here are a number of basics to keep in-mind, including several bad habits that you should avoid:

A steady Stance is very important. Don't lean way over the line to get closer to the board. This one is a tough habit for some people to beat, but try.. as leaning robs the darter of stability. The feet and legs should be positioned in a solid, comfortable, and relaxed stance, with weight distributed to both feet. Excessive leaning places nearly all of the body weight on one foot, tiring the shooter in long matches and damaging accuracy in the short run.

The few inches gained by leaning over the line are simply not worth the huge loss of balance and stability. Plus, leaning lowers the shoulder, forcing one to throw upwards, fighting gravity. Leaning also usually means tensing the major muscles of the body to preserve balance. This often results in a jerky release and poor follow-through, since the body is already off-balance.

A number of long-time players report back, knee, ankle, and foot pain, from spending many years standing on one foot while playing darts. Even in the short run, leaning to throw will cause minor pain in the small of the back. Especially for older players, a firm stance will stop this discomfort, both while playing and the next morning!

Think about it..

In what other sport would you drink a few beers, try to stand balanced "tiptoe" on one foot, and then try to consistently hit a small target with a sharp pointed object?

In EVERY competitive sport, Accuracy begins with a Solid Stance!


Keep your feet planted solidly on the floor, and avoid lunging, rocking, or lifting the back foot off the floor during the dart toss.

This is often done in an attempt to get a harder throw.

Along with the stance keep your head still. Its hard to do but you will notice better groupings

Keep your feet planted solidly on the floor, and avoid lunging, rocking, or lifting the back foot off the floor during the dart toss.

This is often done in an attempt to get a harder throw.

The dartboard really does not care how hard you throw the dart! The only important thing is how accurately you throw it.!

Even a light throw, if accompanied by a smooth and exteded follow-through, will easily reach the dart board and score.

Such wasted motion can really be a bad habit, as it affects the entire body and throw. Lifting the foot even partway from the floor deprives the body of good balance during the crucial moment of follow-through. The strength required to reach the board with any normal dart is minimal, and for best accuracy should be providedonly by the fingers, wrist, and forearm. After the dart leaves your hand, let your hand and arm continue on towards the dartboard, ending with full extension, and the fingers pointing at the target.

Imagine that you are bowling.. after letting go of the ball, you still must follow-through! The same applies to Golf, Billiards, Basketball, and most every other sport. Follow-through after realeasing the dart, ending up with your fingers fully extended, as though touching the spot that you want to hit.

Missing the board or hitting too low often cause beginners to think that more power is needed. This is rarely true, as one can tell by the fact that the missed darts usually hit hard enough to stick in the wall, which is quite a bit harder than a bristle dartboard. The problem lies with the accuracy of the throw and follow through. Even small children can be taught to throw accurately without lunging or using the shoulders in a throw.

If you feel short of power, stand upright, and keep your elbow up. The upper arm should be approximately parallel to the ground. This allows you to bring your arm back further, without hitting yourself in the face with the dart!

Stand Straight, Elbow Up, and you will effectively double the power of your throw without any extra effort. For one thing, the dart is much higher than when leaning, so gravity does much of the work for you.

AND PRAY TO GOD THAT YOU HIT THE TARGET IS GOOD TOO.....

I need to listen to Larry but don't lol. I just play for fun, hes serious about winning.

You are sticking to the number 1 rule ,, Just enjoy playing the game ! And dont worry about not listening to Larry , We dont either !!

Hahah Larry is a very competitive guy, so don't ever beat him or he will give up the game.

Another tip thats often overlooked is the "Dog Hand" the none throwing hand should not be moving around while throwing, keep it to your side and let the darts roll/drop into your throwing hand.

Enjoy the game and your half way there to being a very good player, once you start treating the game like a job it will be a burden to play.

Enjoy the game. Practice your mechanics and just like Larry's sig says "it is in your head."

getagrip wrote:

Hahah Larry is a very competitive guy, so don't ever beat him or he will give up the game.

