Playing Defense

[danielb 0]

Afternoon folks,

I'm interested in starting to play defence as well as offence (currently play winger), mainly to try and round myself our as a player and skater, instead of just focusing on offensive play all the time. As some of you may remember I only started playing last October, which was my first time skating too, I'm now at the point of mastering backwards crossovers and transitions as well as forwards. I really like skating hard so being able to defend and support the attack really interests me, although I'd imagine I'll need to hang back initially till my backwards speed is high enough.

Bearing in mind I'm still a beginner I'd really appreciate any advice or tips you could give me on starting to play D and don't worry I've got a weekly friendly work pick-up game I can practice defence in without ruining anyone's league games! Things that would be especially useful to know are where I'm meant to be on the ice when defending, attacking or in the neutral zone, as I can't seem to find any articles on websites or books about this. Also what exactly are the defencemens responsibilities and what should I be doing to be a good/better defender? Also I'm currently using a Nike PM9 blade should I be swapping more to something like a Lidstorm pattern for playing D?

Sorry for all the questions, I can't seem to find may answers so I thought I'd ask :)

The other reason I'm considering playing defence is due to being new to hockey at age 26 I'm not sure I can catch up with all those stick handling tricks everyone seems to learn and need when trying to skate a puck into shoot. But checking a player and blocking shooting angles seems easier once I get the backwards skating down more...

[hockeyherb 1]

When you're backing up into your zone with the other team bringing in the puck, always keep the play to the outside. ie. force their wingers to have to go around you to the outside rather than getting into the middle of the ice.

And one pet peeve I have in our league is watching D-men back up way too much before they try to force the opposing forward to do anything. I've seen some guys back up right to the faceoff dot practically which gives their forward a great shot WITH a screen no less!

[interpathway 9]

dont get caught staring at the puck! move the wingers to the walls and dont let yourself and your defence partner get hung up behind the goal line...aka communicate!!

[danielb 0]

Cheers for the advice! On defence are the D men around the crease or the corners? And on offence they are on the corners of the blue line?

[eric42434224 1]

Im not all that great, but here is my advice for what it is worth:

-If you are going to pinch the blueline, make sure your D partner covers.

-Dont back in too far....force the puck handler to make a move before the top of the circle.

-Always look at the puck handlers chest, not puck.

-Play the puck handler to the boards if possible.

-play the corners on your side of the goal....when it is in the other corner, cover the front of the goal.

-If it is odd man rush, play the pass, let the goalie take the shot.

-

[TheBert 0]

I think you might like this:

A little simple, but a good start.

Basically on the D-man closest to the puck goes into the corner, the other one stays with any crease crashers. On offense, I like playing the middle if my partner is pinching, otherwise you can just move around according to your offensive instincts. Just try to get open for passes without going in too deep.

[Chadd 916]

Here's a link to a number of similar topics.

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index...lite=%2Bdefense

This one seems very similar.

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index...&hl=defense

As for the curve, the important thing is to be comfortable with the curve. The only advantage to have the Lidstrom is the added loft makes it easier to get the puck off the glass and out of the zone when you're under pressure. A Modano-ish curve (like the PM9) is nice for keeping your shots low and makes it easier to use your backhand.

[danielb 0]

That video was really helpful, reading through the extra links now.

[interpathway 9]

and never forget you have a centre out there to assist you and your partner with the defensive duties, and if he is nowhere to be seen within stick's reach of the hashmarks, be sure to yell at him :)

[rubberduckie 0]

Head on a swivel!! Just know where you and the opponents are with regards to the net. Don't let people sneak behind you.

[Steve_v3 289]

dont get caught staring at the puck! move the wingers to the walls and dont let yourself and your defence partner get hung up behind the goal line...aka communicate!!

communication is key. Helping your partner know when somebody is trying to sneak in back of him or just were the puck is. Or when you need to switch or saying who your going to take. Also helping the goalie when there is a shot and rebound. And letting him know where the puck is and when to freeze it.

[raygunpk 0]

What do you do if somebody is totally dangling and shifting left and right? How do you not let him embarrass you?

