Positioning of the Throwing Arm and Stone

Throwing Arm

Your throwing arm should be extended comfortably at all times. Don’t extend it with tension, stiffness or rigidity. Your elbow should be loose and pointed toward the ice.

The Grip

Your grip should be relatively firm on the curling stone. Your first finger should be back from the gooseneck (the front bend of the handle) by an inch or two. You ultimately want the center pivot of your wrist to be in the center of the stone (as shown in the video). Your thumb and index finger will provide a lot of the controlling force for your stone.

As demonstrated in the video, your thumb and index finger will create a “V” shape and should point to the opposite shoulder for an out-turn. Your handle should be placed on the middle joints of your fingers. Keep your wrist high so that the turn is made over the center of the stone. Keep equal pressure on all of your fingers/points of contact with the stone as you make your delivery and especially when you make your release as will be discussed later.

Positioning of the Stone

Often overlooked by newer curlers is the positioning of the stone in this part of the Set-Up phase. You should position your stone so that the line of delivery bisects the center of the stone. The imaginary line runs from the skips brush head to the center of your hack foot, so move the stone over that imaginary line so that the line splits the stone in two. That’s the line that you need to keep the stone on for the entire delivery process. As your skill level develops, your stone positioning may vary but for the purpose of building a solid foundation, stick with the traditional setup as I’ve described and make adjustments over time as your skill increases. The stone’s handle should be positioned at the 10 o’clock or 2 o’clock position depending on turn to be thrown.