A Pane in the Glass: A Coach’s Companion

1972 British Consuls Division 14 winners from the Elmira and District Curling Club, Elmira, ON. From left: Ed Ratcliffe, skip; Ross Brubacher, third; Jerome Futher, second; Bill Tschirhart, lead.

Former national training center coach Bill Tschirhart has been writing about the coaching of the sport of curling for decades, and his articles have found their way into the hands of many coaches around the world. Some of these essays, in addition to more recent articles, are available in a printed volume, A Pane in the Glass, which is available from various outlets across Canada.

In Ontario, A Pane in the Glass can be purchased from Balance Plus or from the Ontario Curling Association. All proceeds from the sale of A Pane in the Glass go towards the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.

We are thankful to Bill for his permission to re-publish these articles on the Ontario Curling Council site.

Number Category Title Additional author(s)
  Strategy A Goal Without a Plan is Just a Dream  
  Team Dynamics Goal Setting: It’s Where It All Begins  
  Technique Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect  
2 Mental Preparation Confidence and Expectations are not Synonyms  
3 Technique Video Analysis: A Primer  
4 Mental Preparation The Most Important Aspects of a Curling Delivery I Can’t Capture on Video Tape  
5 Team Dynamics The Awkward Time of the Year  
6 Team Dynamics It’s Team Dynamics, Stupid  
7 Team Dynamics The Selection and Role of the Fifth Player Toby McDonald
8 Team Dynamics Performance Before Friendship Ernie Comerford
10 Team Dynamics What Makes a Team a Champion? Lindsay Sparkes
11 Team Dynamics Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail  
12 Team Dynamics It Takes a Big Man  
13 Nutrition Bananas  
15 Mental Preparation It’s Just Manny Being Manny  
16 Strategy Strategy: It’s not Rocket Science or Brain Surgery  
17 Team Dynamics Stars Sell Tickets – Teams Win Championships  
18 Technique Delivering the Curling Stone 101  
19 Team Dynamics The Oil Light  
20 Team Dynamics Stop, Start, Continue  
23 Mental Preparation Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand  
24 Tactics The Drag Effect  
25 Mental Preparation So You Want to be Perfect  
26 Technique Straight, Simple and Silent  
28 Mental Preparation The Squirrel Who Wouldn’t Quit Rusty Schieber
29 Strategy The Dangers of Learning Strategy by Watching TV  
31 Technique You Have the Power!  
32 Physiology The Physicist, The Exercise Physiologist, and the Coach Jerome Gazdewich and Bob Comartin
33 Technique Eye Dominance: Fact or Fiction  
35 Mental Preparation Routine versus Ritual  
36 Team Dynamics Team USA’s Management Victory John Paul Newport
37 Drills Drills to Die For  
38 Technique Bits and Bites  
39 Coaching Coaching Certification: Why Bother?  
40 Mental Preparation The Performance Formula  
42 Technique The Window of Velocity  
43 Mental Preparation The Margin of Victory  
44 Technique The Technical Double Cross  
45 Technique Team Technical Check-up