“i received this question in the email box recently, and thought that it would be good to gather some opinions on it . . .

I’ve only ever had the space for a straight dart line.  We’ve pretty much shot right down an alley so to
speak.   Lots of bars where I grew up in the Coal Region have an arched line.

• Is this the ideal/right way to play?
• Are there specs for this?
• I presume it’s a 7’3″ radius but how “wide” should you swing the arc if at all?”

we have a straight toe line set up for our league, and we use a straight line for the tournaments as well.
but that’s just to keep non-shooters from tripping over the wooden toe lines during the day.  i know that tons of places have wooden
toe lines with the built in arches.

so, is there a spec on how wide you make the arch?  and what, if any, rules do you have about shooting from outside the
arch of the toe line (and why?)

—–

hello,
Every league around here has arced lines. We take a string measuring 7’3”, stick one end in the middle of the cork, then with a
pencil or chalk on the other end, draw a semi circle on the floor. We then use tape or black marker to mark the line.  We have been shooting American darts around here since before I was born (I am 49).

Every league here shoots “heel” the line where as long as any part of your shoe touches the line it is legal. Darts are big around here with the oldest league older than me. There are
tournaments most every week starting in January through March. Most leagues will start at the beginning of October and run through
march. I live in Cambria County and also know they shoot just like us in Clearfield and Blair. If anyone wants to correspond, get back
to me. thanks
(PA counties – editor)
—–

here’s a reply I got from one of the MAJOR tournament directors in the sport. I sent him the question, and explained that i’m not the
person to answer it because we don’t use kickplates/toeboards.

“Good Question.

As for the arced lines/toeboards. Both the leagues I run down here (Bethelehem City Dart League and the BuxMont Dart League) and the
ABDA Tournaments use the arced line/toeboards.

In my opinion. a 4′-0″ wide arc is plenty. If someone needs to go outside the arc/board it should be agreed between the teams prior to
the match starting to project the line further if a shooter needs more room for his respective shot. The ABDA toeboards are 4′-0″
wide.

But, on the other hand. The way you have your league and tournaments set up with a STRAIGHT LINE is actually the way I would do it if
I had a choice.

WHY? becuase the game we play baseball 1 to 9 is played on the perimeter of the board (outsides-double-trips). The
7′-3″ line from the face of board (or 9′-0″cork to floor) is struck off of the cork (center of the board) and then swung left and
right. But, the cork never is shot at during a game of baseball 1 to 9) unless you threw a real shitty dart.

Think about it. If you are throwing the 6th frame and you need to swing over to the right towards the end of the arc/toeboard….you
are actually a couple inches closer to your target. This can cause a shooter to throw high on his target. But, then again if you need
to get a dart in the 8th frame and stand to the far right on the arc/toeboard…you then are a bit further away from your desired
target.

Basically, it is most likely preference. If you go to bigger American Tournaments you will see the arced toe boards.

Hope this helps…..”

now, i did get a chance to surf through some dart league sites, and in the rules posted by one league they state that the taverns in
the league must have a four foot wide oche (toeboard).

“Hello!
The Texas Cockney? Pretty cool, was that inspired by the Crafty Cockney?

I was impressed by your interest in American darts. I have a buddy originally from Wales who certainly wouldn’t agree. The only
darts he’d accept would be steel tip English darts – the game of choice being 501. He’d bring up things like
consistent tournament television coverage, large prize money, lively audiences, etc. All good stuff to motivate interest and provide
incentive to practice.

As far as tips, well I guess I could give you a few. But I think you are well aware that the grip and throw are very personal (and a
shooter can be successful using extremely varied techniques). Anyway, here are a few of my thoughts.

> First of all, stick the darts into a potato before each round – that should help keep the darts from falling out of the board.
> At address, keep your elbow tucked in under your eye – not sticking out to the right (if you are right handed).
> Be sure to cock your wrist fully as you address the dart to the board.
> Try to keep the dart straight and flat to the board throughout your entire throw. Meaning, do not allow it to move left or right orup and down during your throw.

In my opinion, a bad example would be to take the dart back passed your right ear, and then during your throw bring it back to a
release point in front of your right eye. Although I must admit that I’ve seen a great shooter do just that.

Anyway, keeping the dart straight to the board at all cost is designed to help you develop a consistent throw that will allow the dart
to enter the board and stick straight (not leaning left or right or with feathers high or low). Leaning darts are not the desired
result.

But another tip is that if the dart is leaning left (the feathers to the left with the tip to the right), move left on the oche (tow
line) before throwing the next dart.

