The mechanics of curling shoes are way more complicated than you imagined — and no, curlers don't wear skates

• Curling is a Winter Olympic sport in which athletes attempt to slide stones onto a target.
• Though curling takes place on a giant sheet of ice, players don't wear skates while they compete.

The Winter Olympics are back.

And for the next two weeks, curling is all the rage.

The slippery cult favorite requires athletes to slide polished granite rocks, or stones, across a long stretch of ice. Teammates then use brooms to brush the ice ahead of the stone to make it glide faster, with the ultimate goal of accumulating points by placing the stone in the center of a target at the far end.

If you've never watched curling, you're probably rather lost. Check out this clip for some context:

Many aspects of curling are, well, unique. But chief among them is the fact that, despite competing on a giant slab of ice, the athletes don't wear skates.

Instead, they wear specialized shoes called — you guessed it — curling shoes. A pair of curling shoes features one sneaker — known as the gripper — with a soft, rubbery sole that offers traction on the slick playing surface. The second shoe — the slider — boasts an underside covered in Teflon or stainless steel to enable the player to slide across the ice with ease.

Check 'em out:

Here's where it gets a bit tricky; an athlete who uses their right hand to slide the stone wears the slider on their left foot and the gripper on their right. The opposite is true for left-hand-dominant players.

Typically, when a curler releases the stone, they extend their dominant hand and lunge on their opposite leg to slide, with the dominant-side leg dragging behind for stability.

Here's a visual:

If you're looking to buy a pair of curling shoes of your own, Goldline has all the information you need. But if you're like me — a new fan who was simply perplexed to learn that curlers don't wear ice skates — then maybe you're best off sticking to watching the sport.

The Mixed Doubles Round Robin will be held through the weekend, with the medal games taking place taking place on Tuesday. The Men's Round Robin kicks off on Wednesday and the Women's Round Robin begins Thursday.

The Men's Gold Medal Match is scheduled for February 19. The Women's will go down the following day. You can find the full curling schedule on NBC's Olympics website.