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Keep Away Circle With 5 Attackers

Keep Away or Rondo games teach players all aspects of playing soccer, except for scoring and game restarts, including the roles of the:

• Player in possession of the ball.
• Supporting teammates of the player in possession who must instantly move to be in the "Best Position" to receive a pass from their teammate in possession.
• Teammate receiving the ball who must first touch the ball away from pressure (opponents) to keep possession while looking for their teammates in the "Best Position" to work with.
• Defending opponents learns to contain, deny passing lanes and make play predictable while playing "Numbers Down". See Defending in Keep Away Games

Keep Away Teaching Progression

• Game with NO defenders
• Game with 1 defender
• Game with 2 defenders

Basic Attacking Points In Keep Away - 0 Defenders

• Attacker in possession of the ball and turns their body to face as many of their teammates as possible (When a player with the ball faces most or all of their teammates their opponents don't know who they plan to pass to).
• Attackers supporting their teammate in possession of the ball turn their body square to their teammate in possession of the ball (When supporting teammates stand square to their teammate with the ball, their teammate with the ball can pass directly to them or to either side of them. Standing square to your teammate with the ball makes it harder for your opponents to know who your teammate with the ball may pass to).
• The attacker receiving the ball is usually standing square to their teammate passing to them. In this position they can only pass back to the teammate who passed them the ball or teammates in the direction their body is facing.
• The attacker receiving the ball gains an advantage if they turn their body to face all or as many of their teammates as possible as they receive the ball (This gives the attacker receiving the ball the option of passing to more teammates and confuses their opponents who will not always know who they will pass to).

Basic Attacking Points in Keep Away - 1 Defender

REPLACE WITH 5V1 ANIMATION

In Keep Away the Attackers supporting their teammate with the ball must move to be on the widest possible passing lane, unless their teammate can chip the ball to them over the defender's head. 

• A passing lane is an open lane between the attacker with the ball and their teammate to whom they can pass the ball on the ground. Passes on the ground are usually preferred because the receiving player can usually control the ball with one touch. 
• A ball passed in the air usually takes two touches to control. A first touch to bring the ball to the ground a second touch to control it on the ground. 
  

In Keep Away a "Through Pass" (aka "Killer pass") that goes to a teammate on the far side beats all defenders, forces them to run to recover and causes them to tire faster. 

• The best passes in soccer usually beat the most opponents and place most or all of a teams players behind the ball. When most of a team is behind the ball an opponent who wins the ball has to beat all of the opponents who are behind the ball to attack the opponent's goal.
  

In Keep Away and soccer a player receiving the ball needs to help their team keep possession so that their team has the best chance to score. 

• Usually a player receiving the ball should touch the ball to the side away from the nearest opponent (aka "1st Touch Away From Pressure"). This gives them more time and space to control the ball, look for teammates who are in a "Better Position" and to either pass or shot.
  

Is soccer and Keep Away the ball should be passed to the teammate in the "Best Position" to help the team. 

• In the defending third of a soccer field this is an open teammate closer to the opponents goal because this puts more players behind the ball. 
• In the middle and attacking thirds of the field this is any teammate in a "Better Position" to help the team score. In most cases this is the player on an open passing lane who has the time and ability to receive the ball and help their team. 
• In the attacking third, closest to the opponents goal, the player in the "Best Position" is often marked by an opponent but  who may score if the ball is served (passed) to them in a way which gives them a chance to shoot or pass to another teammate to shoot.

Basic Attacking Points in Keep Away - 2 Defenders

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Basic Keep Away Menu

Return to Keep Away Menu

Rules for Basic Keep Away Games
   6v1, 6v2 Keep Away Circles
   5v1, 5v2 Keep Away Circles
   4v1, 4v2 Keep Away Squares
   3v1, 3v2 Keep Away Triangles
   2v1 Keep Away Inside Of A Grid