team - Curling Basics - curling explained; excellent for beginners

the "lead" plays the first two stones for the team alternating with the opponent’s lead

he plays mainly "draw" shots and should be a strong "sweeper"

together with the "second" he is called "the front end" of a team

the "lead" is responsible for setting up the "end". In most cases, the results of the lead stones determine the tactical approach to any given end

in many cases, the outcome of the "end" is a direct result of the lead's shots

once the lead has thrown both stones, the lead's responsibility is to be a supportive teammate for the others and to become one of the core "sweepers"

the "second" plays the third and fourth stones for the team alternating with the opponent’s "second"

he plays "draw" shots, "takeouts" and should be a strong sweeper too  

together with the "lead" he is called "the front end" of a team

the second's primary responsibility is to maintain the tactical initiatives developed by the "skip" and set up by the "lead"

there are a wider variety of shots at the second position; the "second" often is asked to make the first offensive or aggressive move; this could be the first "come around" of the "end"; playing the "free guard zone" rule, the "second" is usually the one to "get under" first, meaning the first player to draw behind a "guard" or guards

on the other hand, the "second" may also play the role of clean-up person depending on the game strategy or how the "lead" performed; if the "lead" missed one or two shots, the "second" may be called upon to clear the area with heavy "takeouts" or "double takeouts"

the "second" should have the ability to throw heavy weight "takeouts" while still being able to hit the broom

the "third" (also called "vice skip") plays the fifth and the sixth stones for the team alternating with the opponent’s "third" and is the acting "skip" when the "skip" is playing for the team

the „third“ must be able to play all shots

the "third" is called upon to make every  type of shot, from "guards" to "peels", and from "freezes" to "double takeouts"

the "third" must have the skills to throw any type of shot at any time

the "third" is often asked to make the "kill" shot; this is the shot that  seals the "end"

in addition to shot-making skills, the "third" must have excellent knowledge of strategy, "house" management and possesses good spatial skills for line calls; this is the most difficult job on the team because the "third" is expected to make flawless sweep calls on the  skip's stones

in most cases, the "third" is the most well rounded player on the team  

the "skip" usually plays the last two stones (seventh and eighth) of the "end" for the team alternating with the opponent’s "skip"; the "skip" doesn’t always play the last two stones as the rules state that at the start of a game he may decide to play in any position in the delivery rotation of the team

he is team leader and must be able to play all shots

the skip's role is to provide overall leadership and strategic direction to the team

the biggest shot-making responsibility of the "skip" is to "close" the "end"; this could be the final execution of the tactics developed for the "end"

on great teams, the "skip" is called upon to throw maintenance shots like "guards", "takeouts", "draws" etc.; however, in many cases the "skip" is called upon to make key offensive shots like "come arounds", "freezes", "hit and rolls" under pressure

the "skip" must have a stabilizing influence over the rest of the team

even if the "skip" is not the best shooter on the team, he/she must be able to calmly execute the final shots; after the "skip" throws, the "end" is over; because of this, the pressure of any given shot may be extremely high