As a lead in curling, your role sets the tone for the entire end. One common mistake I see new leads make is spending too much time helping clear stones between ends when they should be preparing for their next shot.
Let me be clear: your primary responsibility between ends is to get ready for your next throw, not to help sweep away all the stones from the previous end.
When an end concludes, there’s often a flurry of activity as players clear the playing surface. While teamwork is important in curling, leads need to prioritize differently than seconds, thirds, or skips.
What Leads Should Do Between Ends
Instead of joining the stone-clearing party, you should be:
- Locating your rock for the upcoming end
- Getting into position at the hack
- Mentally preparing for your delivery
- Checking ice conditions near the hack
By focusing on these priorities, you’ll be ready to throw as soon as your skip gives the signal, keeping the game moving at a good pace.
Why Game Pace Matters
Maintaining a quick pace of play isn’t just about following rules or time limits. It has real strategic advantages:
- It keeps your team in rhythm and focused
- It prevents overthinking, which often leads to mistakes
- It puts subtle pressure on your opponents
- It helps maintain ice conditions by reducing melting from body heat
Teams that move efficiently between shots tend to maintain better concentration throughout a match. When I’m coaching new teams, I often notice that the more time players spend standing around between shots, the more likely they are to lose focus.
Finding the Right Balance
This doesn’t mean you should never help with stone clearing. If you’re playing in a casual setting without dedicated ice technicians, everyone needs to pitch in. But even then, your priority should be getting ready for your shot.
The key is awareness. If you’ve already identified your stone and there’s a traffic jam of rocks that needs clearing, by all means, help out. Just remember to break away in time to get settled in the hack before it’s your turn to throw.
Keeping up a quick pace of play is critical.
I’ve seen too many games slow to a crawl because leads are still helping clear stones when they should be ready to throw. This creates unnecessary delays and can throw off your team’s rhythm.
Communication Is Key
Talk with your team about expectations. Some skips prefer their leads to help with stone clearing, while others want them focused exclusively on getting ready for their shot. Clear communication prevents misunderstandings and keeps everyone on the same page.
For new curlers, this might feel counterintuitive. You want to be helpful and contribute to the team effort. But understand that getting ready quickly for your shot IS being helpful to your team.
Next time you’re playing as lead, try this approach: help clear one or two stones if they’re directly in your path, then immediately locate your rock, get into the hack, and prepare mentally for your delivery. You’ll likely notice the game flows better, and your skip will appreciate your readiness.
Remember, in curling as in life, sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is focus on your specific job rather than trying to do everything. Your team will thank you for it.
