Much of the enjoyment of curling comes from delivering a rock consistently well. Once good fundamentals are achieved, any curler will be able to enjoy club-level social games or top-level competitive play. The degree of competition may change, but the fundamentals remain the same.
A sound curling delivery requires accomplishment in four technical areas: Alignment, Timing, Balance, and Release. The delivery must be straight, the movements properly coordinated, the body in balance, and the release controlled and consistent. As each skill improves, so does accuracy. In addition to the technical aspects, a sound curling delivery requires a delicate "feel" for weight, and sound mental skills.
Alignment
Alignment refers to how you set up in the hack. A successful shot will travel down a line of delivery, which reaches from the middle of the rock at the delivering end all the way to the skip’s broom at the far end. The simplest cause of missed shots is failure to set up properly in the hack.
Timing
Timing refers to a finely tuned sequence of movements during the delivery. The separate parts are integrated into a continuous, fluid motion essential for accuracy and consistency. There are three major movements during the delivery: Press, Drawback, and Slide.
Press
Once you are comfortable with your set up in the hack, the delivery motion begins with a
forward press. Simply move the rock ahead a few inches down the line of delivery,
basically to initiate motion and get the rock "unstuck" from the ice. Be sure to
keep the rock’s "turn" position during the press.
Drawback
Pull the rock straight back on the line of delivery and draw back the sliding foot.
Simultaneously elevate your hips and draw them back behind the hack. At the peak of the
drawback, your body weight is anchored and about evenly distributed on both feet. Your
sliding foot is now about toe to heel in relation to your hack foot, with space between.
Maintain the rock’s "turn" position.
Slide
The transition from the drawback to the forward slide involves a significant weight
transfer as your hack foot pushes out of the hack. Forward movement is initiated by the
rock, followed closely by the sliding foot. Your hack foot thrusts you forward and your
body weight shifts almost entirely onto your sliding foot during the slide. Your hack leg
trails directly behind your body. By keeping the timing and movement controlled as the
sliding foot gets centered, one fluid motion is created. Your sliding foot position is the
key to balance.
Balance
Your sliding foot must be flat to the ice and centered under the chest to achieve a balanced slide. If possible, angle your sliding foot out to increase the sliding area and provide surer balance. The broom can provide momentary support but should not be relied on for maintaining balance. A balanced delivery means you won’t be leaning on the rock and will be able to impart a positive turn upon release.
Release
The rock is released during the last few feet of the delivery. Until that time, your throwing arm remains comfortably flexed and the position of the rock handle is still turned as it was during set-up. Using the good grip established at set-up, turn the handle from the turned position to 12 o'clock as you simultaneously extend your arm. Release the rock cleanly and follow through so that your hand finishes in the "handshake" position. The rock should rotate about two and one-half times during a draw shot.
Delivery Tips
Alignment
Unlike your sliding foot, the rock is always on the line of delivery. It is important to remember that the line of delivery runs from the skip’s broom to the middle of the rock, not to the center of the curler’s body. It is up to the curler to get the body in behind the rock during the slide. Some curlers’ bodies and sliding feet are directly behind the rock; others are running along a line parallel to the stone’s line of delivery.
Timing
Many curlers kick out of the hack as soon as the forward slide begins. Leg drive should
begin after the rock and your sliding foot have started forward so that body weight can be
shifted smoothly from hack leg to sliding foot. To improve leg drive timing, practice
delivering without the rock. Allow the sliding foot to move in gradually. As body weight
is shifted to the sliding foot, initiate leg drive. Delivering without a rock is also a
good way to check to see if your delivery is balanced.
Balance
If your body weight is not centered over your sliding foot, other makeshift adjustments
may have to be developed to steady your delivery; you may rely on the rock, the broom, or
your trailing leg for balance. Some common symptoms of a balance problem are: putting a
hand down immediately after releasing the rock, going up on the sliding toe, unsteadiness
during the slide, leaning heavily on the broom, or a circular drift toward the end of the
slide. Such habits can be perfected, but do not produce a position as stable as the one
created by centering weight over your sliding foot. Typically, the sliding foot either
does not come far enough under your chest or it ends up more under the waist or hips than
under the chest.
Release
The point of release should follow completion of timing and balance. A release is too
early if it occurs simultaneously with, or prior to, achieving a balanced position over
the sliding foot. Too late of a release point will allow more opportunities to
inadvertently take the rock off line, or crowd the hog line. Establishing a comfortable
release point greatly increases consistency.
Take-outs will generally be released earlier than draws. A draw shot released at the top of the house will travel a different path and will have more time to curl than a rock released near the hog line. If the release point varies too dramatically from one shot to the next—or one curler to the next—the skip will have a tougher job reading the ice. The same is true for rock rotation. A more rapidly rotating rock will travel a straighter path. A slowly turning rock (if it doesn’t "lose its handle") will tend to curl more. Consistent rotation makes it easier for the skip to read the ice.
Weight Control
Once into your slide and committed to a certain amount of leg drive and momentum,
fine-tuning of weight may still be needed. A curler with a high upper body position and
gradual lowering motion may have an advantage judging and correcting weight. During the
slide, keep your upper body high, but relaxed, and gradually lower it as the rock is being
released. This lowering motion is begun only when a balanced slide position is
established. It is not a thrusting motion, but a steady movement. Leaving a slight bend in
your throwing arm also allows you the chance to get a feel for the weight. Extending your
arm is not a shoving motion, but a steady movement. A lowered upper body and extended
throwing arm is the sign of a good follow through.
Timing Rocks
An important aid in developing weight control is using a stopwatch to time shots. A common
method of timing rocks is to start the stopwatch at the moment the rock crosses the near
hogline and let it run until the rock comes to rest at the far tee-line. The longer it
takes for the rock to reach its destination, the faster the ice is and less weight is
needed. On the other hand, the less time it takes for the shot to get there, the heavier
the ice, and the rock will have to be thrown harder. Timing shots gives all team members a
shared idea of draw weight.
An even better method for timing shots—called interval timing—gives feedback for a shot in progress. It measures the time between the rock passing over the near back line (some curlers use the near tee-line) and the near hogline. The shorter the time interval, the faster the rock is traveling, and sweeping may not be required. Conversely, the longer the time interval, the slower the rock is traveling, and sweeping may be required.
Timing take-outs during practice, typically from hogline to hogline, can also be beneficial. Team members able to throw similar take-out weights make it easier for their skip to read the ice.