Hi Duck

Thanks for the reply

Yeah that makes no real sense...my bad

I meant that as kind of an overview to my post as in

If I'm in a situation when I have to get the tackle in, rather than just diving in and smashing the guy and finding out I've put myself under more pressure, what else can I be doing to make the situation easier for me.....How do I get the attacker to go where I want...is there a way to put him off balance and make it easier for me to steal the puck.

I guess what I'm saying is there are 2 schools of thought on how defending is played.

One guy might adopt the 'I'm going to smash you to hell' approach of defending not allowing you a second, and is quite prepared to swim through you (risking a foul)

Others are more subtle, and don't go diving in but would rather shepherd you to the wall and seem to effortlessly squeeze you out of the puck.

I'm after the best of both

Thats the plan

I like to think I do ok when asked to play at the back but I would like to go from being just an ok defender to being a good defender, as you say most of it will come down to just playing in that position and learning the hard way, but it would be nice to get some pointers from those with a lot more experience.....kind of a 'golden rules to defending' or a 'hints and tips to watch out for'

Thanks again.