Curling Theory - The Basics of Reading Ice
Sports
Published on Apr 24, 2024
In this Curling Instructional video, Coach Matt discusses the basic foundation of reading ice.
Here are 4 things that you need to master in order to start reading the other anomalies in curling ice:
1. Stand behind the opposing skip for each shot that your opponents make to help you see the paths that their stones take. Don't pay too much attention to where their skip is placing the broom (especially at the club level).
2. Remember that Ice is slower at the beginning and end of the game so stones will tend to not curl as much and will need more weight.
3. Use the Tee Line as a ruler and frame of reference for adjusting the ice that you give.
*4. Keep a mental map of paths that have been used often so you know where on the sheet there remains fresh pebble. This usually occurs on the wings as the match progresses so don't forget that you're going to need more weight and usually a lot more ice on the edges!
*A commenter wanted me to clarify #4 as it seems to contradict #2. In my experience, what happens is that during a portion of Zone A (see sweeping zones below) the stone is travelling on broken down pebble, but as it travels in Zone B it will be travelling on fresh pebble. You need the extra weight to get through that, then after the breaking point the stone will start hitting broken down pebble again (zone b/c) and start to "move sideways." These shots are tricky. If you go too wide, you might just hang out in the fresh stuff and never come back in. Too narrow and you end up "bouncing off" fresh pebble and crashing on the guard. It's a fine balance of weight and line when you get out on the edges and some of the variables are beyond the scope of this introductory lesson. For example, concave vs convex sheets, how sharp the stones are, etc.. In my experience, what you need to know is that you usually need more ice and weight than you expect when trying to come around corner guards on the outside. I hope this clarifies... if not, let me know!
Related Videos:
Sweeping Zones: https://youtu.be/m_Clgvw2pcs
5 Tips to Becoming a Better Curler: https://youtu.be/81uDjpyHH90
Cool Curling Table: https://coolcurling.com/
3 Point Press Drill, using the Ferbey System: https://youtu.be/IyA6K0xfdW4
Matt was Competition Coach trained in Ontario and later Certified as a Competition Coach in Québec.
Visit curlingclass.com for more drills and courses and Subscribe to our YouTube channel to add new drills and theories that you can add to your training program.
