How to Practice Darts

Setup

• 1

  Always practice on a board hanging at the correct height for official tournament play.

• 2

  If possible, practice at a location that has the oche (say, "hockey"), or shooting line, marked at the correct distance. Preferably, this will be done with a raised toe-board to eliminate any "on the tape" arguments.

• 3

  Choose a location to perfect your skills. Some people select a neighborhood pub. Eric Bristow, several times a world champion, perfected his skills as a teenager in the privacy of his bedroom.

Throwing Style

• 4

  Experiment with throwing styles until you find what suits you. Most players throw with their dominant hand. Some stand straight up with both feet flat on the floor, while others choose a forward-leaning stance with weight on the front foot and the other foot touching the floor at all times -- no kicking it up. Oddball styles have been known to work, with some even throwing from the center of their chest instead of eye level.

• 5

  Understand that in terms of mechanics, throwing a dart is like shooting a gun: The fewer things move, the fewer things can go wrong.

• 6

  Find a position of comfort, stand still and throw from the elbow, not the shoulder or wrist.

  Once you find a personal stance and style, use it consistently. If you need assistance, a highly qualified expert can advise you on your technique and give you an explanation if you should make changes.

Practice Routines

• 7

  Practice regularly, if not daily. Regular practice is essential to success in any sport, and darts is no exception.

• 8

  Play a quick trip around the board alone, a fast game of Cricket with a partner, or a marathon of solo bull shots. Daily practice will hone your skills quickly. Routine becomes a bore quickly, so vary how you practice.

• 9

  Practice exercising skills needed for all games, especially the '01s and Cricket.

Practice Games

• 10

  Around the Board: Throw three darts at each number on the board in succession from 1 to 20. Aim for the open wedges, not the double or triple ring. Increase the difficulty by aiming for either the smaller or the larger wedge to improve shot placement.

• 11

  Doubles and Triples: Concentrate on the double or triple rings only, and throw three darts at each in order. This will help score these precise shots in a crunch.

• 12

  All Bulls: Throw three darts at the bullseye in the center of the board. On the London board, increase the difficulty by aiming at only the red-dot double bull (worth 50 points in '01s or two points in Cricket) or only at the outer green ring, which is the single bull (worth 25 points in '01s or one point in Cricket).

• 13

  Out Shots: In '01 dart games, the final dart thrown must be a double that reduces a player's score to zero. The minimum number of darts for a perfect game of 501 is nine. How does one get from 501 points to zero points, ending on a double? For this it takes what is called an "out chart." This shows mathematically possible combinations of scores for either two or three darts to "go out" (win the game). For instance, if a player has a remaining score of 80, the chart shows a two-dart out of triple 16 (48 points) followed by double 16 (32 points). He shoots for the triple first. If he misses and "hits fat" (in one of the wedges that score a single 16), he mentally subtracts 16 points, leaving 64, and goes on to the winning combination for that number of points. In practice, find this number on the chart and throw at the numbers needed to get there with the two darts still in hand. Consulting a paper chart is too distracting in tournament play, so serious dart players commit these combinations (at least their favorite ones) to memory for instant recall. Work through out-shot combinations as a productive way to practice, since it will encompass the whole board, including "Annie's room" (double 1).