USCA Level I Instructor Clinic

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USCA Level I Instructor Clinic

• United States Curling Association

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Your Instructors Today

• Lead Instructor ( insert name )
• Second Instructor ( insert name )

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Agenda

• Welcome, Introductions, Overview
• Classroom Discussions
• Duties of Club Instructors
• How to Run Effective Learn to Curl Sessions
• Current USA Curling Techniques
• Break
• On-ice Demonstrations
• Classroom Wrap-up

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Housekeeping

• Discussion format lets talk!
• Restrooms
• Schedule
• Breaks
• Lunch
• Questions?

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Clinic Objective

• Learn to teach beginners how to curl in a safe,
  fun, and organized environment

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Things to Remember

• Safety, safety and more safety
• Teach USCA approved techniques
• Dress appropriately look sharp
• Have fun
• Help participants be successful
• Help participants have fun

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Roles of Level I Instructors

• Club Instructors
• Teach novice curlers
• Instrumental in recruitment of new club members

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Level I Instructor Activities

• Open house with hundreds of people or pre-game
  two minute crash course
• Learn-to-Curl clinics Beginner Leagues
• Junior Programs, Little Rockers, Juniors, School
  Leagues, etc.
• P.E. Programs, High School College
• Media or other fun-spiels
• Corporate team-building events
• Other?

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Roles of Level II Instructors

• Advanced instructors and competitive coaches
• Teach Level I Instructors
• Assist club members to improve in all areas of
  the game
• Contribute to club member retention

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Level II Instructor Activities

• Conduct Level I Instructor Clinics
• Intermediate Junior Instruction
• Intermediate and refresher clinics
• Delivery analysis and improvement
• Video analysis
• Use of delivery training aids
• Drills
• Sweeping, interval timing, weight judgment
• Team communication
• Strategy and tactics

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Benefits of a USCA Certified Instructional Program

• Use of successful methods of instruction
• Enhanced recruitment of new members
• Development of curling skills through proper
  instruction
• Increases member satisfaction
• Increases member retention
• Increases the level of club competition
• Consistency of instruction among club instructors
  
• Properly trained and experienced instructors add
  value to club activities and membership

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How to Get Started

• Recognize the need
• Who takes the lead?
• Recruit an instructional team
• Design instructional offering to meet club needs
• Decide appropriate timing of offerings
• Identify target audience
• Promotions

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Instruction Team

• 41 student to instructor ratio is ideal
• Identify the lead instructor assistants
• Teach USCA approved techniques
• Dont show off or intimidate
• Present info on need to know basis avoid
  information overload

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Instruction Team

• Agree on agenda timeframe
• AttitudeMake the experience fun
• Attirelook professional
• Be prepared
• Murphys Law The best recruiters are often the
  worst instructors

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Instruction Team

• Be organizedyou are competing for participants
  valuable time
• Be aware you are responsible for safety of
  participants
• Dont make apologiesput a positive spin on
  everything

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Club Preparations

• Welcoming entry, warm room, bathrooms
• Attractive playing area
• Excellent ice conditions
• Working audio address system
• Adequate curling equipment grippers, sliders,
  brooms, sticks, stabilizers etc.
• Coffee, hot chocolate, cookies etc.

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Club Preparations

• Greeters
• Sign-in sheets
• Liability release forms
• Name tags
• Curling video and other instructional aids
• Promotional materials

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Club Preparations

• Instructional Aids
• Overhead projectors
• Flip Charts
• Handouts
• Posters
• Strategy Board
• Demonstration curling stone

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Club Risk Management

• Instructors are the front line for safety for
  both the participants and the club
• Ensure participants have proper footwearathletic
  type rubber-soled shoes such as tennis shoes
• Be aware of other hazardsstanding water, areas
  of frost or uneven ice etc.
• Keep a stocked first aid kit at the ice surface

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Club Risk Management

• Ensure the safety of participants personal
  belongings.
• If possible, provide a locked area and ensure the
  area is monitored (arenas)

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Safety and ClubRisk Management

• Know your clubs liability policy and the
  consequences for unsigned waivers
• Most clubs require that nobody steps on the ice
  without a completed insurance liability release
  form
• Unexecuted forms may increase club liability by
  2500 per claim

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Safety and ClubRisk Management

• Sample ice usage policy
• The XYZ Curling Club will not allow any
  participants on the ice whose balance appears
  impaired from sickness, medications or alcohol.

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Participant Safety

• Importance of stretching and warm-up
• Participants should have gripper shoes
• No running on the ice
• Safe use of sliders
• Use broom head down to help with balance
• Sweep safelyif you cant keep up, let it go!

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Participant Safety

• Demonstrate stepping on and off the ice surface
• No lifting or carrying stones
• No stopping stones with your hands use your
  broom
• No pushing stones toward people with their backs
  turned
• Pay attention on the ice! (no cell phones etc.)

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Training Sequences

• Inform (instructor provides information)
• Demonstrate (assistants demonstrate on each
  sheet)
• Learners try
• Feedback (positive and constructive)
• Practice (learners repeat)

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Training MethodsLead Instructor Provides
Information

• Sequential presentations on agenda items
• Flat-foot balanced slide training wheels, hand
  elevated, with stone
• Grip, turn, release play catch
• Practice slides emphasizing alignment
• Sweeping

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Training MethodsDemonstrate

• Assistants demonstrate current USCA accepted
  techniques following presentation on each element
• If you arent able to demonstrate the technique
  properly, find someone who can

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Training MethodsLearner Tries

• Maintain a fun and relaxed environment
• Assess learners ability to successfully and
  safely perform the skill
• Make appropriate adjustments to enable them to be
  successful provide sticks, stabilizers or
  information on semi-upright delivery as necessary
• Keep the duct tape handy!

