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Lessons
Norwegian Olympic silver medalist Christoffer Svae teaches an intermediate clinic in Oakland.
Anyone of any age or physical ability can learn to curl, and the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club offers several different ways to do it!
Curling Clinics
"Ready, Set, Curl!"
This is the perfect introduction to curling! In two hours, you'll learn the rules of the game, basic stone throwing and sweeping techniques and play a mini-game (as space and time permit.) After this, you'll be ready to play in a league. (It's also a great skills refresher for beginner and returning curlers!)
Find out more about Curling Clinics 
Lesson Series
Meet new friends and become a pro quickly!
Our curling lessons are a lot of fun and a great way to meet new people. There also a quick way to learn to curl well! Past lesson series have produced first year curlers able to compete in national events.
Lesson series are offered most seasons depending on demand. They range in length from 4 to 12 weeks, with classes meeting one night per week for 2 to 3 hours. So far, we've offered beginner and advanced beginner lessons and we hope some day to offer intermediate and advanced. We're also working with local universities to develop a college program.
Classes are taught by expert instructors; we have many US Curling Association Certified Level 1 and 2 instructors in our club, as well as several members with elite curling experience at Olympic Trials, US Nationals, US Mixed Nationals, US Club Nationals and the Canadian Men's Nationals ("The Brier.")
Typical class format View 5-week Lesson Series Outline
- Off-ice - 1 hour
- ½ hour of off-ice instruction
- ½ hour of stretching and ice prep
- On-ice - 2 hours
- 1 hour of technique training
- 1 hour of coached games
Topics Covered
- Beginner Lessons
- What is curling?
- Delivery (how to throw the stones)
- Sweeping
- Strategy
- Team skills (communication signals and other tricks for better results)
- Etiquette and rules (as with golf, etiquette is an important part of curling)
- Advanced Beginner Lessons and Intermediate
- Improved technique in delivery and sweeping
- Video analysis
- Strategy
- Advanced Team Skills (example: long and short timing to improve sweep judgment and draw weight)
Lesson Levels - Sometimes we refer to lesson levels. These are a general guide as to what the course will cover and who it might be geared towards, but in practical terms, all lessons are tailored to meet the needs and wants of that specific class. Here's a general idea as to how we, at the SFBACC, classify skill levels:
Costs:
The price for lessons is typically about $20 - $30 per 2 hour session (e.g., $125 for a 5 week series.)
Lessons as gifts:
Curling lessons make a great gift for friends and family! To gift a Lesson Series, simply purchase an enrollment and forward your receipt to lessons-oakland@bayareacurling.com or lessons-sanjose@bayareacurling.com with the name and email address of the person you'd like to transfer the tickets to. Don't worry — we won't ruin the surprise! Their email address will only be used to provide event details 48 hours in advance. The creative gift-giving is up to you: put a pretty bow on that household broom, or include an appropriate YouTube video in an e-card (here's a hint). Give them a gift unlike any other! We'll make sure they have a blast.
Upcoming lesson series:
To register for an upcoming lesson series visit the lessons registration page. Questions? Contact classes@bayareacurling.com.
Continued Training
Instructional Leagues
Anyone at any skill level can join our leagues, including players just completing a lesson series. Upon request, the league's drawmaster will arrange teams so that newer curlers play with more experienced curlers who coach them as they go. Some leagues also include practice time.