It’s the last week of May. You put your brush and your curling shoes away six weeks ago after the end of another season. Six weeks of, hopefully, rest and recuperation away from the curling rink.
But it’s important to stay active over the summer months to stay in shape.
Last week I stumbled over an article by P. J. Wren entitled Shape Up for Winter Sports and published in Alive magazine. In that article, Wren describes a variety of simple exercises that can help avoid delayed-onset-muscle-soreness (DOMS) at the beginning of the season:
DOMS is that nasty aching and stiffness that you experience a day or two after either learning one of these new sports, or after the first day of performing the sport after an extended break. In addition to muscle soreness, DOMS is also responsible for making you wonder, “How am I ever going to get back up again?” as you sit down gingerly at the breakfast table the morning after the first day of the season.
Young children avoid DOMS by being so active during each day; teenagers and adults, however, can benefit from some mild preparation activity prior to the season. With June approaching, it is a bit early for curling-specific activities (I’ll touch on those later in the summer). For now, the goal is to stay active and maintain the strength in those muscle groups that you’ll need come October.
While Wren’s article in Alive doesn’t address curling directly, the “lunge” exercise targeted at cross-country skiers is perfectly suitable for curling. The extended lunge mimics brushing footwork when brushing in the open position, and works the quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors, the latter being especially important for stability during the curling delivery.
As a cool-down stretch after an activity – like a squash game – you can get into the slide position on a smooth surface. A tile or wood floor in sock feet works well. Stretching will help maintain the relaxed, comfortable slide position you worked so hard to develop over the past winter. When I do this, I make it a point to always stretch both sides – that is, I pretend I’m throwing with either hand – so that the muscle groups in both legs get the same amount of stretching. (Aside: for me, practicing the slide position both ways helps me as a coach, too, to recall the different body positions for a left-handed curler).
Other great exercises include cycling, hiking, stepping/aerobics, tennis, squash, and badminton as they all involve bursts of movement that can maintain leg strength, hip flexors included (which are my own personal weakness).
Keep up the activity over the summer – October’s Open House at the Elmira club will arrive before you know it.