Tokyo Rondo Gauntlet

This practice, known as the Rondo Gauntlet, is designed to combine conditioning demands with high-intensity defensive pressing. Three small rondo grids are set up in a line. Each grid contains three possession players, creating a 3v2 scenario whenever defenders enter. Two defenders begin in the first grid and must attempt to win possession as quickly as possible.

Once the defenders force a turnover in the first grid, they must sprint immediately into the second grid and repeat the press. After regaining possession there, they transition into the third grid to complete the final 3v2. The sequence is continuous and physically demanding, challenging the defenders’ work rate, coordination and pressing habits, while the possession players focus on quick combinations and evasion.