Canada Curling Alliance -- Push Delivery

5. Push out rock first and follow with the slide.

This picture illustrates my "normal" left handed delivery (I do not throw outturns -- I switch to left hand for rightee outturn) and the leg is not extended back for peel weight as in the previous picture.
You must use the right hack for leftee shots.
Remember, a small person may need full body, rock, and slider leg backward pullback for even a house draw weight shot.
The rock is now pushed out with the hands/hand BEFORE any other body parts are moved. The rock is "started" on the line of site to the target line brush.
This step is second only to showing up at the rink to collect that $10,000 in prize money for winning the GMC cash spiel in importance. This step is more important than weight. You will eventually learn weight control. This is the hit the brush step. Without initiating this step NOW before the slideout, you will never hit the brush better than 50%.
Note the arms are straight and will remain so throughout the delivery!!!
There is a natural overbalance point at some initial rock pushout in which the body must follow. This whole pullback and pushout and follow through is one fluid rocking motion with no stops in between.
Based upon the amount of mass you moved backwards, you will come out at a predetermined speed as practiced because your mind has logged/stored this delivery information many times before for this weight ice. Have you heard Wayne Middaugh ask his sweepers, "What is the speed/time of the ice?" Wayne has his practiced weight in his mind and will now slideout at the required speed. Remember that Wayne's brushers are pros and Wayne will throw top 12' and let the brushers "carry" the rock. Quite a nice advantage that most club curlers do not have. That is why pro "% of shots made" are normally higher than a club curler's shots. The brushers can be as important as skip rocks in the outcome of the game.

6.Sliding out:

releasex.JPG (36512 bytes)
     The rock is now out front of a straight arm/arms and the slider foot is behind the rock with the trailing hack foot leg being used as a rudder and brake. Note, I am now throwing right handed -- see finger configuration on rock with right hand grip. The front view would show that the rock is under the nose -- between the eyes.
    Because you are concerned about "curling knee," you are using a flat foot delivery (not tuck or semi-tuck with twisted out foot) and are cruising out to within 6 feet of the hogline for release.
    After release, you will slide on with no strain with the knee slide technique until friction overtakes you. You will slide on because you did not armboost. If you armboosted, you will stop the slide quickly. This IS the TEST for armboost! Watch the curlers in the Olympics to see how many "armboost" and miss the brush at the wrong weight. I can slide to the far boards with takeout weight. Sliding on is important because if you have arm boosted even a few onces, you will stop the slide soon.

    The rock handle is straight ahead. You are not using the 10:00/2:00 O'clock handle holding method because you want to learn one delivery and not two. The forces up the arm are different for the 10/2 delivery! The straight handle was your psychological gun sight when aiming at the brush while squatted in the hack and remains so throughout the slide. The rock is ahead but still under/inline with the nose (between both eyes) and on the target brush line.
YOU HAVE HIT THE BRUSH TARGET LINE!!
    So, apply a small amount of rotational turn about the rock bolt/rock handle center to acquire 2-3 turns on the rock and release in an upward hand release motion. IF you release off the tail of the handle as many, many, pros do, you will "START" the rock in a cross fire missing the brush.
    Contrary to many TV commentators who know better but want to not hurt the pros' feelings, the rock does not curl more when pushed off the line of sight in the "He got it started!" scenario. The curler simply x-fired the rock; i.e., missed the brush target..
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