Fast breaks are key. If you can gain an advantage in the transition game you will have a chance to win any game on your schedule. Basically, a fast break is when your defense gains possession back from the opposing team’s offense and you have a man advantage while transitioning down the field (you’ll have 4 offenders to their 3 defenders). You set your attack and defense in a fast break formation as pictured in our above diagram, and line up your midfielders on the outside of the opposite restraining line. Alternating sides of the field, have your goalie clear it to a breaking middie as they run towards the opposite side of the field.
Offensively, your goal in this drill is improving decision making. Based on the timing of the slides from the defenders, your breaking middie has to decide whether they want to pass it to the top attackmen “A1”, continue crashing to the net and shooting, back door passing to the backside attackmen “A2”, or dumping it off to “A3” for a lay-up. Ideally, most fast breaks will cleanly go from the Middie to A1 to A2 and finally to A3 for a 1-on-1 with the goalie, but this is subject to change based on how the defense reacts to the break.
Defensively, you want to work on your timing. You are going to want to force as many passes as possible to increase the chance of error. Remember, the most dangerous player on the field is the one with the ball. Keep your sticks up high in the passing lanes, and “D1” should be crashing towards the middie that is breaking down the field as they start to get into shooting range – focus on keeping position between this middie and the goal. When D1 slides to the middie, D2 will start to slide from A2 to A1, but time it so that the middie cannot pass the ball down to A2 for a higher percentage shot. This is accomplished by keeping your stick on A2 while positioning your body in the middle of A1 and A2. When D2 starts to slide to A1, D3 is going to want to start to slide to A2 from A3. Remember, the offense is supposed to score on a fast break, so don’t be discouraged when they do – they have a man advantage after all. The defense has to make a superior play in order to make the stop, or cause the offense to make a mistake. This is why you want to pressure those with the ball and cut off the higher percentage shots. Remember, the more passes you force, the more likely one will be a bad pass or a player will drop one.
Creating a more instinctive break for your offense will create higher conversions of fast breaks to goals in a game, and fast breaks are opportunities that you cannot give up on game day, because this a sport where every point is earned, and fast breaks don’t come around often. Conversely, having a confident defense in these situations is a huge advantage, and stopping a fast break swings the momentum of the game in your favor. Having a competent transition game on both ends of the field will elevate your team to the next level.
