For the last few weeks i've been using lighter darts to warm up with. i use 24g. darts but have been spending 20-30 mins before each practice using a 18 g. dart for about 10 minutes then i'll step up to a 21 gram dart for a while. Finally when im ready to begin ill use my fusions or bears and i've noticed that my opening legs are more consistent. anyone else try this before?

Hmm sounds like an interesting idea Rum, not tried it my self but sounds a bit like when exercising wiht weights and going easy at first just to get the blood flowing, not sure if that would make a difference with darts as they are light anyway, but I guess there may be something in it.

Might give it a try and see what happens.

Well i gotta tell ya took some 24gm darts to the pub and was just all over the place with them, I use 26gm.

try this larry, even if its just for shets n giggles-( ill note that it works better if you use dartpro to track your practice). first make a control, warm up(30 mins) and play 6 legs of 501 and keep track of the stats. the following day take some lighter darts ( for you i'd recommend a 20 if you have a set) and use these for your practice. practice with these for 30 mins or just until you start throwing tight groups. switch to the 26's and play 6 legs like previously and compare your stats with the control.

Hmmm. I think this sort of thing might be a bad idea. Darts is all about being consistent. Changing darts and using different weights just can't be good for overall consistency.
Although I have ZERO proof to back up my claim, I just don't think this sort of practice would be beneficial.

I think putting in more time with a dart you like would be the better pay off.

I play with anything 23-26gm but to practice with light then play with me regular weight hmmmm gotta put that one in the round file Rum sorry.

I have read of players who have done a slightly different thing with good results, and that is throw from 3 or 4 inches further back in practice. I think Bobby George did it before winning his News Of The World title.

Hmmm I just don't think its for me. I want to throw from regulation distance- sorry again just my opinion.

SilverSaber wrote:

Hmmm I just don't think its for me. I want to throw from regulation distance- sorry again just my opinion.

that was when the NOTW oche was 8 feet though

an elevated darter should be able to throw any weight or style consistently.

rumandcork wrote:

an elevated darter should be able to throw any weight or style consistently.

Couldn't agree more. I'm starting to get to the point where I can take one of my teammates darts and shoot almost as well with them

I've got a theory about this. We all unwittingly get complacent with throwing our favorite set of darts. Our minds focus a little less than optimum on mechanics and hand/eye coordination. When throwing a set up different from your usual one, your mind (consciously or unconsciously) is forced to focus more on mechanics, hand/eye coordination to make the necessary adjustments to hit the target. When you pick up your usual darts and throw them again, your mind is still in that heightened focus and you get a little better results. I think the theory holds up when people talk about switching to a new set of darts. There is sometimes an immediate improvement in results and throwers think, "Wow! I throw these better, their the ones for me!" I think they get that initial improvement because they're more focused. At some point they get complacent and the results may dip. Not being satisfied, they decide to go back to their "old reliables." Throwers often comment that they throw their old darts as well or better than ever. Their mind is refreshed, their focus sharpened, and being so familiar with those old darts, most of that concentration goes into putting the dart in the hole.

Great post OJ. ^^^

I have to add this one thing. Most of my early life I played with 24 gram darts. Was a really good shooter. Did okay, but could never do anything at a big tournament. For some reason,
which I don't remember now I picked up a set of 15 gram darts and started messing with them.
All of a sudden I was hitting things I never hit before. Just 2 weeks later I had the best darting weekend of my life up until then. I won a luck of the draw Friday night (84 players) with all the top shooters from Maine. Some of them were nationally ranked at the time. I then went on to win the singles and mixed trips on Saturday.
I think it had everything to do with playing with a lighter dart. I went from a decent player to shooting lights out by just dropping quite a few grams. Who knew?

Have any of you ever tried a light dart? Maybe that's the hidden key to your success???

i was at a match and afterwards a guy came upto me and started throwing excuses at me for why they lost. he said that it was because he just started using his 15g darts.