[fatwabbit 93]

Similar situation as you. Played forward all my life, and this tournament over the recent weekend I played D the whole time, mainly cause I wasnt too sure about the rest of the guys. Turns out most of them were really offensive oriented, and I told the Captain that I would cover as D.

- Work on your transitions from forward to backward skating, vice versa.

- clear the offensive players in front of your goalie, get them out of the way and not block your goalie yourself

- COMMUNICATE with your defensive partner. The guy i played with on defence was the team captain, and he's real good. I made sure that one of us was always slightly further back and if we get caught on the wrong side, make sure the other person knows where you are... "Stay right/left!"

- Communicate with your goalie as well, sometimes he cant see where the puck is after a save, tell him to stay put or dont move if he's already on the puck.

- Force the player to the outside as much as possible, while knowing where the other offensive players are

- Use the boards... if all else fails, just clear it the hell out of there! As long as its not in your net, its still a threat..

- When you get the puck and have time, look for the outlet pass. Sometimes the opponents' defence pitches in, and if you make an interception, you can start a quick counterattack by making a quick outlet pass to the forwards

- Know when to pitch in, when to hold your ground

- If the guys is dangling you, you can try to hold him up instead of trying to flounder around for the puck

- dont be afraid to block shots (blocked 3 shots while sliding over the weekend)

- if you have someone in front of the net, try to shoot so that that guy/gal can do a tip in... the girl on my team (good looking one too!) almost tipped the game winner in yesterday... goalie was lucky enough to stick a leg out and save it.

- lastly... dont take anything to heart and harden up son!. If the guys point out your mistakes, just take it with a pinch of salt and try to improve. One of the guys on my team during the normal season was on a different team yesterday, and his advice worked against him! ;)

[lampliter87 8]

What do you do if somebody is totally dangling and shifting left and right? How do you not let him embarrass you?

Focus on his chest, not the puck. Screw the puck. Let him make all the fancy dangles he wants, if your body positioning is good he will never get by you. Keep you outside shoulder (on a 1 v. 1) on his inside shoulder as he is approaching you, and mirror his movements while at the same time not trying to overcommit yourself. You don't need a big hit to stop him, just enough to disrupt his progress, slow him down, and hopefully separate puck from player. Make sense?

[danielb 0]

The following questions are all about what happens when defending your personal defensive area as a defenceman.

What do I do with a player that is in my personal defensive area, as per the earlier video? Do I try and limit their movement, block their shooting angle on the net, block their passing angle to their team mates, try to pressure them to cough up the puck or all of the above?

How close should I be sticking to a player: physical contact or stay within a few feet? What is the correct response when you end up with two players in your defensive area e.g. when another player moves into the area, do I stay with my original check or move to the new player?

Is there anything I can do against a significantly more skilled skater that is trying to get past me, if I try and approach me they blow right by and if I hang back I'm blocking their shot but probably screening my goalie?

[tdjb 0]

What do you do if somebody is totally dangling and shifting left and right? How do you not let him embarrass you?

Focus on his chest, not the puck. Screw the puck. Let him make all the fancy dangles he wants, if your body positioning is good he will never get by you. Keep you outside shoulder (on a 1 v. 1) on his inside shoulder as he is approaching you, and mirror his movements while at the same time not trying to overcommit yourself. You don't need a big hit to stop him, just enough to disrupt his progress, slow him down, and hopefully separate puck from player. Make sense?

On top of that I'd throw out the poke check as well. Going by your age/experience I'm guessing you play in a non-check adult league. I don't play the actual defense position, but just from forechecking and helping out the D I've noticed a lot of the beer league guys can be handled with a simple poke check. Since you can't stand the guy up when he's coming in over the blue line your options are limited as to how you're going to remove him from the puck, that's where the poke check comes in.

[adam14 182]

What do you do if somebody is totally dangling and shifting left and right? How do you not let him embarrass you?

