Effects of Different Rondo Formats on Internal and External Load Demands in Semi-Professional Football Players

Load monitoring is essential in football to optimise training prescription and reduce injury risk, yet the internal and external demands of common possession drills such as rondos remain insufficiently described. Rondo formats are widely used across levels, but changes in player configuration may substantially alter their load profile. This study examined how three rondo configurations (5vs2, 6vs2 and 8vs2) affect internal load (RPE) and external load (GPS-derived metrics) in semi-professional football players. Twenty-one Spanish players (mean age = 28.9 years) from the same team participated in the study. All players completed three rondo formats (5vs2, 6vs2 and 8vs2) across four separate weeks. Each format consisted of three 3-min bouts with 1 min of recovery, and players were restricted to one touch. Internal load was assessed using players’ rating of perceived exertion (RPE), while external load was measured using a global positioning system (GPS). The results showed a significantly higher perceived exertion in the 5vs2 rondo compared with the other formats (p < 0.001). Regarding external load, significantly greater values (p < 0.001) were observed in the 6vs2 rondo for distance covered at 12.1–18.0 km·h−1 (DZ2) and 18.1–21.0 km·h−1 (DZ3) compared with the other rondo formats. In contrast, 6vs2 also elicited a significantly lower number of accelerations above 3 m·s−2 and decelerations below −3 m·s−2 than the other formats (p < 0.001; p < 0.006). Finally, 5vs2 produced significantly higher maximum speed than 8vs2 (p = 0.016). In conclusion, the 6vs2 rondo may be the most suitable option to target DZ2 and DZ3 compared with 5vs2 and 8vs2. Conversely, 5vs2 induced the greatest acceleration and deceleration demands, followed by 8vs2. Therefore, coaches can select the rondo format according to the desired external load requirements.