Another tip thats often overlooked is the "Dog Hand" the none throwing hand should not be moving around while throwing, keep it to your side and let the darts roll/drop into your throwing hand.

Lets see that would be both of Grips hands.

Wazza wrote:

Enjoy the game and your half way there to being a very good player, once you start treating the game like a job it will be a burden to play.

Good advice Wazza

madzkymadz wrote:

Enjoy the game. Practice your mechanics and just like Larry's sig says "it is in your head."

Thanks mate

SilverSaber wrote:

getagrip wrote:

Hahah Larry is a very competitive guy, so don't ever beat him or he will give up the game.

Another tip thats often overlooked is the "Dog Hand" the none throwing hand should not be moving around while throwing, keep it to your side and let the darts roll/drop into your throwing hand.

Lets see that would be both of Grips hands.

Ya git!

thanks for the tips, especially keeping your head still and keeping the non-throwing hand still during a throw.

Theres lots of good stuff on this forum, just have to dig around a bit.

If you have a huge belly it helps to stabilize ya body!

getagrip wrote:

If you have a huge belly it helps to stabilize ya body!

And you could rest the arrows on it.

-avoid peter "snakebite" wrights hairdresser
-avoid imitating someones throwing style and grip just because there on tv
-avoid rocking at the oche
-avoid letting darts interfere with the things that matter most


-DO enjoy yourself
-DO feel free to experiment
-DO encourage your non-dart peers to try the game
-DO remeber that darts is a journey and remember that sometimes even the best in the world need 6 darts to hit a double

ALWAYS take advantage of an opportunity to teach the game to the youth.

Shoes,
yes they are important. Try and play with the same shoes on a consistent basis. Iv'e see players in flip flops one match and boots the next. Not a good idea IMO.

Agree I have a specific pair of shoes that I Keep to the side for practice and matches

Whitlock practises barefoot and obviousy wears shoes for matches - doesn't seem to have done him much harm.

I have practiced barefoot but it really does throw me off because I'm short to begin with. I can still play but not as well

USMC80 wrote:

I have practiced barefoot but it really does throw me off because I'm short to begin with. I can still play but not as well

Get Shorty!

Does anyone know what effect stance has on the achilles tendon? I had problems for years when I was running thanks to not stretching properly.

Last week though I had a coiple of easy runs and played a couple of hours darts each evening. On the Thursday night I was in agony and couldn't sleep at all as even moving my foot a couple of millimetres was really painful. I don't want to go through that again and probably won't try running again but I'd have thought the way I lean forward on my front foot would help ease the problem but i'm not totally convinced.

Anyone else had achilles problems and had to alter their stance?

thats weird-i have a specific pair of shoes that i play in too. An old ragged pair of sperry knockoffs that are completely tattered and unfit to wear in public.

Dalman wrote:

Does anyone know what effect stance has on the achilles tendon? I had problems for years when I was running thanks to not stretching properly.

Last week though I had a coiple of easy runs and played a couple of hours darts each evening. On the Thursday night I was in agony and couldn't sleep at all as even moving my foot a couple of millimetres was really painful. I don't want to go through that again and probably won't try running again but I'd have thought the way I lean forward on my front foot would help ease the problem but i'm not totally convinced.

Anyone else had achilles problems and had to alter their stance?

Never had any achilles problem, its usually my knees that are affected if I dont stand comfortably. Sounds more like the problem is there from something else (your running I guess) and the position of your stance is aggravating it.

Does it only hurt when leaning? you may have to alter your weight distribution or angle of your foot?

Knowing your outs is very important.

I agree...your new avatar is nice larry

Very funny about the shoes. I've thought before of asking you guys if you have special darts shoes. I don't. I only require they have a normal sole thickness. No barefoot, no very thin flip flops, no heels. I tried to wear one pair to every match for a couple months, but didn't feel it made a difference to my consistency, or should I say inconsistency. Besides, when you're big pimpin' you gotta have a variety of outfits and matching shoes!

True dat