so sometimes my darts will dolphin tail (fishtail on the vertical axis). it's more pronounced when i throw w/ a flatter arc with med velocity which i use sometimes to hit the upper parts of the board by raising my arm a bit (as opposed to compensating w/ more force).

after a bit of thought i've arrived at the theory it's the barrel vs flight in a balancing act. w/ the flight overcompensating everytime.

anyone else observe this problem? did you just adapt? change the barrel (lighter) or flight? (less surface area)......

for me its a strange point as to what causes it sometimes, I think the length of the dart and length of stems if too long makes me fishtail them, but also depends on how I position the dart through my throw and how I release it.

I have had darts fish tail at first then a few throws later got used to it and stopped it. But I would say most of the time for me its the set up of the dart that needs altering.

There are several contributing factors that cause fishtailing. Mainly, fishtailing is caused by alignment of the dart at the time of release vs the forward path of the dart vs the trajectory of the dart. When these three factors are not well coordinated, the dart will wobble and fly poorly.

Learning better mechanics and form addresses the problem. Changing your equipment addresses the symptoms.

It is usually better to address the problems, not the symptoms.

most fishtails i got was when i was using phase 5's or silica apollos with phase 5 stems and dmx flights. the fishtails reduced in occurrence when i used short/intermediate nylon stems and slims on the bomber-type darts.

when i shifted to straight darts with short stems and standards, the less fishtail i got.

i guess the setup should suit your throw. the setup is easier to change, at least, for me.