I said do you mind if i toss them. took three at the bull and hit db sb sb. told him it wasnt the darts. Didnt try em after that but now ya got me thinking lol

Winmau wrote:

Great post OJ. ^^^

I have to add this one thing. Most of my early life I played with 24 gram darts. Was a really good shooter. Did okay, but could never do anything at a big tournament. For some reason,
which I don't remember now I picked up a set of 15 gram darts and started messing with them.
All of a sudden I was hitting things I never hit before. Just 2 weeks later I had the best darting weekend of my life up until then. I won a luck of the draw Friday night (84 players) with all the top shooters from Maine. Some of them were nationally ranked at the time. I then went on to win the singles and mixed trips on Saturday.
I think it had everything to do with playing with a lighter dart. I went from a decent player to shooting lights out by just dropping quite a few grams. Who knew?

Have any of you ever tried a light dart? Maybe that's the hidden key to your success???

How would you describe your throw? More arc or more direct? Fast and hard or slower and softer? I throw fairly direct and when trying 20g or less darts, I find I have to throw them hard and fast and I have trouble being consistent in my mechanics.

ochejockey wrote:

Winmau wrote:

Great post OJ. ^^^

I have to add this one thing. Most of my early life I played with 24 gram darts. Was a really good shooter. Did okay, but could never do anything at a big tournament. For some reason,
which I don't remember now I picked up a set of 15 gram darts and started messing with them.
All of a sudden I was hitting things I never hit before. Just 2 weeks later I had the best darting weekend of my life up until then. I won a luck of the draw Friday night (84 players) with all the top shooters from Maine. Some of them were nationally ranked at the time. I then went on to win the singles and mixed trips on Saturday.
I think it had everything to do with playing with a lighter dart. I went from a decent player to shooting lights out by just dropping quite a few grams. Who knew?

Have any of you ever tried a light dart? Maybe that's the hidden key to your success???

How would you describe your throw? More arc or more direct? Fast and hard or slower and softer? I throw fairly direct and when trying 20g or less darts, I find I have to throw them hard and fast and I have trouble being consistent in my mechanics.

My throw? Fairly average I think. Although I would say one cannot lob a really light dart. Got to put a little zip on it.

Look at most of the people you play darts with (Americans only). They probably shoot with 23 gram and up. The standard from what I've seen is 24 grams. I'm sure a lot of these players might step their game up if they shot with a much lighter dart. But who ever really tries a light dart? I know I never had any desire to play with a 15-18 gram dart. none of my friends did, so why should I? Wouldn't make any sense. If everyone plays with 23+ grams I'd be the oddball out. Thankfully I did try a lighter dart and it's brought me limited success.

I highly recommend it to just about anyone.

Certainly should give throwers incentive to occasionally test different weights just to see what happens.

Well I tried my 21g Fury 2's again the other day and threw well with them, now I am just confused but my own theory could be to do with the fact that because they are lighter than my normal 23 or 24 grams the medium stems and standard flights are creating more drag and stablizing the lighter barrel better than the heavier barrel. I could be wrong though, but the 21g darts with that flight and stem combo seem to float or travel slower through the air.

getagrip wrote:

Well I tried my 21g Fury 2's again the other day and threw well with them, now I am just confused but my own theory could be to do with the fact that because they are lighter than my normal 23 or 24 grams the medium stems and standard flights are creating more drag and stablizing the lighter barrel better than the heavier barrel. I could be wrong though, but the 21g darts with that flight and stem combo seem to float or travel slower through the air.

Don't most players across the pond use lighter darts then us Americans? From what I've seen on a pro level they all shoot with kinda light darts. Well, except for that one Phil guy.

Well if you watch the pros on TV it would seem so, but I always thought the theory was that the better and more accurate your stroke became the easier it was to progress to lighter weights, and the heavy darts were more forgiving of inconsistencies in your throw.

At the end of the day though we all throw so uniquely different and with a different flight path, grip and release and velocity that I think it makes it hard to categorize the suitability of a barrels weight to a particular style of throw.

