Curling Drills

In order to improve your curling game, like any other sport, practice is key. If you aren't sure about when you can find some free ice at your club, speak to your ice-maker or club president - there is almost always some free time every week for you to get out on the ice and improve your skills. Often in curling practicing means working on perfecting your slide, but in order to work on other team skills, it is a good idea to use some drills that work on multiple skills. Here are some of my favorites for you to try!

Crazy Eights

This is a drill for working on takeouts. The drill begins with all eight rocks of one curling being set up as shown in the diagram. The goal is for a team of four to remove all eight of these rocks, while keeping their eight shooting rocks in the house. Any shooting rocks left in the house at the end of the drill are a positive point, while any opposing rocks left behind are a negative point, making the high score a +8.

All four members of the team should participate, with the skip calling the line, sweepers sweeping, and taking turns throwing their two rocks. This drill forces a team to work on throwing consistent takeout weight, hitting the broom, judging the amount of curl, and setting up angles for double takeouts.

Line Dancing

This drill requires the participating team to throw eight soft-weight taps into the house. Eight rocks are set up in a straight line in front of the house, as shown in the diagram. The team now has eight rocks to throw, attempting to tap the stationary eight into the house. 

All four members of the team should participate, with the skip calling the line, sweepers sweeping, and taking turns throwing their two rocks. Teams will be required to figure out the appropriate tap weight, and ensure that line of delivery is accurate in order to effectively complete this drill. 

Pop Goes The Weasel

In this drill, eight rocks of one colour are arranged in a long line, starting at the very top of the house, as shown in the diagram. The rocks should be touching to begin the drill. The objective is to tap the rocks progressively so that all eight end up in the house. 

Thrown rocks may, or may not be removed from play after shot, depending on how complicated you would like to make the drill.

All four members of the team should participate, with the skip calling the line, sweepers sweeping, and taking turns throwing their two rocks. Teams will need to focus on throwing the appropriate weight, while also making sure to hit the rocks in the right place - the further you spread out the rocks as you progress, the more difficult it will be to get them all into the house. 

Progressive Hog Line

This drill requires teams to throw eight draws. The difficulty is that each draw must go further than the draw before it. As shown in the diagram, this means that essentially the hog line moves up with every rock that is thrown. The first rock should be as high as possible, leaving the maximum room for the next rock. However if the first rock is thrown tighter to the house, the imaginary hog line moves that close, leaving less room for the other seven rocks to be placed. As a rock lands it should be pushed to the side of the sheet, to signal the imaginary hog line. As with the real hog line, a rock must fully cross the previous rock in order to count. 

All four members of the team should participate, with the skip calling the line, sweepers sweeping, and taking turns throwing their two rocks. This drill works with a thrower's draw weight, but the most important factor is sweeping: the sweepers must make sure they place each rock past the previous, but yet as close to the previous as possible. 

Hot Shots!

The hot shots is a competition that is played every year at the national championships. There are six shots to be thrown, each of which is worth a maximum of five points. 

All four members of the team should participate, with the skip calling the line, sweepers sweeping, and taking turns throwing their two rocks. The first rock each player throws should be a "practice" rock, which will not count for points. The second rock each player throws will be the counting rock. After every shot the shooting rock is removed from play, and any necessary rocks are reset for the next shooter. 

For most of the shots, points will be scored as indicated in the diagram. Five points will be awarded if the rock rests on the button, four if it ends up in the four-foot, three for the eight-foot, two for the twelve-foot, and one point if the rock is in play, but not in the house. There are a few differences for the one-point option, which I will explain as it comes up below. 

Each player shoots six shots, with a possibility of scoring as many as 30 individual points. This drill can be used to count individual score, or a team score, looking for a maximum of 120 points. 

Shot A: Draw to the Button

This is the most straight-forward of any of the Hot Shots. Without any rocks in play, the player must try and draw to the button, with points awarded depending on where the rock lands. 

Shot B: Draw Through The Port

Essentially the same as the draw to the button, but this time the rock must travel through the two guard rocks, which are set-up as shown by the purple rocks in the diagram. If the travelling rock touches either of these rocks at any time, zero points will be awarded. If the rock travels through the two rocks, but does not end up in the house (short of the house, or through the house) one point is awarded. 

Shot C: Tap

For this shot a rock is set up a couple inches in front of the house, on the centre line. If the set rock is touched at all, even if it goes out of play, one point is awarded. If the tapped rock ends up in the house, points are awarded on the same scale as was used with the draw shots. 

Shot D: Hit and Stick

As shown in the diagram with the green rock, the stationary rock is placed at the very back of the button, on the centre line. The stationary rock must be fully removed from play in order for any points to be scored for this shot. One point is awarded if both rocks end up out of play, and more points are awarded according to where the shooter comes to rest in the house. 

Shot E: Double Takeout

Two stationary rocks are set-up as shown by the blue rocks in the diagram. The shooter must remove both rocks from play in order to score a point, and then points are awarded if the shooter sticks in the house. If all three rocks leave play, one point is awarded.

Shot F: Hit and Roll 

A rock is set-up at about the 2 o'clock position, outside the house, as shown by the yellow rock in the diagram. The shooter must remove that rock from play, in order to score one point. A higher score can be achieved if the shooter rolls into the house, with points awarded on the same scale as the previous shots.