Curling Theory - Sweeping Zones

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In this Curling Instructional video, Coach Matt discusses the 3 zones of sweeping that aspiring competitive teams need to be aware of.
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Matt was Competition Coach trained in Ontario and later Certified as a Competition Coach in Québec.
Visit curlingclass.com for more drills and courses and follow our KZbin channel to add new drills and theories that you can add to your training program.

[@tommylenz3659]

Directional sweeping adds a whole other layer on top of this too and lets you have even more control!

[@kenleroy8624]

Hey Matt Sweeping question. I'm a science noob, and have researched the crap out of directional sweeping and am at peace with the how I believe it works; a combination of Harald Neiberg's (scratch theory) and Marc Shegelski's (asymeteric friction melting) theories. But my question is about basic sweeping, ie, keeping a rock moving straight. I'm new to physically curling (have watched and loved the sport for 25+ yrs before playing) and I'm currently battling a fellow curlers thoughts of sweeping to keep a stone STRAIGHT(er). I should mention that I LOVE sweeping (ya, I'm broken inside) and while I'm new at the club, I'm probably in the top three sweepers in physicality (ie, lots of downforce, quick and very fit). I'm of the belief that regardless of whether one is on the inside or outside of the curl, as long as you are sweeping perpendicular (or close to) the line of travel of the stone, you are melting the ice across the entire running surface and thus keeping as much of the stones momentum as possible and, hence, as straight as possible. My antagonist 😉 , however, asserts that if you sweep on the outside of the curl in this manner you are not accomplishing the "straight" required, and that the only way to do that is to be on the inside of the curl. While I have conceded that (I believe) a powerful sweeper on the inside of the curl will slightly (emphasis on slightly) out-perform the same sweeper on the outside of the curl in keeping the rock straight. But here's the rub; while the person I'm having this debate with isn't a terrible sweeper, they are not a good sweeper either. And I can't really tell them that outright, so I'm looking for factual backup to use on the physics/dynamics of the whole "moving stone/sweeping" thing. These differing idea's present themselves as impediments in game action, when for example, we're throwing a takeout and the stone is delivered inside. I believe in this situation you want to melt as much ice as possible in front of the stone but when I'm sweeping with this person we're butting heads WHILE trying to save a shot. Then again, maybe I'm wrong. What think you ? Thanks in advance, I'm hungry for knowledge/opinions.

[@ralpho58]

Another good one Matt. Are you still making new videos?

[@CurlingClass]

Yes, in due time :)

[@ralpho58]

Another good one Matt. Have you stopped making new videos?

[@CurlingClass]

I had to take a couple years off for family matters. I should be back at it in 2023/24.

[@johnseaford257]

How much does the 8” table weigh? I want to buy one

[@karlschmit6995]

Thanks! Maybe I misunderstood, but I was a little surprised that on a draw thrown narrow we should wait until zone B. Couldn't we sweep it in zone A to pull it out? Or is it just that in the example we thought the weight was correct so sweeping must be a minimum, and the best time to keep it straight is to sweep nearly before the break?

[@CurlingClass]

Hi Karl. Yeah there are a lot of variables to consider when sweeping. It's really up to the team to work on this. If the weight is good I would recommend waiting to sweep until a few feet before the break point, then sweep my butt off to extend the break point. If the weight is good but you absolutely have to get around the guard then just sweep your butts off right after release. You can see where variables can come into play here. Maybe it doesn't matter if the stone is deep, but you just need to get by the guard. In another situation, being deep would be devastating and ticking the guard would be acceptable. It's very situational so with this video I was just trying to give the general ideas.

[@Newfh]

Where did you get the table? Sorry if it’s been asked.😄

[@CurlingClass]

Cool Curling. They have a couple of websites (US/Canada). I think it's in the description of the video. 8 Foot or 10 Foot sizes.