Task Analysis

Ready Position: Stance and Body position prior to backswing

  The game of curling involves extreme stability, considering that if there is any changes in the body position within the stance, backswing, or even the forward extension (slide), the results of the shot thrown can be devastating. Therefore, the ready position is essential because it is a precursor to the following movements. The stance and body position must be consistent at all times to allow students to understand that from this position, the power, control and balance needed for the next shot relies heavily within the ready position.

    The ready position can be achieved by:

• allowing the non sliding (hack) foot to be placed properly so the toes are pointing in direction of throw.
• placing the ball of the hack foot against the back of the hack for force generation.
• maintaining a staggered stance, where the sliding foot's heel is in line with the hack foot's toes.

This picture illustrates the ready position for both left and right handed players.

Proper ready position prior to backswing.

• throwing arm is extended and broom arm is extended outwards to the side.
• eyes and head are forward focusing on the target.

1. 1. Knee of hack leg must be pointing in direction of throw.
2. 2. Stone is placed on center line, not placed where the target is. All shots must begin on center line then with when in forward extension, the shot moves towards target.
3. 3. Clean the bottom of the rock, to remove any hairs and/or debris.

Balanced Delivery

  In addition to the stance, the body during the delivery must be stable so the rock can maintain its momentum and shot path. The body position must be consistent with every shot, so the student can learn from each shot thrown, whether to adjust weight or to get the body lower.

This can be achieved by:

• remembering that there are 4 contact points to the ice (throwing arm VIA the stone, broom arm, slide foot, and hack toes).
• throwing arm remains extended from stance through to follow-through.
• broom is placed upside down on the ice and moves correspondingly with the slide foot and rock during backswing and forward extension.
• slide foot in forward extension is placed behind the rock along the shot path to bear the majority of the weight.

Slide foot behind rock for a consistent balanced delivery.

As slide foot moves behind the rock, the thigh moves under the shoulder and torso to bear the majority of the weight during a balanced delivery.

• in forward extension, the hack leg extends due to force generation and thus the toes follow through, points towards the hack, and therefore provides another essential contact point in the balanced delivery.

1. 1. The broom must move, if remained constant, the body will be altered and thrown off target. When the broom is moved, it should never move behind the slide foot.
2. 2. In the forward extension, the rock is placed in the most extended, comfortable reaching point. This allows the body to stay low.
3. 3. The throwing arm, stone, slide foot, and hack leg should follow shot path. Should be able to draw a straight line from the hack toes to the index finger of throwing arm.

Grip

  Another essential component in curling is the grip. It is important to not handle the rock as a baseball bat. In curling, a loose grip is preferable.

This can be achieved by:

• placing the rock within the base of the index and middle fingers.
• placing the thumb on top of the handle to form a "V" shape with the fingers.
• placing the knuckles so that they rest under the handle and on the rock.

Note the index and middle fingers and the "V" formation with the thumb

Teaching Cues:

1. 1. Rest hand on rock, when motion begins, the index and middle fingers will act as the guides due to force.
2. 2. Use a light grip, do not tighten or clasp the hand.

  The turn or rotation of the rock is what makes the shot curl. It is important to know the differences between the two turns (in-turn and out-turn) to show consistency in accuracy and placement.

This can be achieved by:

• in-turn (clockwise), have the handle pointing at the "10 o'clock" position while in the backswing through to approximately three feet before release.
• within the three feet of release, use the index and middle fingers to guide the rotation and release at the "12 o'clock" position.
• out-turn (counter-clockwise), similar application, but the handle begins in the "2 o'clock" position.

1. 1. Once the call has been made about type of shot and turn, have the turn already in place when in stance, backswing and forward extension.
2. 2. Only the index and middle fingers guide the rotation.
3. 3. Important to note when in forward extension, while sliding down shot path, the middle of the rock should be in line with shot path, not the handle.

  The release of the rock should be done so within the last three feet of the slide. When throwing and you have decided when you want to release, then begin by applying the turn and finish in the "12 o'clock" position. The release of the rock has to do more with the beginning of the follow-through phase, meaning that the hand or grip should not continue to turn after the release.

This can be achieved by:

• forming a "handshake" position upon release.
• because the turn ends at "12 o'clock" the hand should already be in a straight line with target, therefore allowing the handshake formation.

