach says
Three of you keep it from one. Lone hunter — win it and find the outside. Then it's five keeping it from three.
3Play▾
Coach does
Start with the 3v1 and let possession decide the game — every turnover flips it the instant the ball changes hands. Award a point for a run of consecutive passes — you pick the number — and keep the pace high.
Coach says
Won it? Switch — right now! Heads up, keep it moving.
Look for: The flip itself — players switching from attack to defense the instant the ball changes hands, not a breath later.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Let the lone job rotate — when the lone player wins it and plays outside, they swap with one of the three, so a new player takes the lone role. Keep the outside four alert and ready even when the action is away from them.
Coach says
New lone hunter in! Outside — stay ready, you're next in the action.
If it's not working
If the three can't string passes before the hunter arrives, walk the square out to 25 by 25 — more time and space — then bring it back in as they settle.
Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.
Why are we doing this?
What are they learning?
How can I change it?
Easier: Expand the square to 25 by 25 for more time and space.
Harder: Shrink it to 15 by 15, go two-touch for everyone, or one-touch for the outside players only.
Next: 5v3 Switching Rondo — the same flip, now traveling between two grids.