GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT // TRAINING TIPS FROM JON
Playing without a plan is planning to fail Use the Free Guard Zone to your advantage
By Jon Mielke, USCA Level III instructor and Level III coach When you are ahead, regardless of whether you have the hammer or not, M
ost curlers know what the free guard zone (FGZ) rule says, but far fewer know how to use it to their advantage. Related tactics are the focus of this article.
First, let’s review the rule. Te FGZ is the area between the hog line and
the tee line, but not in the house. Te rule says that a team may not remove an opponent’s stone in the FGZ with either of its first two rocks of the end. You may remove your own stones, but not those belonging to the other team. Also, you can move an opponent’s stones that are in the FGZ, but you cannot remove them until you get to your third stone in the end. If an op- ponent’s stone is removed, everything goes back to where it was before the shot and the offending stone is taken out of play. It is important to remember that curling is oſten just a fight over control-
ling the path leading to the four-foot – one team typically wants to block it with its own stones and the other team wants to keep it open. Te team that wants to block the path is the team without the hammer – they are trying to steal. With the path to the four-foot cut off, a draw behind or a tap puts them in a good position to steal. Conversely, the team with the hammer is trying to keep the path open
and is hoping to score two or more. Tey typically try to force play to the outside of the house and want clear access to the four-foot, just in case all else fails and they need to draw to the center of the house to avoid a steal. Te following diagram illustrates when you want to force play to the
middle and when you want to keep the middle open, if possible, and force play to the outside. Without the hammer – plug up the middle. With the hammer – keep the middle open and force play to the outside. Te diagram also indicates when you want to throw guards and when
you want to avoid them. Trow guards when you’re behind and, if you’re ahead, consider going into the house with your first stones. Here are some examples:
Remember the saying, “When you’re up,
guards are not.” If you are ahead by three with a few ends to play and the other team has the ham- mer, you don’t need offense; you need defense. If you put up guards, the other team can use them, too. Tat will help them generate offense, some- thing that you are trying to avoid.
consider throwing your first stones into the house. If you don’t have the hammer, throw to the top of the four-foot. You hope that they decide to hit you. All the play will then be in the house with no guards to hide behind. Even if you give them a miss and they score two, you will still be up by one and you will have the hammer. On the other hand, if you have the hammer and they throw a center
guard, throw a tight come- around draw and either get behind their guard or chip them to the side and open up the middle. Try to avoid a junk end with lots of rocks up front. Protect your lead by forcing play into the house with no guards up front. All this is, of course, dependent on your team’s ability to throw open hits. Conversely, if you are behind and have the hammer and they throw into