Help! I'm Losing!

Over many years of curling, I have had my share of losses. While these losses are always an opportunity to learn, it is always a lot more fun when the games are close, or when you are winning. So what can you do if you find yourself down by multiple points?

The first thing you want to remember is that a rock in play is a rock that you can use. So, if you have the hammer, don't be afraid to keep some of your opponent's rocks in play. You may have to make a difficult shot later in the end, but if you leave the rocks for the beginning of the end, the better you can set up your scoring opportunity. 

When you have the hammer, look to set up your corner guards. For a separate post on where to put corner guards, and how to use them, read The Good and Bad of the Corner Guard. 

As you can see in the diagram, the losing team (the red team) has set up two well-placed corner guards. The winning team (the blue team) has countered by throwing both of their lead rocks into the four foot. It might be tempting for the red team to hit these rocks in the four foot, however this is not the best way to generate some points. Instead, use the corner guards you just put up. Your opponent is going to work hard to peel those guards off the sheet, so try and get one or more rocks behind.

When it does come time to move the rocks around in the four foot, maybe on your vice's rocks, try moving them into the back of the house, as opposed to taking them out.

Now you will likely be looking at a situation like the one on the left. One of your corner guards has been removed, but you were able to hide a draw behind the other one. You have also managed to tap both of their rocks behind the tee line, and kept your shooter in play in front of them. Since it is getting late in the end, you might be worried about the face that your opponent is shot rock. But, this is the risk you have to take to score some points! If your opponent tries to remove the red rock in the middle of the sheet, they may jam it into their blue rocks. This is the fastest way for you to get three rocks in the house, and be on your way to getting some points on the board.






When you don't have the hammer, you should also look to keep some rocks in play, but you have to be ready to bail out if your plan isn't working out.

As you can see in the diagram, the losing team (orange team) has thrown two centre guards. Throwing one guard isn't enough because it is just too easy for it to be removed, and your chance at stealing to be over.

As the orange team was throwing their centre guards, the wining team (purple team) has tried to counter this move by throwing their rocks into the four foot. This is an opportunity for you to use their own rocks against them.

Begin by freezing to these rocks, as shown. Then, when bump the opposition rocks behind the tee line, while keeping them in the four foot. If you can create a wall behind the tee line, with your rocks in front of the wall, you are well on your way to squeezing down the scoring zone, and maybe stealing back some points.


So if you find yourself losing, remember these tips! Here is a quick reminder:

• Use your opponent's rocks against them. Bump them behind the tee line to create some backing.
• Get guards up in front of the house. Two corners with the hammer, two centre guards without. 
• Don't Panic! Take some chances with rocks in play. Sometimes when you get down on the scoreboard you have to take some risks to get back in the game.

Introduction To Curling Strategy

"Plan your work, and work your plan."

Legendary football coach, and Superbowl trophy namesake, Vince Lombardi best described a team strategy by saying "plan your work, and work your plan". The idea works the same in curling as it does in football. An essential element of our sport is the ability to decide what plan to pursue, and how exactly to pursue it. This is called strategy. 

This diagram displays the general idea for what strategy should be played when a team has the hammer, and when a team does not have last-rock advantage. 

The image shows that when you have the hammer, it is best to keep the middle of the sheet open. This way, if things get complicated the final skip's rock can always be used to draw to the button to win the point. 

Without hammer, your strategy should be to make the last shot of the end as difficult as possible for the opponent skip. Throwing rocks towards the centre, and cutting down the scoring area for the last rock is the best way to pursue this goal. Ideally, the opponent will not have a way to get to the button with their last rock.

When losing (down) it is a good idea to keep a lot of rocks in play, in an attempt to force your opponents into playing more difficult shots, while hoping for a miss. To accomplish this, keeping guards in front of the house is a good idea. These rocks give you more scoring options, as they can be run back, tapped in, or used as a guard to hide behind. 

When you are winning (up) the goal should be to keep things as simple as possible. Since you don't need to score a bunch of points, bring play into the house. Avoid guards, and when they do get thrown don't be afraid to peel them off the sheet. Playing open hits in the house is the ideal in this scenario. 

This is the general idea that most teams pursue, however strategy is an ever-evolving aspect of the game. No matter what strategy your team decides to follow, it is important that you have a predetermined plan that you can implement when you hit the ice.