Piggy in the middle with cognitive elements - Barcellona F.C.
- 6 vests (3 red & 3 yellow as in the figure)
- Sufficient balls
- Playing area: 8x8 meters
- Players: 9
- Duration: 14 minutes
- Series: 2 series of 6 minutes with 1 minute of passive recovery
Summary | Secondary Objectives |
---|---|
Cognitive exercise to develop aspects such as perception, analysis and decision making |
Visual perception, Peripheral vision, Pass, Intercepting |
Place eight players in a circle (8x8 m) and a defender inside. In the figure three players are in red, three in yellow and three in white
- The players in the circle pass the ball trying to keep possession avoiding the ball being intercepted by the defender inside.
- The player playing the ball must always pass to a teammate of a different colour
- If the defender wins the ball he switches position with the intercepted player
- If a player passes the ball to a teammate of the same colour he will replace the defender inside
Developing Piggy in the middle
- The player must always pass the ball to a teammate in a different colour vest
- Maximum two touches
- Increase the difficulty of the exercise by adding a second ball. One ball will be passed with the feet by the rules explained previously (pass to a teammate in a different colour), while the second ball will be played with their hands (clockwise or counterclockwise)
Variation 1
- For the players possessing the ball:
- It is very important that the rondo is played at highest intensity
- Pay attention to the player’s body orientation verifying that it is “open” towards the play and teammates
- Passes must be made with the right intensity
- Check the time elapsing between control and pass trying to minimize it
- Encourage players to think before the ball arrives; in modern football thinking ahead of the play may change the outcome of the move
- Try to lead players to gradually play one touch
- For players not in possession:
- Check the frequency of supports stimulating the defender to be always ready for an unexpected change of direction
- Check position for efficient interception
- Stimulate players to read trajectories to try anticipating the intentions of the player possessing the ball