Another tip is that if you move to the left aim slightly to the left. Typically if you do not change your aim point, the dart will
carry further to the right than expected. Again if the dart is leaning right, move right and aim slightly to the right of the desired
target. But let me reiterate that we don’t prefer leaning darts.

Another thought is to follow through straight – your arm should be fully extended after release. I don’t recommend a
stopping or jabbing action.

And remember to keep your eyes still even after the dart hits the board. Do not peek at where the dart ends up. Try to focus on a
single little hole in the board which you will use as your target.
I also suggest you select that single dart hole to be below the double and triple combination area. Basically aim low for your first
dart. That means on the high innings like 1, aim to hit a single. That also means for the lower innings like the 3, aim at the triple
or even the blue if you tend to hit higher than your target. The idea is to think about stacking your darts – sort of going
up the ladder one dart at a time.

To accomplish this, please note that the dart or darts already in the board extend out from the board. So to keep a good group
together, you can aim very low for the third dart and it will hit the other darts and produce a very tight group. Don’t aim
above the darts already in the board, aim below the location their tips are in the board.

Oh that’s enough (probably more than enough) for now. Take care or should I say cheers!

PS – I was born and raised in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. My personal high game in American darts (the game of baseball) is 65. The last
time I shot in the Pennsylvania State Dart Tournament, I averaged 47. But it’s been a while since I’ve thrown any serious
darts.”

Now, I’ll be honest with you.  I think RJB offers Better Dart Throwing Tips than Phil Taylor

I’ve had the darts forums turned off since before the Christmas Holidays, and I’ve decided to just keep it that way. I had put the forums up because, well, like any kind of forums I wanted people to have a chance to chat about various aspects of darts.

But, it turns out that it’s just too hot of a target for spammers selling anything and everything. So, rather than have to wade through all of the vacation offers and absolute nonsense posts that keep popping up, I’d rather keep the discussion here where it’s easier to keep the spam robots at bay.

There were quite a few good topics of discussion on the old message boards, and I will try to get that info back up on the site so it is not lost! But, that may take some time.

Here is a link to the Dart Throwing Advice given to Texas Cockney by RJB

An conversation on How to set up an oche, or throw line in American Darts.

Some things almost go without saying, but for the sake of being thorough, here are a few no-brainers for anyone venturing out into the public to shoot darts . . .

• Don’t distract the shooter – and that means everything from being noisy to being in the line of sight, or just too dang close.
• Be prompt when it’s your turn to shoot – it’s not cool to have to constantly track down a teammate or opponent
• Fits of temper
• Intense celebrations – and that includes inappropriate trash talking

Those things are universal.  But, there are subtle differences between how the players behave during the different games that you may not realize.  Well, I didn’t realize them until I did some playing.

In English Darts, there is a whole list of do’s and don’ts for the scorekeepers.  In American Darts, the scorekeeper is more of a bookkeeper.  They don’t judge the scoring, they simply record it onto the scoresheet.  And as a result, they are usually positioned behind the shooters at a table, writing onto a scoresheet.  English scorekeepers stand near the dartboard itself, in plain view of the shooters and onlookers, writing on a scoreboard that hangs on the wall. 

SCORING – In an American style game, Player A stands at the line and throws his three darts.  Then he’s finished. 

He can go directly to his beer (or anywhere else) after he throws the third dart.  Player B goes to the board, and calls out the score so that everyone, especially thee scorekeeper, can hear.  There is usually a set of hand signals that accompanies the called score, so there is less confusion in a crowded, noisy room.  If there’s any doubt about the darts, the players can all walk right up to the board and inspect them.

Pub guys, read this:   In American darts, players share the darts, so you do NOT shoot the darts and then go up to retrieve your darts, and then get out of the way for the next shooter.  You shoot the darts, and leave them in the board.

If you’re shooting Pub darts, people generally bring their own darts.  So, you take the line and shoot your darts.  Someone calls out the score and marks it, and then you go pull your own darts. It’s different.

I was shooting pub darts recreationally, and as the beer flowed I slid back into a habit of taking the line, throwing the darts, and finding my barstool.  Meanwhile people are looking at me like “what the hell?  go get your darts out of the board, will ya?”

Team Celebrations – In an english dart setting, everyone seems to have darts in their hands.  So, when a teammate throws a nice inning, they’re returning with a handful of darts.  In that setting the high fives do not flow freely.  In the most recent pub dart tourney, the hand slapping seemed to be replaced by this gentle fist bumping action. 