Teaching Cues:

1. 1. The turn leading to the release is a gradual movement, rather than deliberate. With the momentum produced by the push off, the fingers guide the turn into the release which allows a fluid handshake formation.

  If the stance, delivery, grip, turn and release is practiced and maintained consistency throughout each shot, then the stone weight should come with ease. This is not the case. Judging stone weight is easily the most difficult aspect of the game, because it cannot be easily taught with instruction, it must be practiced.

This can be achieved by:

• develop a feel for how much push off was used for each throw, how high the hips elevated, and how far the slide foot moved backwards.
• within the backswing, the backward movement of the stone forces the hips to elevate, so arm extension can be maintained, which acts as a guide for how much force was applied to the rock.
• getting the feel for how far your slide foot moves behind the hack during the backswing allows for some understanding of how much force was applied to each shot.

1. 1. Develop a feel for how much force was applied to the ball of the hack foot and the speed of the body over the ice during the forward extension.

  There is numerous types of shots within curling. Each one has a purpose and therefore it is important to have learned all of them so you can have these options when the situation arises. The different shot types are as follows: takeout (heavy, control, board, backline, and hack), draw, raise, peel, and guard.

Draw:

  Draw weight is the most difficult weight to produce, because it must end up within the house. With other weights, the result usually involves hitting another rock, therefore if a draw has enough weight and the throw is accurate the task is completed. The following diagram illustrates the shot path of a draw and the result of it:

Teaching Cues:

1. 1. Extension of body throughout forward slide and release.
2. 2. Focus on "T line" for weight judgment. T line is the area intersecting the button.

Take-Out:

    There are several types of take-outs, each having its own purpose based on weight and speed of impact. There is heavy take-out weight which is used mainly when the skip wants a double or triple take-out (when two or three opponent rocks leave the house). When one rock impacts another, that rock absorbs much of the force, therefore when two rocks have to be taken out, more weight has to be applied to create more force. A heavy take-out looks like the following:

    Other take-out weights are as follows: board and control (behind hack), hack, and back line (behind house). Board and control take-out weights usually involve knocking out an opponent's rock, but the skip would like control. Hack and back line weights are used mainly for taps, whereby tapping a rock to the back of the house would provide "backing" for subsequent rocks.

Teaching Cues:

1. 1. Focus on ball of hack foot when producing maximum force.
2. 2. Do not focus too much on force, because body might be thrown off shot path.

Raise:

  Raising a rock is simply raising a rock onto another. This tactic is usually performed when there is limited room to draw into the house and/or to strategically bump your own rock so it is covered by that raised rock or other guards. It is easily one of the most difficult shots because of weight. If there is a guard fairly close to the house and you wanted to raise it so it went into the four foot, then you could not just throw normal draw weight, because of the force absorption that occurs when two rocks impact. Therefore, you would need to throw back line weight or back eight weight and so on. Confused yet? Hopefully this diagram below will help:

Peel:

  A peel is a shot that requires the thrower to throw heavy weight (similar to heavy take-out weight) and "wick" the guard, so both rocks spill out of play. A wick is when a rock skims off of a small portion of the targeted rock. This tactic is used to clear the front of the house (to remove guards) and it usually occurs within the last couple of ends during a game. Skips often use this tactic near the end of the game, because if the score is close, then many guards will be placed up. Mainly the team that is down a point, will put up guards so they have a chance to draw around or raise to tie or win the game. The team that is up will try to peel off guards, as well as their own to prevent this from occurring.

Sweeping

    Sweeping is one of the two main concepts in curling, the other being delivery. Sweeping concepts are communication, weight transfer, force production, angle of broom and arm, and inside foot. Recently, sweepers can sweep opposite of each other, this introduces a new concept, spatial awareness. While sweeping, a sweeper must be aware of the sweeping path that he/she is taking and also be aware of his/her partner's sweeping path, so banging of the brooms does not occur. Another new concept is rhythm development. To help learn the sweeping motion, students can develop their own rhythm to help maintain consistency throughout. Sweepers shall choose rhythm, such as "sweep" and "ing" or "1" and "2".

Teaching Cues:

1. 1. Lateral movements with feet facing opposite sweeper.
2. 2. Weight on inside foot, then transferred to outside foot as adjustments are made while in lateral motion, then back to inside foot to produce force.

