Darts Tips

Darts is a common fitness and entertainment activity in Western countries. In recent years, darts has gradually become popular in my country. As a beginner, you must understand some techniques for practicing darts so that you can gradually master this fitness and entertainment activity. For example, you must pay attention to the preparation posture, the method of holding the dart, the posture and method of throwing, etc. Let us learn about this aspect.

1. Ready posture

After the dart line, beginners are generally advised to stand sideways with the throwing hand in front and facing the center of the dartboard. The intersection angle of the front foot and the dart can be selected between 0-90°.

Spread your legs shoulder-width apart, lean forward, and place your center of gravity on your front leg (supporting leg); stretch your back leg (balancing leg) behind your body, with your toes touching the ground, to maintain your balance.

The face and front shoulders are facing the dart board, the eyes are looking directly at the dart area, the chest is straight, the abdomen is tucked in, the hips are lifted, the upper arms are raised to be level with the shoulders, the forearms are raised naturally, the elbows are facing forward, and the shoulders, upper arms, forearms and upper body are made to form a plane perpendicular to the center direction of the dart board as much as possible.

The back arm hangs naturally, the elbow is slightly bent inward, and the backup dart is fixed at the waist without moving. The whole body is straight, stretched, relaxed and stable, without any feeling of unnaturalness, tension or stiffness in any part of the body.

Adjust your breathing, stabilize your emotions, and achieve a calm state. After long-term practice, you can determine the standing position in the middle, to the left or to the right behind the dart line, as well as the appropriate angle at which the front foot intersects the dart line, based on your personal characteristics, movements and habits.

Once the whole body posture is fixed, it should not be changed frequently to ensure the formation of correct and stable overall feeling and technical movements.

2. Dart holding method

Beginners can use the method of holding a brush: the thumb is on the center of gravity on one side of the dart body, the index finger and middle finger are on the other side of the dart body, and the ring finger is on the bottom of the dart body. Each finger applies force evenly and holds the dart naturally to prevent the dart from falling off easily.

This is the "four-finger three-holding dart method", that is, four fingers hold the dart from three directions: left, right, and bottom. The way of holding the dart varies from person to person and can be chosen according to the shape, length and personal feeling of the dart.

Other commonly used methods include: three-finger two-dimensional method, four-finger two-dimensional method, five-finger two-dimensional method, three-finger three-dimensional method, five-finger three-dimensional method, etc. See below for details.

3. Throwing method

The forearm is retracted to the shoulder as far as possible, with the palm facing upwards and the dart body nearly horizontal; the elbow does not move, the wrist flips forward to drive the forearm to make an arc movement to throw the dart; after the dart leaves the hand, the fingers relax and spread out, the wrist droops naturally, the forearm naturally straightens, and drives the upper arm to slowly descend.

4. Action points and precautions

All movements must be performed evenly, naturally, coherently, smoothly, completely, and in place, without adding force or pausing in the middle. At the same time, you must understand and master the proper timing to throw the dart. If you throw it too early, it will be biased upwards, and if you throw it too late, it will be biased downwards.

During the entire throwing process, the movement of the forearm and hand should always remain straight in one plane. Fixing the correct wrist action is the key to throwing. Relaxation or tension in the wrist will affect the early and late movement, as well as the severity of the wrist movement;