Hands-on HouseCall
What does a guard protect?
Move the guard and compare a straight approach with an illustrated curl route.
Granite’s explanation
A guard protects a route, not every possible shot. Moving it changes which approaches are blocked.
A curling stone takes up space. Even when its center path misses a guard, the two stones may still touch.
A route illustration, not a shot predictor
The dashed path shows the moving stone’s center. The check includes both stones’ widths. The curved route is a simplified drawing to explain going around a guard; it does not calculate real curl, weight, sweeping or collisions.
Real possibilities depend on the ice, rotation, weight, angles and other stones. A clear drawn route does not guarantee a shot will work. This lesson is about space and protection, not whether a takeout is allowed under the free guard zone rule.
Explore real curling strategy · Read the free guard zone explanation