Amateurs aren’t the only ones that have their darts bounce off the board. It affects a lot of professional players as well. There will always be times or instances that you won’t get that perfect throw that sticks to the board.
Your darts may bounce out of the dartboard and land on the floor for three reasons: the dart, the board, and the player. I’ll go over a few of the reasons why your darts aren’t clinging to the board, as well as some methods for keeping them in when they’re needed the most.
What Causes Your Darts to Bounce Out?
Darts can bounce due to a variety of causes. In some cases, the problem is with the dart; it may not be heavy enough or have a rough enough tip.
Another possibility is that the board itself is at fault, especially if it is old or of low quality. In certain cases, the problem may be with your game.
Understanding why it is happening and what you can do to prevent it in the future, whether it is due to poor throwing form, a terrible board, or low-quality darts, may be useful.
Let’s look at some of the probable causes of your darts bouncing and what you can do to fix it.
- Low-Quality Dartboards: The most common cause of darts falling out of the board is contact with the wire. You’ll generally hear the metal-on-metal sound of the dart contacting the wiring before it bounces out if this happens. If your darts are sharpened, and this is happening frequently, the problem might be with the board as a whole.
- Unsharpened Darts: If your darts are only bouncing out on rare occasions, sharpening them using a sharpening stone may improve them. A properly sharpened tip is more likely to strike the wire slide and continue into the board. A dart that is excessively sharp or blunt may bounce back out after striking the wire.
- Strength of the Throw: Beginners who are unaware of proper posture and movement are more likely to make this error. Players eventually become unable to throw the darts correctly, resulting in the darts being bounced off the board. One of the more overlooked elements of why darts bounce off the board is this.
- Angle of the Throw: The angle of the throw is more important than you may think. The dart will ricochet if you hit the board at an odd angle or if you hit a wire from the side. Attempt to alter your position such that you are striking the board at a straight angle.
Tips to Avoid Bounce Outs
I spent hours researching all of the probable causes of darts not clinging to the board and came up with ideas that would assist you in getting out of this issue. Here are some guidelines to help you avoid the aggravating repeat of bounce-outs.
Let’s get this ball rolling, shall we?
1. Proper Dart Selection
Darts are available in a range of shapes and sizes. Each person has a set of preferences that they adhere to. As a result, you should ensure that your selected dart is appropriate for you from all aspects, including your general fitness.
Keep in mind that different types of darts have differing degrees of weight, which can have a major impact on your toss.
Your chosen dart, for example, weighs 18 to 21 grams and is deemed lighter. Throwing the dart from a large distance will almost certainly result in the dart being bounced out. In this instance, you should replace your dart with a heavier one.
However, changing your dart weight frequently should be avoided because acclimating to a single dart takes time.
Learn More about Dart Selection: Dart Weights Advice: Choosing the Right Dart Weight
2. Use Darts with Moveable Tips
Although not all of the darts have this feature, a handful do have spring-loaded tips. The tips will assist you in controlling the darts’ motion when throwing. As a result, novices should consider spring darts while selecting the finest darts for them to play.
The main issue with flexible tips is that they have a higher likelihood of becoming slack when they are used repeatedly. Furthermore, the cost of such darts is typically greater than that of fixed darts.
On the plus side, even if darts with flexible tips are expensive, you get a great bang for your buck if you purchase a set. These bad boys can totally help you to lessen the bouncing out of your darts, thus, also lessening pauses and slowing down the flow of the game.
3. Handling the Dart Correctly
Holding the dart is not as easy as it may seem. As simple as it appears, holding the dart is also very crucial in playing darts. To maintain the proper way of holding the dart, have a read of this:
First, make sure you have a level grip on the dart and that your elbow is always at a normal angle. Instead of placing the dart at random angles, strive to maintain the sharp end of the dart point in the direction of the dartboard.
Second, don’t toss it about like you normally would. Keep in mind that the aim is to get the dart to land on the dartboard. When tossing the dart, never apply too much force. Look at how far your thrown dart has entered the board if you’re still confused about your throwing force.
