Below are some guidelines to teaching the standing / walking stick delivery. While this document should provide guidance, adaptions will be required dependant on the player’s physical ability.

1. Which Hack to Use

• • Many players just stand arbitrarily in front of the hack ready to deliver but there are actually rules. Just as with an orthodox delivery, players using a stick also deliver from the correct hack.

  • Right-handed players shall deliver from the hack on the left of the centre line,

• • Left-handed players will deliver from the hack on the right of the centre line.

2. Check stick length

• • By adjusting the length, ensure that the angle created allows the end of the stick to easily lie flat on the stone handle and curler is able to twist stick to create a handle on the stone. The end of the stick should be held at a comfortable height. Generally, the end of the stick should be held level with their hip while the other end touches the stone.

• • If the curler has their own stick, a small mark can be made on the inner shaft (i.e. permanent marker or nail varnish) to identify ideal length for future use.

3. Line-up

• • Standing behind the hack, the curler should place foot (right foot – if right handed, left foot if left handed) securely into the hack, with their other foot on the ice, parallel to the hack foot.

• • Ensure shoulders, body, knees and feet are aligned to the skip’s brush or target.

4. Attach stick to stone

• • The stone is positioned in front of the hack foot, touching the centre line.

• • The end of the stick should be held at hip height, to the centre of the body.

• • Ensure that the stick is aligned from the eye, towards the skip’s brush or target.

• • The goose-neck of the stone should be set at either the 10 o’clock (for clockwise rotation) or 2 o’clock position (for anti-clockwise rotation) depending on the skip’s request.

5. Forward press

• • A small forward movement of the shoulders, from the waist, will ensure that the stone is not stuck to the ice and that the curler is in a safe body position prior to the step sequence.

6. Step forward

• • Immediately after forward press, the curler should move their non-hack foot forward, keeping toes in contact with the ice.

7. Delivery

• • Curler should walk forwards towards the skip’s brush, keeping their body weight forward and toes in contact with the ice.

• • The number of steps taken is an individual choice however the stone must be released before crossing the near hog line.

• • Usually an odd number of steps is advised (5, 7, 9 etc) so that at the end of the sequence, the foot forward is opposite to the delivery hand – similar to the slide delivery.

• • The shot called will determine the speed of the walk; a takeout will require a faster walk with the body leaning slightly further forward.

• • The throwing arm should be slightly bent with the stone handle maintaining its 10 o’clock or 2 o’clock position.

8. Lunge

• • On the last step, the curler should keep their body weight forward into a lunge position whilst extending their arm.

• • A similar example is a fencer lunging forward and extending their arm.

9. Release

• • When the curler has reached their release point, the handle should be turned from the 10 o’clock or 2 o’clock position to 12 o’clock simultaneously as the arm is extended and finishes with the delivery hand in the ‘handshake’ position.

• • The stone must be clearly released by the hogline.

Now that you have got this far, here is a short video that consolidates the above tips with a couple of extra golden nuggets of information.

Learn to Curl with a Stick Delivery