Four major faults observed during the no backswing delivery
- Rock not positioned on the target line at the starting position
- Backward slide of the rock with deviation from the target line
- Sliding foot positioned to the side at the end of the backward movement (figure 7)
- Sliding foot is open at the end of the backward movement (figures 8 & 9)
1. Rock not positioned on the target line at the starting position
First, let's describe the target line : the target line starts at the skip's brush (target) and ends at the center of the hack. It is extremely important to position the center of the stone on the target line at the stance position. It is common to omit this both the no backswing and the conventional deliveries, the difference being that the target line (axis) in the conventional delivery starts at the skip's brush and goes through the middle of the two hacks, along the center line.
Note :
In the no backswing technique, the axis is a matter of choice. It can go through the hack, along the inside of the hack, between the hack and the center line, or on the center line itself. The important thing is to leave the rock on the axis at all times from the stance to the release. I strongly recommend the axis which travels through the center of the hack.
Correction :
When a player does not position the rock on the target line, he/she must be aware of this error and be shown the right way to position the stone. An easy and efficient training exercise consists in tying a rope to the skip's brush, asking the player to take his/her stance ; once done, ask the player to let go of the rock and get up. The rope is then tightened, passing through the target line (center of the hack), and the position of the rock can be checked. The exercise can be repeated until the rock is consistently positioned on the target line.
2. Backward slide of the rock with deviation from the target line
This fault means that, at the end of the backward movement, the stone is no longer on the target line. The rock has been pulled back either inside or outside of the target line. This fault is very frequent, even at the competitive level. The no backswing delivery being easy to do, the curler tends to forget the importance of a backward movement following the target line.
If the rock slides inside the target line, it will move to the outside of that line during the forward movement, and vice-versa.
Correction :
Same exercise as in 1 after tying a rope to the skip's brush, ask the curler to do the backward movement, stop, let go of the rock and get up. Tighten the rope and check if the stone is on the target line at the end of the backward movement. Repeat this exercise until the rock is consistently positioned on the target line at the end of the backward movement.
3. Sliding foot positioned to the side at the end of the backward movement
The lateral movement of the sliding foot during the backward movement has virtually no effet when the player does not transfer his/her body weight. If this movement is not too pronounced, the player will tend to drift off the target line during the forward slide.
For a take-out, the lateral movement of the sliding foot causes serious problems to the curler during the body weight transfer to the back foot (sliding foot). When the sliding foot slides sideways at the end of the backward movement, the body weight being tranfered to that foot throws the body off target line, thus affecting the stone.
The sliding foot positioned to the side instead of behind the hack forces the body and the rock to move to the inside of the target line during the forward slide. This problem is more serious than the previous one (2) as not only the rock, but also the whole body is off the target line. During the forward slide, the rock and the delivery will be off-line on the right side for a right-handed player and on the left side, for a left-handed player.
Correction :
Understand the way to improve : Work at sliding the foot in a straight line during the backward movement. Position a brush handle on the ice to help the curler slide his/her foot in a straight line behind the hack foot (figure 10).
4. Sliding foot is open at the end of the backward movement
The sliding foot opens out during the backward movement, causing hips and shoulders to open. Therefore, they are no longer face the skip's broom, nor remain perpendicular to the target line. During the forward movement, the hips and shoulders will have to move perpendicular to the target line, otherwise the odds of deviating off the target line while pushing out of the hack are quite high. Curlers who open out their hips during the backward movement lose consistency in their deliveries.
Correction :
Understanding the way to improve and concentrate in moving back the sliding foot in such a way that it points towards the skip's broom during the backward movement.
As you can see, the biggest problems facing the curlers using the no backswing technique happen during the backward movement. This backward movement that looks so easy is full of traps. Be alert !