Darts for Beginners

Despite its reputation as a pub game, playing darts is serious business, with strict rules and regulations. Organized competition is a worldwide affair, with most of the organizing groups being members of the World Darts Federation.
In some European countries, darts is so popular that tournaments featuring the best players in the world are televised, and significant prize money is at stake. These players display astonishing levels of skill on the board; some attain celebrity status and attract lucrative endorsements.
Beginners obviously don't need to be immediately concerned with international competition, but they do need to at least know the basics: how to pick the right set of darts, and how to throw them.

Types
Mass-produced brass darts are the least expensive darts to buy, and as such, are usually the ones you'll find as "house darts" in a pub or club. Since brass is a dense metal, it is fairly easy to machine, but its softness can lead to a rapid wear-down of the machined grip.
Nickel/silver darts are also made from a relatively dense metal, and are also inexpensive to manufacture, but they do have the advantage of being harder than brass, so they are less prone to wear.
Tungsten darts are extremely durable since tungsten is a very dense and hard heavy metal. These darts can be very pricey, especially with darts made from over 95% tungsten. It's not unusual for a quality set of these darts to cost between $150 and $200. Budget versions of tungsten darts can be had for less than $50, but will usually only contain 50 to 70% tungsten. It's important to check the packaging to see what percentage of tungsten you're actually paying for.

Function
Having an expensive, state-of-the-art tungsten darts set will be of little use unless you know how to actually throw the darts.
The stance for throwing darts should be solid, but not stiff. Gripping the darts too firmly will lead to finger fatigue and errors when trying to release the fingers from the dart. An uneven release of the dart will lead to an erratic flight, making accuracy unlikely. It's best to use at least three fingers to grip the dart. Using more fingers will lend a little more accuracy and touch to the throw, but requires more coordination in the releasing of the dart.
In the case of a right-handed player, the right foot should be forward with most of the body weight rested on it. The rear foot will hold enough weight to steady the posture. It's important to make sure that this foot remains on the ground for stability.
As far as the throwing arm goes, it's a good idea to keep the elbow up, with the upper arm parallel to the ground. The dart should be in a level position. A smooth follow-through is very important, and after the release of the dart, the fingers should be pointing at the intended target. Care should be taken not to overthrow the darts; it's largely a wasted effort and can be dangerous.

Tips
A good way to perfect throwing throwing a dart is to imagine flicking water from the tips of your fingers towards the board. This is a great way to facilitate a clean release of the dart from the fingers and helps avoid too much of a jerky throwing motion.
It's vital to remember that the torso and shoulders stay as still as possible during the entire throw, with the only movement coming from the arm. Fewer variables in the mechanics of the throwing motion means that there is less to go wrong with the delivery, and the better your accuracy will be.
One of the most common problems that beginners experience is the dreaded "wobble" in the flight of the dart. The most likely cause of this is throwing the dart with the point down. To a lesser degree, this problem can also arise when the point of the dart is held too high. Either way, a good habit to get into is to always concentrate on making sure that the dart is held horizontally and directed toward the intended target for the entire throwing motion.

Features
The classic game of darts, played world-wide, is "501." The object of the game is quite simple: each player starts with 501 points and attempts to reduce their score to zero. The first player to do so wins. It sounds simple, and it is, but the difficult part of the game lies in the finish. The winning player must reach zero exactly, and the final dart must be a double, which means the last dart must either finish on a number in the narrow outer band of the dart board (the narrow inner band is a triple) or the bullseye. As an example, a player needing to score 17 points to win could do so by throwing a 3 followed by a double 7.

Warning
Be wary of leaning too much into the throw. Many beginners feel that they're gaining an advantage in that they're actually closer to the target. This is true, but the more you lean, the more unbalanced you become, and consistency will suffer. When this happens, there is also a tendency for the back foot to leave the ground, which further compounds the balance problem. Over time, this posture can also lead to back strain.

Tungsten Dart Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online –http://www.chinadart.com
Tel.: 86 592 5129696; Fax: 86 592 5129797
Email: sales@chinatungsten.com
Tungsten & Molybdenum Information Bank: http://i.chinatungsten.com
Tungsten News & Tungsten Prices, 3G Version: http://3g.chinatungsten.com
Molybdenum News & Molybdenum Price: http://news.molybdenum.com.cn
 

• < Prev
• Next >