Curling Peel Shots

Now, we will learn about removing stones from the guard zone. These shots are called peels.

What is a peel shot in curling?

A peel shot is a type of shot that removes guards from play. Essentially, it is the takeout for guards. Guards cannot be removed from play until each lead has thrown both of their stones. During a peel shot, the skip will move up to the guard and place the broom near the edge of the guard.

Important: Heavier weight shots do not curl as much. This is why peel shots do not curl that much as they travel down the ice.

Purpose of Peel Shots

The goal of a peel shot is to remove an opponent's guard by hitting in on one of its corners. After the thrown stone makes contact with the guard, they will both roll out-of-play towards opposite sidelines. Do you see some similarities between the hit and roll shot?

By peeling a guard, some part of the guard zone is now free of guards. This allows the team peeling the guards to have access to more of the house, granted that your opponent doesn't replace the guard with their next shot.

Peels are usually executed by both teams, regardless of which team has hammer. The team with the hammer may peel a couple of the center guards the other team throws. The team without the hammer may peel some of the corner guards thrown by the team with the hammer.

Peel Shot Split Times

To execute a peel shot, the stone needs to be thrown with quite a bit of weight. An appropriate split time between the backline and hog line is about 2.25 seconds. The split time between the two hog lines will then be about 9.5 to 10 seconds.