How to Throw a Dart | startplayingdarts

How to Hold and Throw a Dart

There is no correct way of holding or throwing a dart: it is one of the most personalised aspects of the sport, the way you hold or throw a dart is entirely up to you and that's what makes darts so great. Your own throw and grip without having to be told how to perfect your technique like in other sports: such as in football being shown how to slide tackle. In darts you get to do your own thing.

To discover the best way to hold the dart and throw, it is simply a matter of picking up a dart and experimenting with a number of grips and throwing styles, before filtering down each one until you find one you are most comfortable with.

If you watch any darts match, it is highly unlikely that both players will use the same grip, throw style and stance, they are all different. Some darts players use very uncomfortable looking throw styles and grips of the dart, however they are still highly effective in hitting the target.

Grip, Throw style and Stance

Getting to grips

1) Let the dart rest in the palm of the hand and find the centre of gravity for the dart (position where the dart is stationary/ still) Using the thumb, roll the dart towards the fingertips and position the thumb slightly behind the centre of gravity.

2)Place as many fingers onto the barrel of the dart as feels comfortable and move the hand into the aiming position, ready to throw. By achieving this grip, it’s possible to adapt the grip and change position and number of fingers on the barrel, to what feels comfortable and works best.

3) No fingers should be gripping the shaft of the dart or the flight, as this will certainly lead to inaccurate throwing.

4)Furthermore, the point of the dart should always be facing up, towards the dartboard and the grip should not be too fierce, in a way which is straining the fingers. This will also lead to inaccurate throwing and possible injury.

5)If there are any fingers left, which are not on the barrel, these can be spread away or left in the same position as the others but not making contact with the barrel.

Stance - there is no correct way of standing to throw a dart, different players use different standing styles, and for beginners it is a good idea to experiment with each stance type: toe on, side on and leaning forward slightly to discover which stance best suits you and feels the most comfortable. Getting a comfortable stance is essential for being able to throw accurate darts. A stance that is comfortable gives you balance and when you let go of the dart the head and the torso remain stationary allowing you to throw the dart straight.

The side on stance (watch top video) gives you an advantage in the way that you are a few inches closer to the board compared to the toe on stance, which puts you slightly further back from the board. When you go to throw the dart try not to move when doing so, try to keep the head and torso as still as possible. the only part of the body that should be moving when throwing is the part of the arm below the elbow.

Typically beginner darters will use a toe on stance whereby both feet are touching the oche/ throw line and they adopt a very upright, straight body position. The problem with this stance is that it does not keep the body very stationary and so darts may not be very accurate when thrown as the body will be moving.

With the side on stance, the best foot is normally the foot that is forward and side on to the oche, the weaker foot is back for balance. A player that uses their right as the front foot indicates that they are a right handed thrower, the same applies to a left hander, the left foot would be the front foot.

The side on stance gives much better stability to the upper body and enables more accurate darts to be thrown.

Gary Andersons' throw (see top video) is considered to be a peculiar one in the world of darts, despite this it is a highly effective throwing style. Gary looks down the barrel and the V shape of the flight, to see where the dart is pointing. He brings the dart right back to the eye before releasing, his throw looks very relaxed. There is one test you can undertake to determine which is the strongest eye and which eye you should draw the darts back to if you are trying to replicate Gary's throwing style.

Close one eye and hold a dart still and straight so that it is pointing to the dartboard. If the dart does not look like it is moving and it stays still, it is the other eye that is your strongest. Repeat the test on the other eye to ensure that the dart does appear to be moving and to confirm which eye is the strongest.