Curling is a winter sport that combines strategy, precision and teamwork. Born in Scotland in the 16th century, the activity is now an Olympic sport that is loved and practiced all over the world.
The rules of curling are very specific and detailed, ensuring a fair and competitive game. With this in mind, we’ve decided to explore the main rules of the sport, from the structure and size of the playing venue to infractions and penalties.
First, let’s quickly understand how the sport works?
Basically, curling is played on an ice surface with granite stones and special brooms. Your aim is to throw the stones so that they stop as close as possible to the target, called the “house”.
Each team has four players and the game is played in ends, with each team throwing eight stones per end. Now, let’s break down the rules of curling, shall we?
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Curling rules: complete list
- Place of play;
- Duration;
- Players;
- Throwing and sweeping;
- Scoring;
- Infractions and penalties.
Curling rules: playing venue
The curling rink is a rectangular ice surface with specific dimensions.
It is 44.5 meters long and 4.75 meters wide, and at each end of the rink there is a set of concentric circles known as a house, with a total diameter of 3.66 meters.
This house is made up of four rings: the button, the four-foot ring, the eight-foot ring and the twelve-foot ring. The button is the central circle and is the main target in the game.
In addition to the house, there are other important markings on the curling rink: the hog line, the tee line and the sidelines.
The hog line is a line 6.4 meters from each end of the rink, and the stones must cross this line to be considered in play.
The tee line runs through the center of the house perpendicular to the hog line.
The side lines, meanwhile, delimit the width of the rink and any stones that touch or cross these lines are removed from play.
Curling rules: duration
Now let’s talk about the duration of the games!
A curling game consists of ten ends, the famous rounds. In each end, both teams throw eight stones, resulting in a total of 16 throws per end.
The main objective is to score points by having stones closer to the button than the opponent’s stones. Then, if a game is tied after the ten regulation ends, an overtime is played to determine who the winner will be.
Each end can take around 15 minutes to complete, resulting in a total game time of approximately two hours and 30 minutes.
However, high-level competitions may have additional time controls, where each team has a total amount of time to complete all their moves.
If a team runs out of time, they can no longer throw stones.
Curling rules: players
A curling team is made up of four players, each with their own specific roles. Understand!
- Lead: is the first player to throw their stones, also helping to scan the stones thrown by other players.
- Second: this is the second player to throw their stones, helping not only with the sweep, but also with game strategy.
- Third (or Vice-Skip): this is the third player to throw his stones. He is responsible for discussing strategy with the skip, replacing him in the command position when the skip is throwing.
- Skip: is the team captain and the last to throw his stones. The skip is responsible for the overall strategy of the game and directs the sweeping of the stones.
Each player can throw two stones per end, alternating with the opposing team. The order of the throws is crucial to the game strategy, as the skip is usually the most experienced player and throws the most important stones.
Curling rules: throwing and sweeping
Curling is divided into throwing and sweeping. Let’s understand how it works!
Launch
- When throwing, the player starts from the hack, a type of fixed support on the ice, and slides towards the hog line.
- The stone must be released before it crosses the hog line and must cross the hog line on the other side of the rink to remain in play.
- If the stone does not cross the hog line or leaves the sidelines, it is removed from the game.
Sweeping
- Sweeping is an integral part of curling. In it, players use brooms to sweep the ice in front of the moving stone, reducing friction and controlling the speed and direction of the stone.
- Sweeping can be done by two players simultaneously and is allowed until the stone crosses the tee line.
- After the tee line, only one player from the team may sweep, and the player from the opposing team.
Curling rules: scoring
Understand how scoring works in curling:
- In curling, scoring is based on the position of the stones in relation to the house at the end of each end.
- Only one team can score points on an end.
- The team that has one or more stones closer to the button than the opponent’s closest stone scores points.
- Each stone of that team that is closer to the button than any of the opponent’s stones counts as a point.
- If no stone is in the square at the end of the end, no point is scored and the end is considered “null”.
- The team that scores points at the end throws the first stone at the next end, which is a strategic disadvantage. This gives the other team the hammer, or last stone, which is an advantage.
Curling rules: infractions and penalties
Infractions in curling can result in the removal of stones or other penalties. Here are the main ones:
- Burning the stone: this is the act of touching the stone with any part of the body or the broomstick after the throw. If this happens, the burnt stone is removed from the game.
- Incorrectly thrown stone: if the stone does not cross the hog line or leaves the sidelines, it is removed from the game.
- Interference: obstructing or interfering with the opponent’s stone is forbidden. As a penalty, the opposing team can choose to reposition the stone or remove it.
Curling rules: complete list
- Place of play;
- Duration;
- Players;
- Throwing and sweeping;
- Scoring;
- Infractions and penalties.
These are the rules of curling! If you enjoyed the content, take the opportunity to continue exploring the site to find out more about these and other sports. Don’t forget to leave a comment!
