Darts: a game where participants compete with one another by throwing small arrow like devices at a target that is round and has numbers and sections and an inner bull with an outer bull and so on. Darts now refer to the standard game with a specific bristle board design and a set of rules. Rules that are general to the game and rules that govern games like, “501,” “301,” and “Cricket.”


Darts is a traditional pub game that was and is commonly played in the United Kingdom as well as other places in Europe and across the pond here in the America’s.


Wikipedia tells hits history in a terse form, i.e., “The dartboard may have its origins in the cross-section of a tree. An old name for a dartboard is "butt"; the word comes from the French word but, meaning "target". In particular, the Yorkshire and Manchester Log End boards differ from the standard board in that they have no treble, only double and bullseye, the Manchester board being of a smaller diameter, with a playing area of only 25 cm across with double and bull areas measuring just 4 mm. The London Fives board is another variation. This has only 12 equal segments numbered 20, 5, 15, 10, 20, 5, 15, 10, 20, 5, 15, 10 with the doubles and triples being a quarter of an inch wide.”


There have been a variety of darts created over the years but the most common today is the tungsten dart. There are electronic darts but for this blog and for my efforts in tossing darts I remain a steel dart fan and enthusiast. I am recommending a book for novice darters but only because it appealed to me and my studies and rest assured most of the dart books out there are outstanding. In short, find one if this one does not fit your needs and get it. I can tell you when I started to play over twenty years ago, before I laid down my darts in 96, I tossed darts for several years without knowing some very important and critical mechanics, etc., of the dart game. As I take up once again my steel darts I have found a fountain of information to help make the game both enjoyable and competitive. Enjoy, diddle for the middle and let the darts fly!

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Weight of It

Dart Arts Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

In the dart arts the archer would need to find the ideal dart, a critical piece obviously. Some considerations to take in:

  • Barrel shape
  • Barrel material
  • Barrel texture
  • Point (static vs. hammerhead)
  • Dart weight
  • Shaft material
  • Shaft length 
  • Flights of various materials and shapes

Dart weights for steel darts 🎯 range from 18 grams up to about 30 grams.

Note: the heavier the dart the less bounce outs but as you get lighter, 22 grams, the more it leans to a bounce out.

Let's talk about weight, like the human body it's weight at optimal levels gives us health, fitness and a sense of well-being. Each dart'ist needs to find the weight that allows for the perfect throw by, first, finding the weight optimal for them.  Too heavy and after a time the trajectory drops resulting in scuds but too light you end up tossing a bag of nails or hit a B-n-B. It matters and like going on a diet where your optimal body weight effects your overall health including mind-set and mind-state.

Everything is intertwined into a whole that makes for perfect consistent darts.

Finding that best weight then allows you to forget the dart so it can simply fly true when all factors come collectively into the one wholeheartedly arrow flying to the intended target.

I went through 4 weights testing over a period of play until I found my dart weight class of 22 grams. In some cases I felt I might go below 20 grams until my arrows settled into a consistency almost true to a mastery or at least semi-expert. I also noted that when using 26 grams the dart never bounced off the wires but the 22, resulted in investing toward Bottelsen Hammerhead 90% tungsten steel tips for league and tournament challenges. 

To find the weight and density that flies true and straight to hit the target takes some time and a bit of expense. In the old days you could travel to a dart supplies place and they had all sorts with all weights to toss to you hearts content at the board until you found something that just, “Felt good.” Then you paid up and yet today, because of the loss of interest in the area I live, you have to spend a few dollars to find, test and decide. In the end, it is worth it or it is worth it to me in my drive to master - the Dart Arts. 



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