Phil Taylor Darts continue to be mass produced in China by the UK based darts manufacturing giant Unicorn Products. Over the years Unicorn have released different versions of Phil Taylor Darts. Darts fans and players rush like mad to get the new design, but should they?
The first Phil Taylor Darts that Unicorn released are still available today. They are very long and thin, with very good grip. Apart from the standard tungsten version of these darts, unicorn then released the golden version and then the latinum version. Both are supposed to give even better grip. How many people have bought all 3 designs hoping that his new darts might enable them to hit the magical 180's etc? But Unicorn did not stop there. Apart from the darts already mentioned, they have released another 5 available designs which are all very similar to the first Phil Taylor Darts but have slight different grip contours or are made from a different tungsten alloy etc.
Up until 2008 Phil Taylor always used one of the above mentioned designs. However in early 2008 he emerged using the new Unicorn Pro Sigma Darts. He was not particularly successful with this design, nor did he use them for very long. They were chunky meaning it was harder to hit the high scores, also they were quite expensive but that did not stop the masses from buying them. He then moved onto the design which he still currently uses. Again they are quite a chunky dart and much shorter than his original darts. Again they are expensive but still a top seller, made an even better seller after Phil Taylor won his 14th world title.
But which design, if any, from the Phil Taylor Darts range should you pick? The long or the short design? The fat or the skinny design? The normal tungsten or the fancy gold design. The cheapest or the most expensive? The oldest design or the darts Phil Taylor currently uses?
Before you spend, and possibly waste your hard earned money, visit the entire Phil Taylor Darts range for more detail on each available design and genuine product reviews which may help you decide on which set is, or is not for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristopher_Walker
Saturday 27 February 2010
Wednesday 24 February 2010
The Future of Darts
Mark Webster is the current BDO champion and is undoubtedly a superb player. Then there is Gary Anderson who played so well at the Grand Slam Of Darts (taking Taylor to the limit in the semi-final). These two great players should be gracing the Premier League but while we continue to have two tours, governing bodies and world championships, darts can never reach it's full potential
Following an acrimonious split in 1992 we now have the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They both run separate tours and world championships with players having the option of which tour to play on. This means there can never be a definitive world champion. I would like to think there is a way we can unify the sport for the good of all concerned while it is booming as there is now enough money around to keep everyone happy.
The PDC under the leadership of Barry Hearn has developed an exiting professional tour which runs all year round and provides generous prize money which is increasing year on year. The tour is also global with events being developed in such countries as Australia, South Africa, Germany, Holland and the United States among others. The PDC has taken professional darts to a new level and the game is getting stronger and stronger. The annual exodus of players from the BDO ranks each January is testimony to the strength of the PDC tour. In contrast the BDO which was formed in 1973 (ran by Olly Croft) can not offer a professional darter the same opportunity to make a full time living plying his trade. With the exception of the Lakeside World Championships where prize money continues to rise, the tour is stagnating. Without the BBC contract, I doubt whether the BDO could survive in the professional game.
Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the BDO. This years final between Webster and Whitlock produced a wonderful final and the BDO continues to churn out great players. The fact players such as Barneveld and Part left the BDO and then won the PDC world championship within a few years is testament to the the quality of the BDO. This is in part to the excellent work they put in at the grass roots level and the county circuit which provides the opportunity for emerging players to hone their skills and gain valuable experience. It is time both organisations recognized their strengths and started to work in tandem for the good of darts. In theory it would not be that simple to integrate the two bodies but I believe there is a way it could work for the good of the game.
The BDO would have to step a side and allow the PDC to run the professional tour. The PDC tour is expanding rapidly so this would make sense. The BDO would need to be paid compensation and their players given the equivalent PDC ranking points their current positions merit. One stumbling block may be the current BBC contract and Lakeside venue which would lose out. The BBC could be offered a brand new event which could be played at the Lakeside. The Lakeside could also be used as a venue for the Premier League. Now that ITV has committed to screening the PDC run Grand Slam of Darts for a further three years, I think it will only be a matter of time before the BBC begins to look at PDC events, and this could eventually lead to them calling time on the BDO contract.
With the PDC running the professional game, this would free the BDO to concentrate on the county and junior game. This will in turn lead to a stronger professional game. The BDO could also devote more time on the woman's circuit, maybe expanding the world championship.
With this arrangement the PDC could pass down an agreed share of the profits they make to the BDO to help them continue to develop the game. I believe the advent of unification would lead to more interest, sponsorship and revenue for players and the governing bodies with the public being the real winners.
If you look at all the great games Barney and Taylor have played in the last two years including that incredible 2007 final. Just think how many great games we were denied in the previous years with the two greatest darters playing in different tours.
