Positioning of the Balance Arm

The balance arm will assist in adding support to the curler if needed. The most important factors for balance are the positioning of the hack foot and slider foot, but when needed the balance arm can offer added support in the following three positions:

1: Stretch the brush arm out comfortably from the body with the brush handle extending under the arm toward the back. The head of the brush should be resting lightly on the ice, slightly ahead of the sliding foot and at no more than a 45 degree angle. The brush head is inverted so that the brush head is facing up and the wooden/plastic part of the brush is resting on the ice. The wooden/plastic side of the brush head sliding on the ice produces less friction than if the brush head was in contact with the ice.

2: Athletes who have difficulty keeping the brush handle against their back during the forward slide should bend the arm slightly so that the upper arm may be used to hold the broom handle against the back to assist in achieving stability.

3: Some athletes prefer to have the brush flat on the ice. This method will assist with stability but in many cases it forces the upper part of the athlete’s body to be very low. An adaptation to the brush flat on the ice is to use a throwing device. The tops of these delivery aids are made to be the same height as the stone handle. They will assist the athlete who likes the brush flat on the ice to keep the upper body erect and their shoulders level. They are also useful for new curlers who are not comfortable using a brush.