Curling Coaching --Push Delivery

3. The initial positioning of the rock out front on the precise line to the target brush (before pullback). Note arms are extended (arm for one hand delivery). The rock is directly in line with the target and centered between the eyes.
The rock handle is at 12:00 O'clock and not 10 and 2. You will apply turn at release. In this system, the handle is your gun sight and you learn only one delivery with the forces up the arm the same for every slide out. The delivery force up the arm for the 10:00O'clock position is different than for the 2:00O'clock position. This is why so many curlers x-fire the out-turn.
You are now envisioning the rock to leave your hand at the proper speed and on line to the target brush. You are NOT envisioning where the rock will stop. That is the skip's worry. If you think of where the rock will stop, I guarantee, you will throw (start the rock) inside the brush to the skip's intended stopping point. Your sole job is to hit the brush at the right weight so envision that scenario alone!! And you wondered why for 10 years you have "pinched" the brush in the direction of curl?

Hacks designed wrong.
In the following picture, note the angle of the hack leg in relation to the wrongly designed hack.

Small people can not get maximum body pullback because the hack is tipped so far forward. It is impossible to retain the foot in the hack and roll the body backwards for maximum body thrust.

If you stand in the hack for only a minute with toe in hack and leg bent forward, there is severe strain on the calf muscle proving the fault of most hacks.
The "removable" hack solves this problem as it is installed nearly flat so the body can rock backwards while maintaining full foot contact in the hack.

4. Rock Pullback for peel takeout:
    Now the rock will be pulled back as you raise the hips while pulling the slider leg and trunk back with the rock also pulled back to the toe under the nose. All body mass is back for the takeout. You start the rock first on the target line with the hands and then follow with the body acceleration. IF you are a small person especially (under140#): you must push the 42# rock out first with the hands to follow with the body or, YOU WILL MISS THE BRUSH. A small person cannot accelerate the 42# rock and body at the same time accurately and is the MAJOR reason small people (women) miss the brush target line. The slider leg and body launch ahead after the initial rock arm pushout. With my weight, I will throw peel weight with this launch configuration. I start the rock first and then follow with the body even with my 220# mass. It is the accurate rock on line delivery method.
Depending on your size/weight and the called for shot, there will be several different pullbacks to move your mass backwards to gain the mass x acceleration force needed for the particular shot.
The several "pullback" positions does introduce more variables to learning the delivery; however, each pullback will trigger a separate mental weight memory recollection which will give you draw weight consistently.
Remember, the body throws the rock and not the arm so you have to practice several pullbacks to attain the right slide speed which is also the rock release speed.
Scenario A: Above picture applies.
    You are a small person and the skip calls for a "t" line draw shot. The ice is 12 and1/2 sec. H-H so is heavy. You will have to throw hack weight (for approx. 14 sec ice) to get this amount of needed force/weight.
A small person will have to:
   1. Pull the rock all the way back to the hack toe (not centerline of hack but under the nose).
   2. Move the slider leg back behind the hack as in the above picture.
   3. Rock the body trunk back a small amount at the same time. At the full back point, some "touch-balance" weight is on the slider foot (do not lift foot off the ice as this foot is still a steadying influence and it must remain intimate with the ice for "feel" purposes). If you put all weight on the rear foot it will kick/slide back because the slider is on that foot. You are going through a fluid rocking chair motion with some weight transfer to the rear foot but the hack foot still has the major weight and greatest steadying influence.
page4>> more delivery stuff   Or go home