However I feel that with the current state of the relationship between the BDO and PDC, we are a million miles from unification. If only they could find a way to work together, what a sport we would have.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
Following an acrimonious split in 1992 we now have the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They both run separate tours and world championships with players having the option of which tour to play on. This means there can never be a definitive world champion. I would like to think there is a way we can unify the sport for the good of all concerned while it is booming as there is now enough money around to keep everyone happy.
The PDC under the leadership of Barry Hearn has developed an exiting professional tour which runs all year round and provides generous prize money which is increasing year on year. The tour is also global with events being developed in such countries as Australia, South Africa, Germany, Holland and the United States among others. The PDC has taken professional darts to a new level and the game is getting stronger and stronger. The annual exodus of players from the BDO ranks each January is testimony to the strength of the PDC tour. In contrast the BDO which was formed in 1973 (ran by Olly Croft) can not offer a professional darter the same opportunity to make a full time living plying his trade. With the exception of the Lakeside World Championships where prize money continues to rise, the tour is stagnating. Without the BBC contract, I doubt whether the BDO could survive in the professional game.
Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the BDO. This years final between Webster and Whitlock produced a wonderful final and the BDO continues to churn out great players. The fact players such as Barneveld and Part left the BDO and then won the PDC world championship within a few years is testament to the the quality of the BDO. This is in part to the excellent work they put in at the grass roots level and the county circuit which provides the opportunity for emerging players to hone their skills and gain valuable experience. It is time both organisations recognized their strengths and started to work in tandem for the good of darts. In theory it would not be that simple to integrate the two bodies but I believe there is a way it could work for the good of the game.
The BDO would have to step a side and allow the PDC to run the professional tour. The PDC tour is expanding rapidly so this would make sense. The BDO would need to be paid compensation and their players given the equivalent PDC ranking points their current positions merit. One stumbling block may be the current BBC contract and Lakeside venue which would lose out. The BBC could be offered a brand new event which could be played at the Lakeside. The Lakeside could also be used as a venue for the Premier League. Now that ITV has committed to screening the PDC run Grand Slam of Darts for a further three years, I think it will only be a matter of time before the BBC begins to look at PDC events, and this could eventually lead to them calling time on the BDO contract.
With the PDC running the professional game, this would free the BDO to concentrate on the county and junior game. This will in turn lead to a stronger professional game. The BDO could also devote more time on the woman's circuit, maybe expanding the world championship.
With this arrangement the PDC could pass down an agreed share of the profits they make to the BDO to help them continue to develop the game. I believe the advent of unification would lead to more interest, sponsorship and revenue for players and the governing bodies with the public being the real winners.
If you look at all the great games Barney and Taylor have played in the last two years including that incredible 2007 final. Just think how many great games we were denied in the previous years with the two greatest darters playing in different tours.
However I feel that with the current state of the relationship between the BDO and PDC, we are a million miles from unification. If only they could find a way to work together, what a sport we would have.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
Darts Coaching
An expanding PDC tour, bigger venues and increased viewing figures all point to a sport enjoying a golden age. Then when you look further you discover an abundance of local leagues and a county circuit. Darts surely has to be one of the most played games in the world, but where is the coaching?
When sportsmen are interviewed they regularly talk about their relationships with their coaches. Sports such as snooker, tennis, golf and football all have high profile coaches. In all sports coaching is seen as the most recognised way to improve your game and is normally widely available. But anyone that plays darts is expected to improve through trial and error as they bang away hour after hour. I am not saying there has never been any coaching, but it is not something actively promoted within the game. Unlike most other professional sports bodies, the Professional Darts Organisation makes no mention of coaching on it's official site.
We are talking about a game played by millions, where the slightest movement at a pivotal time can be the difference between winning and losing. At the top level the difference in ability between the players is marginal and success and failure can be divided by the thickness of a wire. Mental training is also crucial if you want to hold yourself together when hitting a double under pressure.
As darts continues to expand I expect a greater demand for coaching with more players having a desire to improve. As darts is embraced as a thriving and true sport, darts coaching and darts coaches will become commonplace.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
When sportsmen are interviewed they regularly talk about their relationships with their coaches. Sports such as snooker, tennis, golf and football all have high profile coaches. In all sports coaching is seen as the most recognised way to improve your game and is normally widely available. But anyone that plays darts is expected to improve through trial and error as they bang away hour after hour. I am not saying there has never been any coaching, but it is not something actively promoted within the game. Unlike most other professional sports bodies, the Professional Darts Organisation makes no mention of coaching on it's official site.
