From the Canadian Curling Association Website

Basics of Strategy and Scoring
Strategy is commonly defined as "deciding what shot to play". Although this is an important element, it is not all there is to strategy. More broadly defined, it is "the decision making process a team goes through before, during and after a game". This includes setting goals, making game plans, deciding game style, shot selection, and game evaluation. With this in mind it is essential that all team members contribute to "team strategy" and as a result require a solid understanding of the following:

1. Basic terminology relative to strategy.
2. The factors that influence shot selection decisions.
3. How the Free Guard Zone Rule affects strategy and shot selection.
4. Basic strategy relative to last rock advantage.
5. Methods for playing different ice conditions.