Sweeping in curling measurably extends the distance a stone travels and reduces its sideways curl.

Is it true that Sweeping in curling measurably extends the distance a stone travels and reduces its sideways curl?

Yes. A reference source states sweeping reduces friction so the stone travels farther and curls less, and a peer-reviewed scoping review confirms sweeping manipulates stone trajectory. A case study found longer stone distance after sweeping, while another paper notes sweeping is used to extend range and control curl but says scientific evidence for the curl effect is limited.

Verdict: SUPPORTED · 5 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Curling - Wikipedia. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling

Zacharias, E., Robak, N., & Passmore, S. (2024). An examination of studies related to the sport of curling: a scoping review.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1291241

Kim, T., Lee, S., Kil, S., Choi, S., & Song, Y. (2021). A Case Study on Curling Stone and Sweeping Effect According to Sweeping Conditions. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020833

Gwon, J., Kim, H., Bae, H., & Lee, S. (2020). Path Planning of a Sweeping Robot Based on Path Estimation of a Curling Stone Using Sensor Fusion. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9030457

Sweeping effects on curling and friction estimation. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-024-00473-5