We are talking about a game played by millions, where the slightest movement at a pivotal time can be the difference between winning and losing. At the top level the difference in ability between the players is marginal and success and failure can be divided by the thickness of a wire. Mental training is also crucial if you want to hold yourself together when hitting a double under pressure.
As darts continues to expand I expect a greater demand for coaching with more players having a desire to improve. As darts is embraced as a thriving and true sport, darts coaching and darts coaches will become commonplace.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
Dart Supplies
When it comes to dart supplies, there is plenty to choose from. Apart from the obvious items like spare flights and shafts there are lots of other things you can have as well. One of the must haves is a darts case to put all those spare items in. Get a hard case preferably, as it keeps the shape of your flights whilst stored away so you don't have to spend time forming the shape of the flight. Some of the soft cases have a hard insert to achieve the same effect.
One of the cool things to have if you are a steel tip darter is the battery operated tip sharpener., which grinds your tip for you at just the right angle in just seconds. Sure beats the traditional method of rubbing the tip on grinding paper.
The add a gram is an interesting idea. It consists of 6 brass screw in units that are screwed into the shaft hole of the dart barrel so increasing the weight of the dart by a gram, hence the name. (The shaft then screws into the brass weight) Then try the extra weight to see if your game gets any better. The add a grams are often part of a dart tuning kit that not only includes the add a grams but extra flights of varying shapes and shafts. You can then try out various combinations of weight, flights and shafts to improve your accuracy. Worth a try I suppose.
If you are a soft tip darter you are going to need replacement tips for when those tips get bent or broken. Halex have come out with notched soft tips to help stop the darts falling out of the board, never tried them myself, but they might be worth a go or just settle for the standard straight soft tip replacements.
One item every darter must have is the dart tool. The tool is handy for soft and steel tip darters. It not only helps you replace soft tips, but you can use it to straighten metal shafts and prize apart the metal tangs that hold your flight to make the flights fit better.
You must also have a set of flight protectors as not only do they protect the flight from being hit by a dart, they maintain the right shape of the flight when installed. These are a must have item for all darters.
Another way to protect your flights is to use the "spinner" shafts. These shafts rotate out of the way if the flight is hit by another dart whilst it is in the board, protecting the flight and minimising the deflection of the incoming dart.
Soft tip darts can have screw in steel tips to change them into steel tipped darts so you can use them on bristle boards. You can even have a screw in hammerhead type steel tip if the screw thread on you barrel is deep enough. These retractable steel tips can retract slightly into the barrel so that if your tip hits a wire on the board the tip can retract slightly absorbing the impact whilst allowing the forward momentum of the dart to force the dart into the board. They greatly reduce the number of bounce outs you get with a standard tip.
We have covered only a small selection of the dart supplies available, there are lots more,. so if you are stuck for a gift for your darting friend there is plenty to choose from.
Written by a keen darter Steve Porter, click the link for more info on Dart Supplies
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Porter
One of the cool things to have if you are a steel tip darter is the battery operated tip sharpener., which grinds your tip for you at just the right angle in just seconds. Sure beats the traditional method of rubbing the tip on grinding paper.
The add a gram is an interesting idea. It consists of 6 brass screw in units that are screwed into the shaft hole of the dart barrel so increasing the weight of the dart by a gram, hence the name. (The shaft then screws into the brass weight) Then try the extra weight to see if your game gets any better. The add a grams are often part of a dart tuning kit that not only includes the add a grams but extra flights of varying shapes and shafts. You can then try out various combinations of weight, flights and shafts to improve your accuracy. Worth a try I suppose.
If you are a soft tip darter you are going to need replacement tips for when those tips get bent or broken. Halex have come out with notched soft tips to help stop the darts falling out of the board, never tried them myself, but they might be worth a go or just settle for the standard straight soft tip replacements.
One item every darter must have is the dart tool. The tool is handy for soft and steel tip darters. It not only helps you replace soft tips, but you can use it to straighten metal shafts and prize apart the metal tangs that hold your flight to make the flights fit better.
You must also have a set of flight protectors as not only do they protect the flight from being hit by a dart, they maintain the right shape of the flight when installed. These are a must have item for all darters.
Another way to protect your flights is to use the "spinner" shafts. These shafts rotate out of the way if the flight is hit by another dart whilst it is in the board, protecting the flight and minimising the deflection of the incoming dart.
Soft tip darts can have screw in steel tips to change them into steel tipped darts so you can use them on bristle boards. You can even have a screw in hammerhead type steel tip if the screw thread on you barrel is deep enough. These retractable steel tips can retract slightly into the barrel so that if your tip hits a wire on the board the tip can retract slightly absorbing the impact whilst allowing the forward momentum of the dart to force the dart into the board. They greatly reduce the number of bounce outs you get with a standard tip.
