Curling has a reputation as a game that only requires the ability to slide on ice and throw stones. Even so, those who watch more than they see might know that this is not exactly the case. Curling is a lot more than sliding around on the ice and throwing stones. There are strategies and techniques as well as numerous nuances that make it much more complex than people think. Read on for our beginner’s guide about how to score points in curling.
How To Score Points In Curling?
Communicate with your teammates
One of the first things to do if you want to score many points in curling is to communicate with your teammates. This is something that is largely overlooked, as many players focus on their own stone delivery and strategy without taking into account the other players on their team. You can help your team score lots of points by communicating what your strategy is and what you plan to do with your stone delivery. You can also use communication to learn what strategy your opponents are using by paying attention to what they do. If you’re not communicating with your teammates, you’re not only hurting your chances of winning that game, but you’re also missing out on a great opportunity to build team chemistry and strengthen your relationship with your teammates.
Knock out the opposition’s stones
Although you want to score as many points as possible, you want to also keep in mind that your primary goal is to get your stones as close to the center of the house as you can. The best way to do this is to knock out (or “clean”) the opposition’s stones. When you knock out the opposition’s stones, you will make it much harder for them to score any points. This is why knocking out the opposition’s stones is one of the best ways to score points in curling. You can knock out the opposition’s stones by “sweeping” them out of play. Sweeping is a technique in which you use a broom to somehow knock your opponent’s stones out of play. Sweeping is an incredibly important part of the game, and most teams will have specialized “sweepers” who are skilled at knocking out the opposition’s stones through effective sweeping. If you want to score lots of points in curling, you must be good at sweeping. Effective sweeping can help you win the game by itself.
Hit and Run
Another great way to score points in curling is to hit and run. Hitting and running is when you try to hit the “head” of your opponent’s stone, which is the front portion where the stone is touching the ice. Hitting this part of the stone will cause it to “pin” to the ice, which means that it will remain in place for an extended period of time. You want to hit the stone in such a way that it “runs” off the ice and toward the other side of the “tee line.” You want to make sure that your stone doesn’t hit your opponent’s stone too hard, which will cause it to “knock down” and be removed from play. Hit and running is a great way of scoring a few points in curling because it gives you time to get your stones closer to the center of the house.
Hit and Stay
Hitting and staying is a slightly different strategy than hitting and running. While hitting and running is when you hit your opponent’s stone and it “runs” off the ice and toward the tee line, hitting and staying is when you hit your opponent’s stone and it stays in place. Hitting stones and making them stay in place is another great way of scoring points in curling because it gives you time to get your stones closer to the center of the house. Hitting and staying is a difficult strategy to pull off, as it requires you to put a lot of power behind your throw. If you want to score points in curling, you absolutely want to employ hitting and staying at some point during the game.
Stone delivery precision
If you’ve knocked out all of the opposition’s stones and you’ve hit and run and hit and stayed to get your stones closer to the house, you still have one more way to score points in curling: stone delivery precision. Curling stones are a lot like golf balls. They are round, and they are difficult to land in the exact same place each time. As such, you will never be able to get your stones in the exact same place game after game. You might be able to get your stones within one or two feet of the center of the house, but that’s as close as you can get them. You can maximize your points by being as precise as possible with your stone delivery. This means that you need to be patient, waiting for the right time to throw your stones so that they hit the best part of the ice and travel as far as possible.
How To Earn A Stone In Curling
The “Skip” throws the first two stones for their team. Masters and Grand Masters “skips” will often throw two “drive” throws and then “hurry” the next two. The Vice “Skip” throws the next two stones and then the “Skip” throws the final two. There are three types of stone delivery:
- The “Drive” – A “drive” is when the curler throws the stone with a forward motion. The stone is released with the “thumbs” up so that the curler can see the trajectory of the stone as it travels down the ice.
- The “Hurry” – A “hurry” is when the curler throws the stone with a backward motion. It is sometimes useful when the stone is traveling against the rotation of the ice. –
- The “Draw” – A “draw” is when the curler throws the stone with a side-to-side motion. The goal is to “rake” the stone along the ice to create friction and increase the speed of the stone.
Strategies For Earning Points
- Playing to the End Curling strategy usually involves trying to play to the end of the game. Teams use their stones to “score” and leave themselves with the “last stone” advantage. Curling teams will try and “score” points, but will also take into account the fact that their opponents want to score points as well. This means that if a team’s stone is close to scoring a point, but also risks being taken out by an opponent’s stone, they might just “hold” and freeze their stone in place rather than risk having it taken out. – Making “Takeouts”
- A common strategy is to try and make “takeouts” on your opponents. A “takeout” is when a team’s stone knocks an opposing stone out of play. If a team’s stone is close to your stone but is not in a position to score yourself, you might try and take out your opponent’s stone.
- Playing to Score More Points – While making “takeouts” is a common strategy, teams can also choose to focus on just scoring more points. This is especially true if they are ahead in the game, or if they are behind and need to “make up” points.
Shooting Rocks To Score Points In Curling
- All stones are thrown from inside either team’s “house”. The house is the curling rink’s playing area that is divided lengthwise down the center by the “tee line”.
- Curling teams will try and throw their stones as close as possible to the center line. Stones that are closer to the center line have a better chance of being “caught” and left in play. It is important to note that the goal of shooting stones to score points is not to “hit” the other team’s stones.
- Teams only score points when their own stones hit the center line. If a stone belonging to one team hits the stone of their opponents, no points are earned by either team.
Summary
Curling is not just about sliding on ice and throwing stones. It is a complex game that requires skill, strategy, and teamwork. There are several ways to score points in curling, and the strategies differ depending on the game situation. To become a great curler, you need to master the basic skills, understand the game strategy, and know-how to score points.