I’m not sure if that’s standard everywhere, but I do know that in an American dart setting when the shooter does well, returning to the team he’ll get the same sort of greeting that someone who just hit a home run would receive – high fives, handshakes and hand slaps. 

Chatter at the line – on this topic I have to say that some traditions are local.  Some teams chatter when a teammate is at the line the same way little leaguers chatter when a batter is in the box.  You’ll hear all sorts of lines “fill in the reds”, “follow that up”, etc.   Some teams treat time at the line as if it were time at the altar, and you can hear a pin drop. 

I’m sure I missed some, but those are the things that struck me when I noticed them.  Feel free to add any dart etiquette rules in the comments section

Not that everyone has to be some sort of excellent shooter in order to play in a tavern beer league.  They don’t.  But these guys want to get back to where they feel like they’re shooting like they used to.  And, in trying to get there, the topic of practice routines came up. 

Obviously, the more you shoot, the better your chances of getting better.  But, darts are like anything else.  If you’re working at something, you’ll see results.  If you’re playing around and passing time, you’ll spend a lot of time without any actual improvement.  And remember, we’re not talking about shining up your game to take on Mark Weurstle, or Darin Young.  It’s just a matter of going from maybe one red an inning to sometimes two reds an inning. 

So, here is the practice routine that I was given when I started shooting, and later I’ll post some routines that are more advanced.  I won’t be talking about improving any dart throwing technique, just practice routines.  To start with . . .

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Charlie Dusendshine told me to start out by setting a goal for the inning.  The goal can be as simple as landing a dart anywhere in the inning and getting a point, or as complex as landing all three in the trips.  I’ve never bothered with the trip shooting, but I do recommend being very interested in shooting the reds.  So, I set a goal of landing a red.

You start at the first inning, and shoot at it until you hit your goal (for me, it was a red).  Then you move to the second inning, and shoot at it until you hit your goal.  And on and on until you reach the final inning for which you’d like to practice.  For a lot of people that is the ninth inning because that’s how long a regulation “baseball” game of darts lasts.  Others keep shooting through the tenth because they like to be familiar with the tenth inning in case the game goes into extra innings. 

Other people want to become familiar with the entire dartboard, and shoot all 20 innings.

The great part about this routine is that you can set your own goal.  Mine grew from hitting a red, to hitting three points.  Then it grew to four points, then two reds (specifically - if i accidentally hit two trips, I’d have to reshoot the inning), and on to five or six an inning.

For anyone just shooting the innings one through nine, I recommend starting at the nine and going backwards as often as you start at the one and go forwards.  If you only ever go in one direction, you risk becoming very good at the first few innings, and dropping off when the game draws near a close.

I think that if you’re learning to be good at a certain game of darts (like baseball), this is a good place to start.  I’m sure after time you can spice it up with little twists like having to start over if you black out, or using it as a game to play against friends.  Perhaps each time you need to reshoot an inning, you toss a dime in the cup.  The first player to finish the appropriate amount of innings wins the contents of the cup. 

The upside of this practice routine is that it gives you the chance to concentrate on a single inning until you are comfortable enough with it to proceed.  That’s so much better than saying something like “i stink at the seven”, then throwing poorly at the seven and moving right on past the problem spot without actually ever improving.

Some of the things that have been happening around here lately include . . .

the new Natalie Style Dart Cabinet – one of the local fire companies needed a couple of dart cabinets.  And, since the local dart scene has a preference of keeping score on a pegboard, as opposed to scoring wheels that are part of the traditional green tavern dart cabinets, he helped translate a design from an English dart backboard into an American dart cabinet.

The first two pieces came out well, and are in use at the fire company.  I asked him to make a few more, so I now have two hand made dart cabinets that are available to new homes.  They have solid wood framing, with a lacquered finish so the wood grain shows through.  They also have a grey carpeted backing around the board for a pretty striking contrast.  Actually, for full information on these two cabinets visit the Natalie Style American Dart Cabinet page. 

On the Vintage Dart scene, I found two new sets of darts that would fall in line with what I would consider American Style darts.  They have the full wood bodies, but differ slightly from the norm when it comes to flights and weighting.  One of the sets was assembled in France, and the other comes from the Innovation Products Company out of Chicago – who probably ceased operations many moons ago.

You can check out the darts by visiting the Marksman Darts (made in France) page, and the Innovation Product’s V Dart which came out of chicago (and oddly, has a wood barrel but plastic flights).

While it’s true that along with poker, pool and darts are the main games of rec rooms across America, I haven’t seen anyone tackle the differences between the two games.  And specifically, give the top 5 reasons that darts are better than pool.

 So, I thought I’d do it . . .  