Focus on his chest, not the puck. Screw the puck. Let him make all the fancy dangles he wants, if your body positioning is good he will never get by you. Keep you outside shoulder (on a 1 v. 1) on his inside shoulder as he is approaching you, and mirror his movements while at the same time not trying to overcommit yourself. You don't need a big hit to stop him, just enough to disrupt his progress, slow him down, and hopefully separate puck from player. Make sense?

i was always taught, not to focus on the chest, but on the hips, because once his hips move in one direction, his whole body is forced to follow, whereas the his chest he can move back and forth, so if you see his hips going right, he wont be able to move left immediately.. just my 2 cents.

[lampliter87 8]

tdjb: I'm talking more of a competitive contact situation. Poke-checks are a very effective tool no matter what level you play. If a "dangler" is coming down on me, however, I don't ever want to be caught "fishing" for the puck; that's when I use my aforementioned tactics. Good players can fool you easily the moment you look down at the puck, and periferal (sp?) vision is also a good tool.

danielb:

1. When a player is in your "personal defensive area" without the puck it is best to stay "D side" of them within about a stick length. Keep yourself between your man and the net at all times, that way you are never out of position should they get the puck to make a play on them. If and when they do get the puck, by all means, play them, and do it as quickly as possible.

2. If another player should move into your area in addition to the one you all already covering, this is when communication comes into play. Simple shouts such as "NEED HELP!" or "ONE EXTRA!" alert your teammates to come and cover this new threat, but stay with your man unless the new one is about to get the puck.

3. One word: gap. Your "gap" is the amount of space you give the opponent coming down on you, this depends on both yours and his skating ablities and speed. As you play more and more defense, this is something you learn from experience and a great thing to practice during 1 v 1 drills in practice.

Hope that helps.

[danielb 0]

3. One word: gap. Your "gap" is the amount of space you give the opponent coming down on you, this depends on both yours and his skating ablities and speed. As you play more and more defense, this is something you learn from experience and a great thing to practice during 1 v 1 drills in practice.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the advice, I've one more question is there any sort of rough guideline for how much gap to give as a defending beginner skater vs an attacking advanced skater?

[lampliter87 8]

A general guidline for a good gap is two stick-lengths between your body and his. As a beginner skater against a advanced skater, give him as little room as possible without being so close that he will blow right around you. It'll take time and practice to develop a good gap, and as your skating improves your gap can close.

[adam14 182]

also practice being able to turn your hip out the way the skater is going if it looks like he is going past you, great along the boards, catch him with your hip, and he gets pinned, and that should be a dead play because your centerman or d partner should go after the puck./..

[raygunpk 0]

Any advice on a good poke check? Do you just "spear" the puck with your blade or do you do a wide swipe with your whole stick?

[lampliter87 8]

A wide swipe is called "fishing", it leaves one side exposed and yourself off-balance; this is a no-no. Short, small, direct pokes are the most effective, sometimes just having your stick in the attacker's space is enough to disrupt him.

[eric42434224 1]

A wide swipe is called "fishing", it leaves one side exposed and yourself off-balance; this is a no-no. Short, small, direct pokes are the most effective, sometimes just having your stick in the attacker's space is enough to disrupt him.

Exactly. Simple pokes work great. But remember not to look directly down at the puck when poking. He will see this and burn you. Focus on his torso, and use your peripheral vision for poking.

I know this may sound obvious, but a good defenseman is DEFENSIVE minded. I hate working with a defenseman that is always rushing up, always pinches, and spends 50% of the time deep in the O zone. If that is what you want, be a forward. It is always OK to do all of those at times, but pick your spots, and never at the expense of your D. The great defenseman love to play great Defense. I get more enjoyment out of crushing an odd man rush, poke checking a so-called super-star, and blocking a shot, than I get from scoring. Dont get me wrong, scoring is great, but great defense is better to me.

[danielb 0]

I know this may sound obvious, but a good defenseman is DEFENSIVE minded.

Great post eric, I think I am more defensively than offensively minded as that is usually the position I will gravitate towards in most types of game or computer game I like to defend and support. I've been playing forward as that is were I was told to play as a beginner because I could do less damage to my own team there but now I'm thinking I'm approaching the skating skill level where I can start looking at playing defence.