Activities:

1. Aiming Along Shot Path

Drill Explanation:

• In groups of 2
• Each group gets 3 cones, 1 piece of string, and 1 piece of tape
• Set Up: 'Hack' is marked by piece of tape. The string is attached at the hack.  Three cones are place at different distances from the hack.
• One person is the thrower, the other person decides the direction of the throw by pulling the string to either cone one, two, or three.
• The thrower then attempts to deliver the scooter board directly to the cone.
• The partners then change positions.
• The objective of the game is to hit all three of cones by following the shot path

•  To consistently aim for target along the shot path

Extension:

• cones further apart and at at longer distance from the hack

• Throwing arm, scooter board, and body in line with shot path or imaginary line
• square to target
• eyes and head focused on target

Game Explanation:
 

• full basketball court, 10 pylons to mark end safety zones
• two students start in the center of the court, 28 other students start in safety zone
• students in the center yell "Curl", the others must then run across the gym without getting tagged
• if they're tagged they become part of the center team
• in order not to get tagged when out of safe zones students may duck into the
• curling delivery stance
• the game is over when all but five students are in the middle

Concept Development:

• To review the 'curling delivery stance' while playing a fun and active game.

Extension:

• a progression of lateral movements may be added in half way through the warm-up

• run to open space
• when going into safety position bend knee and take weight onto front left foot (right handed thrower)
• be careful running into safety zones, watch out for others

 Game Explanation:
 

• 8 pylons, 4 safety zone signs (thrower, sweeper one, sweeper two, skip)
• two students start in the middle (rocks), the rest of students start in throwers safety zone
• half way through teacher calls out a safety zone and students must run to that area without being tagged
• if tagged, the student becomes part of the rock team
• in order to avoid being tagged, a student may crouch into a curl delivery position

Concept Development:
 

• To review the 'curling delivery stance' while playing a fun and active game.

Extension:

• progress to lateral movements and sweeping movements

Teaching Cues:

• run to open space
• when going into safety position bend knee and take weight onto front left foot (right handed thrower)
• be careful running into safety zones, watch out for others

4. Aiming for Points

Drill Explanation:

• in groups of 10 (students stay in order throughout whole game)
• 3 stations with tape on the wall (the tape runs vertical)
• each piece of tape represents a different point (ie center tape is 5 points, tape on either side of center is 3 points, tape on the far right side and left side is 2 points.)
• try to hit the tape with a bean bag
• a marker is laid out to represent the hack (students must throw from there)
• whoever gets up to fifteen points, gets to move to the fourth station
• the fourth station has markings on the floor
• these markings also have points associated with them (these line go across the throwing surface)

Concept Development:

• to understand the skills for aiming and force control

Extension:

• use different throwing objects such as tennis balls or scooter boards

Teaching Cues:

• throwing arm rock, and body in line with shot path or imaginary line (square to body)
• take note of the feel of how much push off was used for each throw, how high the hips were elevated and how far the slide foot moved backwards

5. Scooterrrriiiiifiiiiic

Game Explanation:

• there will be two teams of four playing against each other
• students are divided into leads, seconds, thirds, and skips
• leads will begin by throwing a scooter board along the gym floor towards a target (pylon, cone or archery target)
• to simulate sweeping, place blind folds or pinnies along shot path, so sweeper are forced to sweep them away so the scooter board can maintain its momentum
• the skip will call the shot and watch for safety concerns (i.e. if the scooter board veers off path and into another game)
• each team will alternate throws (alike a real curling game) and will follow the order of play (leads throw first, then seconds, and so on)
• team closest to target or button within two throws receives a point

• to begin to understand the tactics involved in a real curling game (order of play, efficient sweeping, applying stance, backswing and forward extension components, communication)

• provide opportunity for students to answer questions (Guided Discovery) and to demonstrate these answers to peers and teacher.

• same principles applied to stance, backswing, and forward extension (weight transfer, force generation, corresponding movement, arm extension, etc.).
• effective movements for sweeping (low, balanced, weight on inside foot, rhythm, communication).

