Overview
The 2 on 2 Long Transition drill from Jason Lammers focuses on pushing players out of their comfort zones to improve speed, decision-making, and transition play. The 2 on 2 Long Transition emphasizes breakout passes, backchecking, and offensive and defensive transitions.
Setup
- Players: Divide into two teams (e.g., White and Black).
- Starting Positions:
- Two White players and two Black players start on the ice for a 2 on 2 scenario.
- The remaining players from each team line up below the hash marks on their respective sides of the ice.
Execution
- Initial Play: The drill begins as a 2 on 2. The offensive team attempts to create plays and score, while the defensive team works to get the puck and pass to their teammates along the boards.
- Transition: When the breakout pass is made from the defensive team to their teammates along the boards, one teammate stretches out as a passing option, and the other two players that were on offense, now backcheck.
- Rotation: The new pair from attacks, while the original forwards now backcheck. The drill is continuous and the players that backcheck and are on defense work to pass to their teammates in line.
Coaching Points
- Offense:
- Focus on quick decision-making and accurate breakout passes.
- Support your teammate by being an outlet option in transition.
- Communicate effectively during the breakout and offensive play.
- Defense:
- Commit to hard backchecking with your stick on the ice to disrupt the transition.
- Keep stick on the ice to block passing lanes and pressure puck carriers.
Variations
- Adjust the number of players to create 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 scenarios.
- Can make this drill cross ice (as shown here).
