guys - I found this advice about skidding on a website. What do you make of it. I always thought that with a rear wheel 'skid' it is better to keep some power on to keep the weight on the back wheels....
here it is;
The rear wheel skid Characteristics
The rear of vehicle swings out of line and gives the impression of trying to overtake the front (oversteer); see figure 2.
Cause
As with the front wheel skid, excessive speed into the hazard and sudden braking or acceleration with a rear wheel drive vehicle, destabilising the vehicle, are the main causes of this skid.
Remedy
Again take the right foot off the accelerator or brake and depress the clutch, then steer in the direction that the back of the vehicle is sliding (steer into the skid). Beware of correcting the steering too much as this may cause the vehicle to slide back in the opposite direction. As with the front wheel skid, these actions should be simultaneous, to prevent the back of the vehicle from building up too much momentum and sliding out of control.