Protection is held awkwardly (6)
I believe the answer is:
shield
'protection' is the definition.
(shield is a kind of protection)
'is held awkwardly' is the wordplay.
'awkwardly' is an anagram indicator.
'is'+'held'='isheld'
'isheld' anagrammed gives 'SHIELD'.
(Other definitions for shield that I've seen before include "Protect (from danger)" , "where you may find your bearings" , "Piece of armour carried on arm to protect body" , "Protective cover" , "He slid (anag)" .)