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Hammer efficiency, steal defence, and other metrics
In addition to player and team shooting statistics, which are often displayed on curling TV telecasts, another set of statistics common to curling are scoring metrics that summarize a team’s ability to capitalize on last rock advantage, steal points in ends where they don’t have last rock, and their ability to defend against team(s) when the opposition has last rock. These are relatively rudimentary performance metrics, but they can offer some insight to a team’s performance. If one is using the Curl Coach app to chart games those summary scoring metrics are shown on the main Competition page within the app – regrettably these statistics are not duplicated in the generated Competition Report PDF. An example of these statistics captured with Curl Coach appears at right. In addition to the base statistics shown for this competition: number of games played, wins and losses, average points scored for/against, etc. there are a number of additional metrics, such as Hammer Efficiency (called
Why bunny-hop brushing may not be the advantage you think it is
Increasingly, this season I’m witnessing the adoption by Canadian Junior and U18 teams of a brushing tactic used by some teams – mostly, but not exclusively, women’s teams – on the Grand Slam circuit. I’ve nicknamed that tactic “bunny-hop” brushing as it involves the near brusher jumping during the “push” portion of each stroke from a snowplough position. Most often I see the bunny-hop used on guards and draw-weight shots, where the tactic is employed between the far hog line and where the stone comes to rest. Typically, the bunny-hop is used when the stone requires additional carry, though sometimes the tactic is also used when trying to both extend the carry of a stone and, at the same time, accentuate curl by brushing in the direction of the stone’s rotation. https://youtu.be/o2woYB05zdU?&t=1843 Carole Howald of Team Tirinzoni uses the “bunny-hop” brushing tactic vs Team Homan in the final of the 2025 AMJ Campbell Players’ Championship. Rationale The idea behind the
Data scientists begin to look at curling
In recent years we have witnessed the application of both computer video analysis coupled with powerful analytics engines to provide insight into strategy and tactics in a variety of sports. As examples, five sports that have seen a lot of analytics applied to them are football (soccer), NFL football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey. It is no surprise that these sports are in leadership positions since they are large enough to afford the data science expertise and computer technology to analyze the massive amounts of data that are captured during a game. Ice hockey lagged the other major sports in analytics. However, most, if not all, NHL teams now have data scientists on their staffs, and NHL teams use a variety of tools (such as NHL Edge) and software providers to provide insights into shooting, passing, goaltending, puck possession, power play, and defence strategies. Academic researchers have also been part of the mix: as an example, my friend Tim Brecht,
The Battle at Port Elgin – September 2026
A marquee battle-of-the-sexes series of games between Canadian champions Brad Jacobs and Rachel Homan will take place in Saugeen Shores from September 25-27, 2026 at The Plex in Port Elgin. Games between the two teams will include regular play, skins, and mixed doubles games. Fundraising for local curling clubs Organizers Doug Flowers, Maurice Wilson, Dave Middleton, and Stu Silcox are hosting this world-class event to help build the sport of curling in their local communities, including Port Elgin, Southampton, Kincardine, and other clubs in the area, and to help fund critical curling club projects planned or already underway. The Plex seats 1200 spectators and the organizers are hoping for a full house for all of the games. 10% of net profits will go to a charity of the winning team’s choice, 5% of net profits to a charity of the runner-ups choice, and the remaining 85% will be used for infrastructure upgrades at area clubs. 3-day Adult Curling Camp Additionally,
Delivery by athletes with opposite ocular dominance
What is ocular dominance? Ocular dominance is the tendency of the brain to prefer visual input of one eye over the other. While like many other mammals human beings have binocular vision with which to judge distances, humans almost universally prefer visual input from one eye over the other. According to Wikipedia, about 70% of people are right-eye dominant, and 29% are left-eye; why this is so is still not understood. In everyday circumstances most individuals don’t give their ocular dominance much thought; but in sport, eye dominance can play a significant role, especially in highly accurate tasks such as aiming. Sports such as darts, archery, billiards, shooting, and curling can be impacted by eye dominance, particularly when the athlete’s dominant eye is the opposite of their dominant (throwing) hand, which is sometimes termed cross-dominance. Celeste Gauthier, who throws 3rd stones for Team Émilie Lovitt, throwing an out-turn draw. Note that Celeste’s left eye is directly above the centre of
A brush is not a rock magnet
A brushing tactic I continue to see being used by younger teams is to brush the ice adjacent to the stone when trying to ‘carve’ or accentuate curl. I’m not sure where this tactic began, but there is no point in brushing ice that the running band of the stone will not pass over as the stone continues its trajectory. Brushing to increase curl requires brushing ‘high-side’ (in the direction of the stone’s rotation). Precisely where the stroke begins and ends for optimal effect depends on a number of factors, the most important being the velocity of the stone and the force profile of the athlete(s) doing the brushing. But there are several other variables that may play a role, including the roughness of the stone’s running bands, the ice conditions, and environmental factors (temperature, humidity, dew point) to name just a few. These variables are not completely understood, and we know from testing – at different clubs with various