Grist for the MIll
- From: "Blame it on the Dog" <medium_whitefish@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 10:07:19 -0500
Here's some grist for the mill:
Background: I'm a pretty good curler from a shooter's point of view-I
usually get my draw weight early in a game and usually hit whatever target
my skips call for...and hey, I sweep good too. My skips like me for that.
That's on Monday and Thursday nights...
Scenario: On Tuesday nights, I skip in another town. Since I'm a new boy
with only a bit of skipping experience, I have to say I'm a bit intimidated
by the grizzled veterans on the other teams, who I've played against and
lost in previous seasons.
Empowerment: Early in the season I printed and memorized the general
strategy that appears at the bottom of this post. I have relied on it for
the past few weeks to make me a stronger skip, and it has worked like a
charm. You'd be shocked at how well a clear house works against a seasoned
skip who likes to fill it up, tap them forward, and freeze rocks. All of a
sudden, he has to rely on draw weight and finesse shots. If they win an end
it's by 'ones and twos' only.
In short, the startegy below makes the other skip play MY game, and my
record (2 wins, 2 losses) is as good as I could expect, and a very strong
first season.
I'm lovin' it.
Thanks
"Icebound" <ice_bound@rogers.!!!EXTRACT!!!.com> wrote in message
news:jY-dnQZPHcZUpcXeRVn-pw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Hee-hee. I think I know who the author was.
>
> Corner guards are somewhat unused because the centre is almost always
> guarded in 4FGZ play. So you are unlikely to score a rock away from the
> 4-foot against a good opponent, because the opponent will be doing his
> damnest to have one behind that front cover *ON* the four foot.
>
> Now if the opponent lead misses altogether, and you NEED the points, then
> putting a rock up front is probably the best call. You can make it a
> "corner", but there is no sense making it more that 2 feet off the centre
> line.... if it is way out there, the opponent will still force you to the
> middle by putting his SECOND guard on the centre line (NOT drawing around
> your corner as was suggested... that is not a great call for the
opponent).
> You still can't take the guard out, and so we revert to item 2 on the
> with-hammer list. Your corner is useful only if there is reasonable
> expectation that he is going to miss (or throw through) on his second one
> also... NOW you have something to draw around or you can put up a second
> corner on the other side and try to hide one behind each, or two behind
one,
> etc.
>
> On the other hand, if you aren't behind by more than 1, you might try a
draw
> behind the tee line. They will probably hit, and if they stay you might
> start drawing in front of them and hope for a jam, to score your two that
> way (item 6 on the with-hammer list). And if the two doesn't develop,
you
> have no junk up front to make your 1 for the tie.
>
>
>
>
> "David" <evadbxl@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:4of1f.97315$oW2.15272@xxxxxxxxxxx
> I just moved back to Canada, after 15 years of the good life in Europe.
> Unfortunately, there was not much curling where I lived, so I have no
> experience playing the free guard zone.
>
> I'm skipping in a social league, playing on good ice. I'm sometimes not
> confident that I am calling the right shot in the FGZ era. I like to
> understand why a certain shot is called; I hate to just call a particular
> shot because that is what people call in a certain situation.
>
> Some time ago, I saved a summary of strategy that I found on this
newsgroup.
> I can fully understand, and agree with this general approach. For the
sake
> of those who have not been "lurking" on this group as long as I have, I
will
> paste that summary at the end of this post.
>
> But even with this general guide, I find that I am not sure of the best
shot
> to call in some very simple situations. Let me give one example; I hope
> some of you can offer suggestions.
>
> Suppose that you have last rock, and the opposing lead totally misses his
> (her) first shot. Where should you ask your lead to place his (her) shot?
> In the old days, the normal call was a corner guard. Do corner guards
make
> sense in the FGZ era? The general guide says throw the rock into the
house.
> That makes sense if you are ahead, but I wonder if the corner guard
strategy
> is really passé, especially if the team without last rock has totally
missed
> their first shot.
>
> Here is the general strategy from a previous post. I am ashamed to admit
> that I did not record the author, so I cannot give credit, even though
> credit is due.
>
>
> When you have the hammer, play to take 2, not three or four, just two; and
> the 3 or 4 will be a happy accident.
>
>
>
> 1. If the house is open, draw to the sides.
>
> 2. If the house is guarded by a FGZ rock, draw around it.
>
> 3. If house is guarded after FGZ rocks, peel it... unless you really need
> points, then see 2.
>
> 4. If the rock on the 4 foot is theirs, hit it.
>
> 5. If the rock in front of the tee line is theirs, hit it.
>
> 6. If the rock behind the tee line is theirs, draw in front of it.
>
> 7. If the rock in the house is yours, draw another one somewhere far away
> from it.
>
> 8. With that last rock, make whatever shot THAT YOU KNOW YOU CAN MAKE, to
> score at least one, but hopefully 2 or more. It's not a shame to make the
> shot THAT YOU CAN MAKE, and let them steal one, rather than missing
> something exotic, which lets them steal 4.
>
>
>
> When you do not have the hammer, play to give up 1.
>
> 1. When the house is open, guard it.
>
> 2. If the house is guarded, draw around it.
>
> 3. If the rock in the house is theirs, hit it.
>
> 4. If the rock in the house is yours, guard it.
>
>
>
.
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