Curling Strategy

An unsanctioned, unofficial, un-censored collection of half-baked concepts by a

confirmed curling amateur

John Falkingham

Outline

• Basic Concepts

• Getting Started

• Playing Out the End

• Strengths and Weaknesses

• Missing on the “pro-side”

• It’s a Team Game – A role for everybody

• Strategies for Beating the Clock

Basic Concepts

• With the hammer, Try to score two points

Anything more is a bonus

Without the hammer, Try to steal one point

Or at least keep your opponent to only one point

Be patient Don’t get greedy

Big ends happen by themselves

Basic Concepts

• With the hammer, Play to the wings Play in the rings

Hammer

Basic Concepts

With the hammer, Play to the wings Play in the rings

Without the hammer, Play to the centre Control the front of the house

?

Hammer

Getting Started

• Lead stones determine how the rest of the end will play out

• Without the hammer:– 1st stone should be in front of the house

straddling the centre line

Hammer

Hammer

Getting Started

• Lead stones determine how the rest of the end will play out

• Without the hammer:– 1st stone should be in front of the house

straddling the centre line

• With the hammer:– If you get the chance, corner guard

Hammer

Getting Started

• Lead stones determine how the rest of the end will play out

• Without the hammer:– 1st stone should be in front of the house

straddling the centre line

• With the hammer:– If you get the chance, corner guard– If not, corner guard or top of the 4 foot

Hammer

Hammer

Playing Out the End

• After the first two stones, the possibilities are limitless

• Remember your basic strategy With the hammer,

Play to the wings, Play in the rings

Without the hammer, Play to the centre, Control the front

… but don’t be a slave to it Take advantages of your opponent’s miscues

Hammer

Hammer

Playing Out the End

• With the hammer– Get rid of the centre guards as soon as you

can• those are the stones that will permit your opponent

to steal the end

• Without the hammer– Keep putting up centre guards

• Control the front• Don’t go for the house too early

Hammer

Playing Out the End

• Opponents rocks behind the T-line are your friends– Don’t be too eager to take them out –

especially if you don’t have the hammer– Use the “freeze”

Hammer

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Know your team – play to their strengths• If you don’t know your team, draws are

generally better than take-outs – Takeouts require skip and shooter to be in

sync – there are many ways to miss• If a take-out misses, that’s all there is

– Draws require shooter to find the right weight and skip to find the right broom – but separately

• A missed draw can often still be useful

Strengths and Weaknesses

• If you are going to play a draw game, commit to it– Don’t go after the flobs– It takes nerves and patience – and

occasionally you’ll lose a big end and a bid game

Hammer

Pro-Side Misses

• Nobody’s perfect– Missing on the “pro” side means erring in a

way that does the least damage

Hammer

Hammer

Hammer

Hammer

Hammer

Hammer