We have covered only a small selection of the dart supplies available, there are lots more,. so if you are stuck for a gift for your darting friend there is plenty to choose from.
Written by a keen darter Steve Porter, click the link for more info on Dart Supplies
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Porter
Improve Your Darts - A Guide To Darts Practice
If there is one thing for sure it's that everyone who plays darts, without exception, would like to play better! It is also true that if you ask any darts player how to get better the answer will be practice, practice and then practice some more.
Now at this point the topic gets a little tricky because, although we all agree that practice is essential, there are as many approaches to practice as there are dart players.
But, over the years I have chatted with many players about this, and some common themes arise; consistency, variety, focus and fun are the key elements of successful practice.
Consistency
The exact methods of practice you choose are less important than the fact that you do practice regularly. As with many sports, a short practice session every day is much better than a marathon session once a week.
Variety
Nothing is guaranteed to turn you off practicing than doing exactly the same thing day after day. You must introduce some variety to your practice if it is not to become stale.
The easiest way to achieve this is to have a large repertoire of practice techniques to draw on.
Focus
When you do practice you need to concentrate on what you are trying to achieve; casually lobbing darts at the board whilst watching TV will not improve your dart playing as effectively as a session with clear objectives and no distraction.
Fun
If you are not enjoying your practice you are unlikely to keep it up. Practice does not have to be boring, try to introduce some challenging exercises to keep you on your toes.
Ok - so how do you actually go about practicing? There are, as I mentioned earlier, many forms of practice but it is important that each practice session contains the three elements of match preparation; warm-up, accuracy training and game training.
I'll cover them each in turn and give a few examples of each.
Warm-Up
At the start of any practice session you really need to loosen up and establish your line - often called 'getting your eye in'. What you are trying to do here is to re-establish the natural rhythm that any long term dart player will be familiar with.
By the time you have warmed up you will not need to think about your grip on the darts or the pace at which you throw. you will also be able to confidently and reasonably accurately throw at any region of the board.
Your warm up should take no more than 10 - 15 minutes. An approach that I have found useful is to throw 30 darts (10 throws) at the 20 region; followed by 30 darts at random doubles and bullseyes, then go round the board in singles throwing one dart at each number. You are not really concerned too much with your accuracy here you are simply re-gaining your 'eye' and your rhythm.
Another approach is to throw 12 darts at 20, then the same at 19's, 18's and so on down to 15's
Accuracy Training
During this phase of training your objective is to increase your focus and concentration to enable you to consistently hit the targets you are aiming for.
There are many methods of achieving this and you should be looking for improvement over time:
a) Go round the board in doubles ensuring that you treat each throw as if it was an out shot in a match. Introduce variety into this by throwing 1 dart at each double and recording the number you hit, throwing at each double until you hit it and recording how many darts it takes you to complete the circuit. as you get better you may wish to throw until you hit 3 of each - again record the number of darts it takes.
b) Do the same thing but with trebles
c) If you are really good you might want to try hitting a combination of singles, doubles and trebles.
d) Another variation is to have a friend call out singles, doubles or trebles and hit them on demand recording your hit rate.
Game Practice
Here you are trying to improve the skills you need to win a game. It is not enough to simply throw high scores (although it certainly helps!); you must always know what you have left, what you need to hit to leave a finish and how to close out a game. The key skills here are mental arithmetic and accurate finishing.
a)Start from 51 and attempt to finish on a double within 3 darts. Once you hit it move on to 52, 53 and so on - do this for a fixed time - how long depends on the total amount of time you are spending on practicing. When you get better start off on a higher number.
b)Play as many games of 101 straight in and double out as you can in a fixed time. If you are really good you might want to make this 201.
Other factors
As anyone who has played competitive darts (whatever the level) can tell you; it is one thing to throw well in practice and an entirely different matter when you are playing in a match.
Your hands may shake and all of a sudden the trebles and doubles seem to shrink to a third of their normal size.
One way of addressing this is to ensure that your practice is not too relaxed. During your accuracy training and game practice it is a great idea to add some pressure by competing against an imaginary opponent. The easiest way of doing this (without risking a visit from the men in white coats) is to set targets;
for example if you are throwing around the clock in doubles assume that you are playing someone just a little better than you are and, if you know you can go around the board in 60 darts
set a target of 58 - if you take more than this your imaginary opponent has won.
Gerald Peters
http://www.thedartsshop.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerald_Peters
Now at this point the topic gets a little tricky because, although we all agree that practice is essential, there are as many approaches to practice as there are dart players.