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Training MethodsInstructor Provides Feedback

• Find something they did well to comment on first
• Be positive and constructive
• Give one suggestion for improvement for them to
  try the next time
• Demonstrate again if necessary
• Keep comments positive!

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Training MethodsPractice

• Provide sufficient time for the learner to
  practice the what has been learned
• As appropriate, use drills or game situations to
  reinforce instruction
• Continue to be available to provide feedback and
  keep learner on track

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Instructor Traps

• Avoid over-instructing keep it appropriate for
  the time period available and the experience of
  the participants
• Avoid going off topickeep instruction back on
  track (keep a copy of the agenda in your hip
  pocket)

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More Instructor Traps

• If you dont knowsay so!
• Be the humble instructor
• Ill find out and get back to you on that.
• Keep the group engagedchange the schedule around
  if you think interest is fading
• Poor environmental factors
• Noise and distractions
• Inadequate space etc.

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Still More Instructor Traps

• Use ice time wisely! Its cold out there!
• Minimize talking time on the ice
• Keep the group moving and engaged
• If a participant needs extra help, take him/her
  aside with another instructor
• Dont physically overwork participants

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Novice Curriculum

• Basics of the game
• Safety and physical preparation (stretching)
• Delivery
• Sweeping
• Basic etiquette
• How much of this can be done in the warm room?
• How would your approach differ for
• 1 hour Try Curling
• 3 hour Learn to Curl
• 6 week Curling School

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Safety and Physical Preparation

• Demonstrate proper pre-game stretching
• Demonstrate proper warm-up exercises
• Use of stretching to show curling delivery
• Review ice safety, especially use of sliders

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Basics of the Game

• Purpose of Game (Scoring)
• Teams and positions
• Ice elementsfield of play
• Types of shots (Draw and Take Out)
• Game flow, ends and game lengths

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Stepping on the Ice

• Ensure participants have proper, clean footwear,
  and grippers
• Review safety (stepping on and off ice)
• Distribute brooms and sliders
• Quickly review field of play and lines
• Other?

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DeliveryGeneral

• Flat footno lift
• PDSPress, Draw Back, Slide
• ABCs of a good delivery
• Alignment
• Balance
• Curl (Grip, Turn Release)
• Power generators delivery cadence

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Power Generators

• Leg drive
• Body drop/forward momentum
• Arm extension

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DeliveryBalance

• Balance is key part of delivery!
• Work up slowly
• Training wheels simple, short slide with broom
  flat on ice (perpendicular to center line) or
  stabilizing device
• Delivery with no stone (hand elevated)
• Normal delivery with stone

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DeliveryAlignment

• Align body and stone toward skips broom
• Hack set-up position
• Practice slides
• Alignment drillstoward cups and through cups

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DeliveryCurl (Release)

• Grip, Turn, Release
• A million dollar slide and a two cent release
  a two cent shot.
• Wrist above Handlefingers together and pointing
  down
• Cradle handle between 2nd and 3rd knuckles
• Hand positioned over center of rotation of stone

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DeliveryCurl (Release)

• Rotate handle to 1000 or 200 position
• Last 4 ft of sliderotate handle toward 1200
  release with hand in handshake position at level
  of handle
• 2 ½ revolutions down the sheet is ideal
• Describe skips sign language for turn
• Practice across sheet with partner using skip
  broom signal

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DeliveryPut It All Together

• Forward press
• Rock back, hips up and back, sliding foot back
• Rock forward, sliding foot forward centered
  under chest, slide toward broom
• Turn release
• Cadence press, rock-foot, rock-foot, slide

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Sweeping

• Explain why
• cleans and warms the ice
• rocks travel farther and straighter (not faster)
• Explain mechanics of sweeping pressure
  velocity
• Emphasize safety
• look down the ice, avoid rocks in play
• if you cant keep up, back off and let it go
• Explain burned stones (running and stationary)

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Sweeping

• Explain positioning of sweepers
• Explain sweeping signals (voice commands, hand
  signals)
• Explain who decides when to sweep on draws,
  take-outs
• Question How many people can sweep? (Is this
  effective?)

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Basic Strategy

• Dont over-instruct here!
• Club strategy vs. Elite strategy
• Shot choicenovice curlers keep more rocks in
  play with lower weight shots

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HISEA

• Hammer
• Ice conditions
• Score
• End
• Ability

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Etiquette

• Self-policing
• Be ready when its your turn
• Stay out of the way
• Quiet and still during others deliveries
• Spirit of Curling - Shake hands before and after
  game

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Playing a Game

• Separate players into teams, assign positions
• Have teams shake hands and wish each other good
  curling!
• Decide hammer with coin flip (thirds or leads,
  depending)

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Playing a Game

• Have an instructor at each end
• House instructor helps skips and thirds
  understand how to call shots, give signals etc.
• Instructor at throwing end ensures participants
  are ready to go (including sweepers), players
  understand shot called, turn, delivery, where to
  go next, etc.

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Playing a Game

• Have fun! Celebrate rocks in the house!
• Explain scoring after first end
• Explain how to use the scoreboard
• Players shake hands and thank each other for a
  good game!

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Stepping Off the Ice

• Thank attendees for participation
• Congratulate them on their achievements
• Provide participants with instructional
  promotional materials
• Close the salewhat would you like participants
  to do now?

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Acknowledgement Thanks to GNCC Members

• Mary Jane Walsh
• Roger Rowlett

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Wrap-Up

• Level I Instructor Exam
• Certification Process
• Clinic Evaluation
• Final Questions?