 Reason #5 : It Takes Less Room – A friend of mine has the ultimate man cave, complete with 8 person bar, televisions, bar sink, kegmeister, refrigerator, etc.  Swap that dartboard out for a pool table, and you’ll be left with the tv’s.  It’s no fun having a rec room where you have to stand.

And the same holds true for a lot of entertainment areas, after all a basic small bar-sized pool table takes up about 11ft x 14ft if you don’t want to poke holes in the walls. 

Dartboards don’t hog up the floor space like a pool table does.

Reason #4 : It’s Quieter - Once the kids go to bed,  smacking a rack of eightball for the break disturbs the peace and tranquility of the night. 

In my house I can play darts ’till dawn, but the billiards stop when folks put on their pajamas.

Reason #3 : Dartboards Are Lighter -  Did you ever carry a pool table up two flights of steps into the attic bedroom?  Probably not.  You can put a dartboard anywhere you want in a house.  Not so with the pool tables.

Reason #2 : You don’t need quarters to play American Darts –   I’ve never seen a corner tavern pool table that was free all the time, and I’ve never seen an American  dartboard where you ever paid a dime to the owner to use.

Of course electronic darts are a different story, so my advice is to play American darts. 

Reason # 1 : It’s just plain silly to poke a potato with a pool cue between shots.

 So, I thought I’d address how an american dartboard (widdy or darto) is put together, and show some examples of how they work and wear. 

Two Pieces:

The first thing to note is that there are two distinct pieces to a dartboard.  There is the outer “frame”, and an inner “shooting circle”.  Better dartboards are designed so that you can rotate the inner shooting circle.  That’s because we often shoot the same innings over and over, and if left to mother nature, the dartboard would wear out in the popular innings with the unpopular innings still being almost untouched. 

Here’s a picture of a board that we recently rotated . . .

As you can see, there is heavy wear in the 15, the 17, and the 19.  those areas used to be the 2, 3, and 7 (popular innings to shoot).  So, by being able to rotate the inner section of the board, we can add a lot of life to it.

If the inner section of the board is not sufficiently loose, rotating it is a bother, and requires some honest muscle work.  I’ve had boards that were too stubborn to rotate, so I’ve had to actually take them apart, rotate the inner circle, then put them back together.  Here’s a video of one of those adventures . . .

So, the answer to the question of “should it be loose” is yes.  It should be somewhat loose.

 Of course, if anything has ever been too tight, it’s been too loose as well.  When I feel there’s too much give in the dartboard when the darts hit it, I’ll add some shims in between the inner scoring section and the frame to eliminate any “wobble” that might exist. 

 In taverns I’ve seen players just insert a matchbook and keep on shooting.  I use small thin pieces of wood because they look nicer.  But, anything that I can insert to stop the wobble, and pull out easily when I want to rotate the board is fine.  It’s not like a dart hits the board with much force, so I don’t have to do anything too elaborate.

And obviously, if you can knock the inner section out of the frame by throwing a dart at it, that’s TOO LOOSE. 

For anyone putting together a league or tournament, let me remind you that the dart forums will be up and running full speed shortly, so posting your information there is a good idea.

During the long days of summer, I took some time to surf the web and managed to come across some pictures of more vintage wooden darts and some boards from the 40′s.  I’ve added some of the picts to the vintage darts page, and opened a new page dedicated to Deco – the Dart Equipment company that worked out of Philadelphia for decades.

We’ve also added Darto Dartboards to the line of products available, and I fixed some of the images on the scoresheets page that got out of line when we moved to our new computer host. 

I hope that everyone has been having a great summer, and look forward to seeing people at the line starting next month!

Silver Bullet 16th Annual

Over the weekend I had the chance to attend the 16th annual running of the Silver Bullet dart tournament. It’s great to see that the tournament scene is healthy enough to support an event for that long of a time. Sixteen years ago Ross Perot was running for president, and they were shooting darts at the Sivler Bullet tourney.

There were some big names in attendance, including Darrin Young and the ever-accurate Mark Wuerstle. Well, it being the finals, it makes sense that some great darts were being shot. In the end, the tournament boiled down to Dorko’s vs the Raven’s Nest.

The Raven’s Nest took first place . . .

The picture was from a cell phone, so it’s a little fuzzy. Still, it’s great to have a snapshot. A couple of the faces in the scene are probably very familiar to tournament shooters with Mark Wuerstle on the left and Keith Bauer on the right.

Taking second place were Joe Swatsky, Kirk Wimble, and Ed Dormer from Dorko’s Cafe.