![]() Were being patient is a key factor, if you don't like to be caught up flat-footed, or being way too over- committed by using poke spam and hustle towards the puck carrier. ![]() Looks like the defence is startin to be on that place I always wanted it to be. If there's anything specific you'd like me to capture, let me know! I'll continue to update this thread with anything I find useful to pass along to my fellow d-Men. Because they are not too keen on dumping and chasing and they want to just carry the puck in to wheel-snipe-celly, I can completely shut it down by ensuring I don't chase him but also that I move laterally to cover his intended entry in to the zone:īy not rushing the puck carrier, it forces them to make a movement that they didn't anticipate and it sends them right in to traffic: ![]() Here, my opponent is having difficulty entering the zone. Tip 5: Lateral movement is paramount and NOT chasing is key This allows me to maintain my forward speed and match the puck carrier while facing him, without being victim of the animations that get triggered when you fully enter LT:īut be careful - in this clip, I pump LT just one too many times and almost get caught: This ensures my defender is constantly facing the puck carrier, even at weird angles: However, when they stop moving their feet, a poke check will not penalize the defender as much and is generally more accurate:Īlso - once the players' feet stops moving or they've entered the dreaded LT in the slot - use a flick of RS to knock them off:Ī weird habit I've picked up is pumping LT while defending. Puck carriers love to bait the D in to using the poke check. Tip #3: Poke check when the puck carrier's feet stop moving This slows him down considerably (thank goodness) and you can see this allows my teammates to clog the slot and snuff that threat: However, I don't poke check immediately (which is what he expects) and I force him to glide and hold the puck forehand/backhand. Here, I am once again being very passive but that's because I KNOW my opponent wants me to go for a poke check so he can abuse the slowdown and get to a prime scoring area. Tip # 2: Use the threat of a poke check to slow down the rush, allowing backchecking forwards to get into their defensive positions But I maintain composure and only utilize the poke when I know he's slowed down and it's not as big of a risk for me to use it:Īnother example of being patient, keeping in line with the lateral plane of the puck carrier and not letting anything get to the slot: If I had attempted a poke check while the puck carrier was skating full speed, he would've blown right by me. This allows me to match his positioning while utilizing poke check to stifle another attempt at moving to the slot. When he has no recourse, he pulls up - thus negating his speed. Here I shut down his anticipated move to the slot. It forces him wide, negates the threat to the slot and I've also retained the speed & agility on my defender, allowing me the speed to keep tracking him and cut off his eventual 2nd attempt at getting a money-goal-slot-shot: Here I am taking up position and not allowing the puck carrier to cross in front to the slot. To defend this - resist the urge to poke check as soon as you've locked on to the puck carrier and guide them wide of the slot and/or force them to attempt to cross in front of you. They will bait you into using an R1 poke check, thus killing your speed, and then taking that open ice to get right in to the slot. Offensive players have become accustomed to lackluster defenders online. Tip # 1: Be passive & Cut off the inside track Of course, this will vary depending on who you're controlling and their body check/poke check attribute. My argument to that would be that I feel in '23 - a poke check or a body check is more likely to put you out of position than it is to actually knock the puck loose and cause a turnover, especially when a puck carrier skates into the zone. You're likely going to see instances where I should've gone for a poke/body check and I don't. So, these may not be for you - although I hope my GIFS can add some context to age-old defensive nuance that may provide a new perspective and encourage everyone to up their game.Īlso - I play an incredibly passive defensive game. Some of this might already seem self-evident to long-standing defenders who understand the position inside and out. Here are a few tips I'd like to pass along to the community. Over the last couple of weeks, I've refined and adjusted defensively, and I feel that I've gotten more comfortable in defending than I was at launch. Seems like many people have some gripes about defense - myself included.
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