Associate Professor, PhD Y.V. Shuliko
Professor, Dr. Med. I.V. Levshin
Associate Professor, PhD D.S. Mel'nikov         
Professor, Dr. Biol. J.A. Povareshchenkova
 Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, St. Petersburg

 Keywords: curling, mixed double, competitive performance, curling stone throws.

Background. The fact of the mixed double curling being lately included in the Winter Olympic Games program requires that the national sport community should take urgent actions to update the theoretical basis and practical training tools and methods for the mixed double training and set forth model performance indicators for this sport discipline. No such studies have been carried out so far in Russia and abroad as far as we know.

The mixed double game rules have the following key differences from classical curling:

– Less throws in an end;

– Uneven throws of stone in an end by different numbers;

– Changeability of players’ numbers across the team after each end;

– Tactical restrictions due to the initially immovable stones being placed on the sheet in strictly regulated points;

– Restrictions on the taking-out throws that knock out opponents’ stones; and

– Potential absence of visible reference points when throwing the stone, with the top priority being given to the weight precision rather than the ideal line of the stone.

The above factors are of notable influence on the competitive performance in mixed double curling.

Objective of the study was to identify the model performance indicators for success of the curlers’ competitive performance in the mixed double discipline to form a basis for further individualization of the technical and tactical training of curlers depending on their game roles.

Methods and structure of the study. The mixed double curlers’ competitive performance was studied using the competition video records and expert valuations, with the study data being processed by the statistical processing Curlit Coach Tool (in a few versions), Curling Coach by Marc Bernard method and some other tools.

Study results and discussion. It is a matter of common knowledge that the mixed double competitive activity is dominated by slow throws mostly delivered by a curved path (see Table 1). Since the stone trajectory adjustments by sweeping of the ice in mixed double curling are more limited than in the classical one, the mixed double curling technique is more demanding to the precision of delivery to the distant reference point and the stone curl and weight at the release. This is particularly true for the player throwing stones #1 and #5 in an end (i.e. combining the throwing roles of the 1^st and 4^th numbers in classical curling). This fact shows the tactical specialization of the players. Combinations of different throws for the player making the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th throws in an end are more harmonized.

Table 1. Key competitive performance indicators in mixed double curling

Table 2. Failed throws per game in mixed double curling, on average

Game-play of the curler starting up and finishing an end is more standardized compared to that of his/her teammate; with the throwing technique he/she performs being more complicated in fact. Of the guard throws, 61.5% are rated with the “freeze” category and 23.1% with the “guard for the home stone” category, as compared to 46.6% and 9.5%, respectively, of his/her teammate. In the contact throws, the player throwing the 1^st and 5^th stones mostly plays for the “double take-outs” that account for at least 50% of the total – when 2 or more stones of the opponents need to be taken out of the game. Such high proportions of the complicated take-out and guard throws performed by the same team number are unusual for classical curling.

Conclusions. The mixed double competitive performance in curling is largely different from classical curling in many aspects. In view of these aspects, the competitive training systems for mixed doubles will give the top priority to complicated guard throws with a special emphasis on performance of the player throwing the 1^st and final stones in an end. In the guard throws training practices, special emphasis will be made on the “freeze” and “rise” deliveries. The teammate will be trained to excel both the guard and complicated take-out throw techniques designed to take out many target stones, including the target stone being taken out through tapping the initially immovable stone.

References

1. The site of the World Curling Federation: http://results.worldcurling.org/.
2. The site of Curling Information Technology: http://curlit.com.
3. Schmidt R. The Five elements of curling technique / R. Schmidt – USA Curling, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA, 2012. – 115 p.

Corresponding author: d.s.mel@mail.ru

Abstract

In view of mixed double curling being lately included in the Winter Olympic Games program, the national sport community needs to make the relevant adjustments to the double team training process, set forth model performance indicators for this sport discipline and identify its differences from the classical curling versions with the purpose of a highly-scoring competitive performance.

It should be noted that the mixed double competitive activity is dominated by slow throws mostly delivered by a curved path. Mixed double strategy is more demanding to the accuracy of the stone delivery to the distant reference point and due curl (“turn”) and acceleration (“weight”) of the stone at the stone release point. A modern mixed double curlers’ training system will give a high priority to the practices to excel complicated techniques of both the take-out and guard throws, particularly for the players performing the first and final throws in an end.