Game Explanation:

• two players play against each other
• Four Zones: #1= front half of the free guard zone, #2 = back half of the free guard zone, #3 = front half of the rings, #4 = back half of the rings
• the players decide where to start from
• the player playing first declares the zone that s/he thinks the rock will go to
• if successful, the opponent has to match it
• if unsuccessful, the second can hang a letter on the first by either successfully drawing the declared zone or s/he can choose to establish a new zone
• success in drawing the zone declared by the player who declared it, results in retention of the right to declare the next zone

• to develop aiming accuracy and good judgment

• begin with simple tactics, then progress to more complex tactics which will involve some critical thinking.

Game Explanation:

• part of one class will include going to the computer lab
• Curling Basics: www.curlingbasics.com  will be used to demonstrate basic curling situations by way of animated practical examples
• students will use this program to 'get a feel' for curling
• they will start to learn terms by watching examples of different plays
• some examples are: Takeout, Free Guard Zone Rule, Guard, Rink, Double-Takeout

Concept Development:

• To learn different curling plays before getting onto the ice

• to fill out a curling worksheet as they go through the different animations

Teaching Cues:

• circulate the computer lab asking questions about certain plays

8. Curling Delivery

Drill Explanation:

• using the self check criteria sheet
• demonstrate first and then ask students to go through criteria for stance, backswing, and forward extension

Concept Development:

• To learn stance, backswing, and forward extension through reading cues

Teaching Cues:
(criteria sheet)

9. Line Dancing (on ice or in gym)

Drill explanation:

• Using four to eight players per sheet, the goal is to have all eight stones come to rest on the center line as close to the house as possible. A point is rewarded for each rock remaining on the center line after all eight stones have been thrown.

Concept development:

• learn the concepts behind a shot path, and the  use of shot line
• learn to control weight transfer coming out of the hack (push with hack leg not arm)
• shot control and accuracy

• control the distance  a shot travels by using a strong or light push with hack leg
• body shot line (arm, body, knee, leg, foot) in line with target

the center line is not your shot line, the shot line will be slightly off center, the rock will curl into the center.


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Drill explanation:

• Stones begin at opposite ends of two adjacent sheets of ice. We will have eight players filling each of the four positions on each sheet.
• The delivery will take place on each sheet at the same time.
• When each shot comes to a complete stop players will rotate positions (shooter to brusher one, brusher one to brusher two, brusher two to skip and the skip crosses over to the adjacent sheet to become the shooter on that sheet).
• The drill continues until all stones (scooter boards) have been delivered. This would conclude round one of as many rotations as you feel necessary.

Concept development:

• helps students to get a feel for a game like situation
• they learn positioning and roles without having to wait around
• this drill provides students with feedback that can be put into practice immediately
• conceptual focus can change depending on what the teacher feels the students are developmentally ready for.

• can focus on aspects of the delivery, sweeping, skipping, game play. etc..
• cues change depending when and why this drill is used

Game Explanation:

• teams of two
• the object of this drill is to draw behind guards in an effort to prevent, or at least make it as difficult as possible for your opponents to remove your rock from play
• one team manually places a guard rock (that team wants to hide behind it)
• the opposing team's task is to remove that stone from play
• if the drawing team fails to draw behind the guard, it's a simple matter of an open hit

Concept Development:

• to learn tactics, accuracy, and aiming

• apply principles of play and delivery (stance, backswing, forward extension)

Game Explanation:

• two teams play against each other on the same sheet
• each team puts four of its rocks in a line in front of the house
• these stones are placed alternately by colour with about a stone's width between each
• each player then delivers one stone alternating with the other team
• the object is to score points by "raising" stones into the rings (house)
• values of rings: 12 ft=2 points, 8ft=3points, 4ft=4points, button=5 points

• to discover, learn and develop shot tactics

• force generation from hack

aim and throw on correct shot path


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Game Explanation:

• players play as individuals
• alternating, the players shoot all the rocks of one color
• a point is up for grabs on every shot
• if the shooter gets the rock to the house, s/he wins the point
• if, on the other hand, by brushing, the brusher keeps the stone out of the house, the brusher wins the point.
• 8 points per game
• if the score is tied at 8, the players flip with the winner choosing to be the shooter or brusher for the decisive 9th point

• to learn efficient sweeping
• to practice aiming and accuracy
• to develop muscular endurance
• to learn brushing technique

• control the distance  a shot travels by using a strong or light push with hack leg
• body shot line (arm, body, knee, leg, foot) in line with target
• for sweeping, weight is on inside foot (foot closest to rock)