Make sure your fingers and thumb are towards the dartboard since this will help your fingers gather the fly.
4. Dart Grip
While throwing the dart, your grip takes on a vital role. During every step of throwing, the end of the dart should be oriented towards the air, not directly to the board.
You must also maintain a firm grasp. It’s important to remember that darts is a game of touch rather than power.
Always utilize at least one of your three fingers to get greater control over the dart as its speed increases. If you use more fingers to work, the procedure will become more challenging.
You should not curl your fingers into a handful since this stresses the muscles in your fingertips, resulting in poor throws. Furthermore, the fingers that are not utilized for grasping should be relaxed and spread away from the rest of the fingers.
5. Shooting Accurately
It is critical to master the skills for throwing darts properly before you begin shooting. Dart bounces are more common when players concentrate more attention on striking the exact area rather than throwing the dart correctly.
This type of concentration shifting hinders you from concentrating on the precise amount of power you should apply to the dart. This eventually leads to bad throws.
Concentrate on one thing at a time, don’t rush yourself. Getting the perfect throw is a process that every player goes through in their dart career.
By disregarding the previous darts you’ve thrown, you may take control of the situation and decrease your chances of bouncing off another dart.
It may seem obvious, but we’ve all been guilty of trying to cram a dart into a space where it simply won’t fit. Dart bounce-outs flourish in this type of setting. Consider your stats and plan your strategy. Avoid a tight fit if at all feasible.
6. Hang the Dartboard Properly
There are steps to actually hanging the dartboard correctly. Most people just hang the board willy nilly. The dartboard should be correctly hung on the drywall. You can follow these guidelines to ensure that your dartboard is hanging in the right place.
Make sure that the wall you’re hanging the dartboard on is spacious and has nothing in the way. Having obstructions close to the board can be considered a hazard; obstructions such as frames or small devices on the wall can result in property damage.
Ensure that when you do hang the dartboard, it is mounted properly and supported by screws or adhesive on the back, so it won’t wiggle around and cause you to miss some of your shots.
7. Correct Posture
People mostly neglect posture when it comes to playing darts. Most people just think standing is already the correct posture, without even thinking about lead legs or the way your torso needs to be oriented.
The “stance” refers to the posture of your feet when throwing darts. The stance is crucial because it aids in bodily stabilization. There are three main stances that people use when playing darts; the middle stance, open stance, and closed stance.
The most common stance is the middle stance. This is a balanced form that allows you to easily alter the position of your legs and how your center of gravity is positioned, as well as making it simpler to aim.
The front foot is on the throw line in the closed stance. This helps maintain the same angle and posture simpler. Avoid putting too much weight on the front foot since this can lead the rear foot to leave the ground and the body to become unstable.
With the open stance, it’s simple to maintain the same angle, but because you can’t lean forward, your release will be further away from the board. This posture isn’t used by many players.
You can choose from the three stances which one is the most comfortable for you.
8. Positive Attitude
When you are committed to throwing the dart correctly, you should never give up after only a few attempts. Though bounce-outs are a demotivating sensation, you must not let them demotivate you and compel you to abandon the game for good.
Try your best not to get frustrated since frustration makes you lose focus, thus, resulting in more and more of your darts bouncing out than the initial normal amount.
You’re not the only one that experiences your darts bouncing out; even the pros do! Bounce-outs are totally natural in the game of darts. All you can do about that is ignore your bounce-outs, have a fresh dart in your hand, take aim and try again!
To Conclude
Making sure that your dart game isn’t chock full of bounce-outs, you need to really consider the tips mentioned above. It is always fine to ignore a shot that bounces. Bounces will happen every now and then, but you can now do everything you can to reduce them.
Just calm down! Keep your gaze fixed on the dartboard and throw your next dart. You’re in your zone, keep going, and you’ll get more accurate and have fewer bounce-outs before you know it.
Read On:
