It's the Little Things

It's amazing how the little things can make such a big difference. I had a friend take some photos of my delivery yesterday a lunch, and I posted them on facebook when I got back to my office. Some of them were a little blurry because we didn't have a big enough flash on the camera...but it was good enough to see some things I hadn't noticed about my delivery.

Within a couple hours I had a message from a curling friend with some comments and suggestions. Tim is an excellent curler and instructor, and I appreciate his advise. I'm always happy to get advice on improving my technique and game. There were a few things he pointed out that I hadn't realized I was doing. So, when I practiced today, I focused on making a couple adjustments.

The biggest change I noticed, came from a very slight adjustment...how I held on to the rock during delivery and release. I knew that I should have the rock handle somewhere aroud 10 or 2 o'clock when sliding, and release at 12:00... but in the photos, every picture had my wrist bent and the handle at 3 or 9 o'clock. I was really amazed when I made the adjustment, and turning and releasing the stone felt effortless! That, and I noticed the stone seemed to be rotating at a better rate than I normally throw (normally I think I get a little too much spin). It was definitely something I'm going to need to think about for a while as I do it, until my muscle memory is corrected and it becomes natural.

Other things I worked on were keeping my shoulders parallel to the ice while I'm in the hack, and I worked for a while sliding without a stone or brush. I also did quite a bit of sweeping practice...my 4-year-old can run a "little rock" down the ice, release at the hog line and almost get it to the house. I swept 12 little rocks in a row, hog to house, with no break between. That was quite a sweeping workout! (which I need...and I LOVE sweeping, so I'll have to make sure to do this a lot next fall)

I also noticed myself that I tend to turn in my back toe when sliding, and I think that causes me to drift and to slow down. When I concentrated on pointing it straight back, it seemed to work better for me.

I appreciate any helpful hints and advice! Thank you to all my curling friends who are willing to give it!