John Lowe used 21g darts but I dont believe he had a direct throw, I think it was a little looping, but his darts are only about 38mm, so they maybe act more like a heavier but longer dart?

Think its just a case of experimenting and roughly following guidelines, but in the end its a lot of trial and error to find the right set up.

In my experience, I've discovered that throwing a heavier dart is indeed more forgiving. I don't know if this is a good analogy, but I liken it to the difference between throwing a golf ball and throwing a ping pong ball. It is much easier to throw a golf ball.

I've also found that throwing a lighter dart is less forgiving. It takes a smoother stroke and smoother release to throw a light dart properly.

Thus, practicing with a light dart is one way of working out the kinks in your throw. Once you've got the kinks worked out, switch back to your normal weight during this same practice session. You should be able to see and feel the difference.

Does this mean that if you currently throw 'x' gram dart weight, then you switch to a heavier dart....should this translate into improvement? No it doesn't.

What if you currently throw 'x' gram dart weight, then you switch to a lighter dart....should this translate into improvement? No it doesn't. In this scenario, if you threw the heavy dart poorly, switching to a lighter dart may make matters worse as a light dart behaves badly when your form is poor.

I always thought a lighter dart suited players who threw with more force, I think a smooth throw is more essential like you say though as the lighter weight will magnify any inconsistencies.

I've always wondered about this. If a heavier dart is indeed more forgiving of slight inconsistencies in your throw, and a lighter dart seems to magnify them (my experience also tends to agree with this), then what advantage is there to be gained by moving lighter?

More control? Don't get tired as quickly so you can play longer?

If it is simply that lighter darts suit a harder thrower for some reason, couldn't the same effect be achieved on a heavier dart with the proper barrel shape and stem/flight combination?

I guess so, I have seen some who throw fast and hard with 29g darts.

One thing I noticed when I was using a heavier dart for a while (27g) was my arm did tire quicker, my throw is a more gentle kind of loopy throw, but I have sometimes done ok with darts less than 20g, I think a lot depended on the shape and length of barrel though.

JohnK, you answered your own question. The advantage to be gained by practicing/throwing a lighter dart is that it forces you to improve on your technique/inconsistencies. Once you've improved your technique, throwing a heavier dart is a relatively easy adjustment.

In recent times there have been a lot of people buying the 14g Ted Hankey darts. While light, they are very front loaded (given their weight). The front loading helps make them a dart that is forgiving and easy to throw. Same dart, same weight, but centre balanced will throw differently and is not as likely to appeal to people the throw heavier darts.
I picked up a set of Red Dragon Microlites recently, as set up with extra short stems, mini standard pentathlon flights and L-style shell lock rings the weigh 11g. Fantastic little dart to throw, but not for everybody.

Voks sells a set of darts for about 30 dollars! They are called mosquitoes!! They weigh between 4 and 6 grams depending on the set. I bought a set and practice with them and your grouping and how you throw gets so much better! Try them for a week! Only 30$$ it's worth it

Ryanc_00 wrote:

Voks sells a set of darts for about 30 dollars! They are called mosquitoes!! They weigh between 4 and 6 grams depending on the set. I bought a set and practice with them and your grouping and how you throw gets so much better! Try them for a week! Only 30$$ it's worth it

Yeah I have some :



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287. Voks Mosquito Montana 3.6g by dazdart, on Flickr

Warming up with a different dart to your match dart !!! never heard so much rubbish practice with your match darts before the match. dont think taylor warms up with a set of 18g

I have found it beneficil for me to throw a heavier dart for a bit and then switch to a lighter dart. I was at a comp and was just throwing all over the place with my 23g match darts. Inbetween matches I started throwing some 26g for practice, to see if that helped. When my next match started I went back to my 23g and I threw great the rest of the time. I think the heavier dart made throw the dart and stop lofting them, wich is why I was all over the place. To me going from light to heavy would be difficult -but the other way around seems to help me some

just think its a strange way to do things really