Mastering the Art of Darts
Playing darts is an easy enough activity for most people to take part in – even if you haven’t touched a dart in your life, it’s really easy to just pick a few up and send them flying towards the board. If you want to truly impress your friends with some dart-throwing skills though, you’ll need lots and lots of practice – and above all, proper technique. All the time in the world won’t get you proper skills if spent practicing, if your execution is wrong in the first place.
It all starts with the right grip. You need to use at least three of your fingers for holding the dart, but the more you’re able to put into it, the better, as it will give you a finer degree of control over the dart’s speed and direction. You’ll have to spend quite some time until you’ve perfected coordinating all your fingers for that perfect throw properly.
Your hands must be relaxed as well – as should your whole body. Take a deep breath, focus on the board and just let the dart go, releasing it smoothly with one swift motion of the arm. It should come naturally and not feel forced in any way; take a look at your fingers – if you’re seeing their tips turning white, this is a sign that your grip is too tight, which degrades your control over your muscles.
Choosing the right dart can matter as well – generally you may not have such a good choice of what to pick up, but if you’re given a pick of several different darts, look for one that’s right for you – the general rule is that the more fingers you’re using in your grip, the longer the dart’s barrel should be.
Many people make the mistake to try and throw the dart with their whole bodies – drawing analogies to sports like tennis and boxing, where it’s not just about good control of your arm but the whole body as well. However, with darts, you’ll have to leave that habit behind and isolate your arm’s movements from the rest of the body entirely. You want to only move the arm you’re doing the throw with, and do it in a smooth, calculated curve which feels natural to you. Don’t try to do a “flick shot” and only nudge your arm slightly, use its full force but apply it in a controlled manner.
As we mentioned above, it will all start coming to you naturally with time and as you’re racking up games under your belt – with plenty of practice, you’ll soon be giving your friends tips and lessons on how to throw properly!
If you are shopping for darts check out DartProShop.com.
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