To me what's important in defending is recognition of what the Forward is looking for.
Some players shoot mostly at open holes for instance, and others tend to shoot at holes that are opening up at that moment. Some even shoot directly at the defender in hopes that the defender will race away from that hole. Im recognizing what a forward is looking for, you can throw hitches in your defense, which basically make it look like you're about to open a hole, but are in fact never really leaving it.
Hitches work best against Forwards who like to shoot at holes that are just opening up. For forwards who tend to shoot directly at men, slower moving D works well. I find people who shoot at holes that have been opened for awhile struggle against fast moving D, but that is not always the case. You'll find that the better forwards do a mix of all 3, so against better forwards your defence will have to adapt, or randomize to incorporate all 3 styles.
Some players shoot mostly at open holes for instance, and others tend to shoot at holes that are opening up at that moment. Some even shoot directly at the defender in hopes that the defender will race away from that hole. Im recognizing what a forward is looking for, you can throw hitches in your defense, which basically make it look like you're about to open a hole, but are in fact never really leaving it.
Hitches work best against Forwards who like to shoot at holes that are just opening up. For forwards who tend to shoot directly at men, slower moving D works well. I find people who shoot at holes that have been opened for awhile struggle against fast moving D, but that is not always the case. You'll find that the better forwards do a mix of all 3, so against better forwards your defence will have to adapt, or randomize to incorporate all 3 styles.