I have been shooting darts for a total of 2 or so weeks now. I have thrown quite a few darts in that time frame. The No.1 issue I find is finding consistency on the height of my shots. The night before yesterday, I picked up the darts I got for my 8year old, they are very short. I literally felt like I was cheating, I can pick up these "stubies" and just let it rip and have a lot more accuracy. It feels so easy. I thought that might have been a fluke, but yesterday and today, I shot them again and it still feels like I am cheating (as opposed to shooting the longer stem dart I have for myself).

Question is, as a beginner, should I embrace short darts as my "personal preference", or should I really try to learn to play intermediate/long darts as a total beginner for long term growth?

Opinions?

In my honest opinion, use the length you feel comfortable with. Things to take into consideration is barrel length, stem length and flight shape/size.

What is right for you depends on your style, and biomechanics.

Best thing I'd recommend, is buy a variety of shapes/styles of cheapo barrels-straight, contoured, short long. Same for stems. Flight's size/shape/dimpled or nondimpled, will also have a dramatic effect on how the dart flys and how it feels. Then experiment

Although in the long run I'd suggest getting a higher end style stem if you get more serious. Like slik stiks or cosmos.

Go with what feels comfortable for you and remember that success doesnt come over night.

Darts takes a long time to perfect.

As Vallyr said, experiment until you find a comfortable set up.

Hi One Firstly there is no hard and fast rule as to what length of stem you should use, if they feel right and they are going into the numbers you are throwing at then that is good and you should go with it.

Secondly I think as a beginner you should be trying all shapes and sizes of flights and stems to find what works for you, as Vallyr stated. It is very easy to be distracted by the commercial side of darts by thinking you have to use what Phil Taylor uses or any other Pro player for that matter. Trust me you don't you can have all the fancy gear but it won't make you a better player or make you hit the trebles or doubles any better. If it works for you use it and I disagree with Vallyr (sorry buddy) on his point of using high end stems as cheap nylon stems at 30p a set are perfectly fine if that's what works for you.

For now try with whatever you have and enjoy it because as you get better you will start tweaking your set up even further to the point where you will find that even stem or flight colour will play a part in how you set up your darts.

I will go against what some of Vallyr says. Cosmos will cost you a fortune and not help your game the least bit IMO. I feel it is not the dart, flight, shaft or any accessories. The only thing that improved my game is hours and hours of practice.

If you picked up those darts and your kicking ass with them just stick with it and put the time in with practice

On the side of high end stems, I'm just saying that right set up can help stop some deflections, eliminate robin hooding, and have more durability. My Slik Stiks seem to last 3 or 4 months at a time where nylon ones were doing that a night and I'm not spending all of my time chasing flights across the floor heh, but yeah wont change how well you play that is true!

but yeah experiment, and feel free to swap what doesnt work for ya out on the forum!

Hi Onemanblitz and welcome to the forum.


The 2 sets you have tried may also be different weights which can also affect the throw.

But as a beginner it can sometimes take a while to find your best setup, but sometimes people are lucky and click with a particular setup straight away. If the short darts are working for you then I would stick with them for now.