Return to Curling III—Transition On Ice

Welcome back curling enthusiasts.

Return to Curling is a three-part series for recreational curlers, dedicated to safely and effectively returning you to the curling ice. Give us a follow and don’t miss parts one and two.

Whether your “off-ice season” was merely four months or 15-plus months, taking the time to prepare to step back on the ice after a break from the sport can help improve performance, enjoyment and decrease chance of injury.

Perhaps you’ll need a strong step-by-step guide to help prepare you mentally and physically for your return …? That’s where the Back to Curling Kickstarter comes in.

The Kickstarter is a toolbox of strength, cardio, brushing and yoga specifically for curling, and it’s been assembled to help you fill in any gaps in how you are moving.

PART THREE: Transition to On-Ice Performance

How can you get the most out of your off-ice training? If you’ve put some time in to train it’s only natural to expect that when you step on the ice again your strength, balance and fitness will automatically carry over.

Yes.

But not always. Not automatically.

Let’s say, for example, that you get a new smart phone. You know how the device works; how to find the home page, turn it on or off, where all the apps are found or even how great the camera is. You don’t need to learn how to use a smart phone, but you do have to take some time to familiarize yourself with upgrades and new features.

On your old phone you likely could turn it on, and end up in a text message or Instagram, screenshot a meme to share with a friend and send an email without thinking about it. You’ve established habits and routines that are essentially unconscious.

When you get a new phone you have to develop new habits and routines based on the upgrades on your device. This might be a quick adjustment, or take some time. I know I still go to open the charging dock at the bottom of my phone even though I switched cases six months ago.

When we step onto the ice some parts of the transition might appear seamless; your energy level, your ability to rebound between shots, the ability to create power.

But often we have to relearn how to adjust our kick for weight control, or take some time finding a more balanced setup or delivery position to use the mobility and stability you built in the off-season.

This is especially important for those coming back after an injury. Sometimes it is the way that we curl; our techniques that can exacerbate an angry knee, hip, or shoulder. When you go to a movement therapist to correct postural control or lower body instability, we need to make sure the transition on the ice helps prevent that injury as well. You might even find that after a solid active rehab program your delivery feels a bit different. Do your best to resist sliding back into old habits that might exacerbate what caused the injury in the first place.

What’s the easiest thing you can do after some time off from the ice?

Practice! Most curlers step on the ice for the first time in a game or tournament. In a perfect world, you would slowly increase the number of slides you take over the course of a few weeks so that the body has time to adapt to the movements of curling that it hasn’t seen in a few months. Terri Weeks and I talk about this on my podcast here.

In addition, don’t neglect the basics. Every elite curler comes back to the foundations of their delivery at the beginning of each season. We often think the fix to our drift, or lack of balance comes from some top-secret trick we need to learn. But our setup and timing out of the hack means so much when we are trying to make adjustments. If you’re struggling with releasing the rock at the stick, but you find that you’re leaning on the rock because you need to work on balance, focus on balance before you worry about the release—to make your life easier.

When you come back to curling with more strength, confidence and control, starting with the basics allows you to apply your newfound fitness to the act of throwing or brushing a stone.

For those interested in learning more about topics such as applying progressive overload to their on-ice progress, check out episode 14.

All the best, and watch for another series coming soon.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article and accompanying resources is intended for educational purposes only. Please seek out the assistance of a Regulated Health Care Practitioner if you have any questions or concerns.