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. 2009 Dec 1;8(4):495-500.
eCollection 2009.

The sports science of curling: a practical review

John L Bradley  1
Affiliations

The sports science of curling: a practical review

John L Bradley. J Sports Sci Med. .

Abstract

Curling is a sport played on ice in which two teams each deliver 8 granite stones towards a target, or 'house'. It is the only sport in which the trajectory of the projectile can be influenced after it has been released by the athlete. This is achieved by sweeping the ice in front of the stone to change the stone-ice friction and thereby enable to stone to travel further, curl more or stay straight. Hard sweeping is physically demanding. Different techniques of sweeping can also have different effects on the stone. This paper will review the current research behind sweeping a curling stone, outline the physiological demands of sweeping, the associated performance effects and suggest potential strategies of sweeping that can be used by both coaches and curling teams. Key pointsSweeping a curling stone can be highly physically demanding.Effective sweeping requires a combination of downward force and brush head speed, determined by the stone velocity.Sweeping on the left or right of a stone can help the stone to remain straight or curl more depending on the rotation of the stone.This can lead to the development of sweeping and playing tactics and contribute to team selection.

Keywords: Sweeping; physiological demands; sweep strategy; training; winter sports.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The layout of a curling rink. Distances are given from the Hack.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Sweeping the same piece of ice more than once. A illustrates the position of the curler with respect to the stone in conventional sweeping. B is a thermal animation of the heat generated from conventional sweeping [thermal movie reproduced with kind permission from Marmo et al (2006b), available from URL: http://www.jssm.org/vol8/n4/1/curling.htm.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Sweep length during 20s bouts of sweeping in male and female curlers.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Vertical force during 20s bouts of sweeping in male and female curlers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Behm D.G. (2007) Periodized training program of the Canadian Olympic curling team. Strength and Conditioning Journal 29(3), 24-31
    1. Buckingham M-P., Marmo B.A., Blackford J.R. (2006) Design and use of an instrumented curling brush. Proceedings for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L. Journal of Materials: Design and Application 220(4), 199-205
    1. Denny M. (1998) Curling rock dynamics. Canadian Journal of Physics 76, 295-304
    1. Jensen E.T., Shegelski M.R.A. (2004) The motion of curling rocks: experimental investigation and semi-phenominological description. Canadian Journal of Physics 82(10), 791-809
    1. Marmo B.A., Backford J.R. (2004) Friction in the sport of curling. The 5th International Sports Engineering Conference, Davis, California, September 2004. International Sports Engineering Association, Sheffield. Volume 1, 379-385

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