ADVANCED  (15-20 MIN)

• Start with a balance of left-handed and right-handed players on both benches.  One end starts the drill with 5 defensive players standing in a "House" Formation.  

• A coach starts in the middle of the defense, taking a shot at the goalie or sending a loose ball into play to begin the drill.  Whoever ends up with the ball and the high outlet on the far side, transition the ball down the floor in two's, as the other 3 defenders run hard to their bench, with 3 offensive players coming onto the floor in proper bench order.   This drill can be accomplished in both a "short change" (as seen in the diagram) or a "long change," scenario.

• As soon as the first offensive player steps foot onto the floor, 3 defensive players come off of the bench in the far-end and up into the hole, defending a 5-on-3 against.  (Draw Diagram).  The two transitioning defenders can run the ball deep and wait for the "late transition" opportunity (Variation #1A), otherwise execute a fast-break with the highest defender acting as a "rover" at centre-floor (Variation #1B), which is best practice for defending against reverse-transition. 

• After the play, the two transitioning defenders stay on defense for the breakout (bench-side), eventually changing onto the bench in the opposite end from where they started; offensive players should sprint off the floor to the same bench they started from.  Defenders should communicate amongst each other to make sure they are all getting equal opportunity to transition the ball down floor.