But, over the years I have chatted with many players about this, and some common themes arise; consistency, variety, focus and fun are the key elements of successful practice.
Consistency
The exact methods of practice you choose are less important than the fact that you do practice regularly. As with many sports, a short practice session every day is much better than a marathon session once a week.
Variety
Nothing is guaranteed to turn you off practicing than doing exactly the same thing day after day. You must introduce some variety to your practice if it is not to become stale.
The easiest way to achieve this is to have a large repertoire of practice techniques to draw on.
Focus
When you do practice you need to concentrate on what you are trying to achieve; casually lobbing darts at the board whilst watching TV will not improve your dart playing as effectively as a session with clear objectives and no distraction.
Fun
If you are not enjoying your practice you are unlikely to keep it up. Practice does not have to be boring, try to introduce some challenging exercises to keep you on your toes.
Ok - so how do you actually go about practicing? There are, as I mentioned earlier, many forms of practice but it is important that each practice session contains the three elements of match preparation; warm-up, accuracy training and game training.
I'll cover them each in turn and give a few examples of each.
Warm-Up
At the start of any practice session you really need to loosen up and establish your line - often called 'getting your eye in'. What you are trying to do here is to re-establish the natural rhythm that any long term dart player will be familiar with.
By the time you have warmed up you will not need to think about your grip on the darts or the pace at which you throw. you will also be able to confidently and reasonably accurately throw at any region of the board.
Your warm up should take no more than 10 - 15 minutes. An approach that I have found useful is to throw 30 darts (10 throws) at the 20 region; followed by 30 darts at random doubles and bullseyes, then go round the board in singles throwing one dart at each number. You are not really concerned too much with your accuracy here you are simply re-gaining your 'eye' and your rhythm.
Another approach is to throw 12 darts at 20, then the same at 19's, 18's and so on down to 15's
Accuracy Training
During this phase of training your objective is to increase your focus and concentration to enable you to consistently hit the targets you are aiming for.
There are many methods of achieving this and you should be looking for improvement over time:
a) Go round the board in doubles ensuring that you treat each throw as if it was an out shot in a match. Introduce variety into this by throwing 1 dart at each double and recording the number you hit, throwing at each double until you hit it and recording how many darts it takes you to complete the circuit. as you get better you may wish to throw until you hit 3 of each - again record the number of darts it takes.
b) Do the same thing but with trebles
c) If you are really good you might want to try hitting a combination of singles, doubles and trebles.
d) Another variation is to have a friend call out singles, doubles or trebles and hit them on demand recording your hit rate.
Game Practice
Here you are trying to improve the skills you need to win a game. It is not enough to simply throw high scores (although it certainly helps!); you must always know what you have left, what you need to hit to leave a finish and how to close out a game. The key skills here are mental arithmetic and accurate finishing.
a)Start from 51 and attempt to finish on a double within 3 darts. Once you hit it move on to 52, 53 and so on - do this for a fixed time - how long depends on the total amount of time you are spending on practicing. When you get better start off on a higher number.
b)Play as many games of 101 straight in and double out as you can in a fixed time. If you are really good you might want to make this 201.
Other factors
As anyone who has played competitive darts (whatever the level) can tell you; it is one thing to throw well in practice and an entirely different matter when you are playing in a match.
Your hands may shake and all of a sudden the trebles and doubles seem to shrink to a third of their normal size.
One way of addressing this is to ensure that your practice is not too relaxed. During your accuracy training and game practice it is a great idea to add some pressure by competing against an imaginary opponent. The easiest way of doing this (without risking a visit from the men in white coats) is to set targets;
for example if you are throwing around the clock in doubles assume that you are playing someone just a little better than you are and, if you know you can go around the board in 60 darts
set a target of 58 - if you take more than this your imaginary opponent has won.
Gerald Peters
http://www.thedartsshop.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerald_Peters
Online Darts Games
There are many sites that offer free dart games that can be played online. In addition to this, a click of the button allows dart game enthusiasts to download the game into the computer, and to have the pleasure of enjoying their favorite game at their leisure. The advantage of online dart games is that they let the player experience the joy of the game without having to go outdoors or to the local recreation center. Also, there is the added excitement of the whole game being a virtual one.
The virtual game rules are the same as those of a standard game of darts. There are numerous dart games that can be downloaded from various sites. Smile Games - Darts is a very realistic dart game that does not take long to load; in this game, there is no computer to play against, so it goes without saying that there should be somebody else to play with. Other interesting online dart games are "Darts 4 Cash" and "Let's Play Darts." The Net also offers free multiplayer online dart games such as "Click Darts," where it is possible to play games like 301, 501, and Cricket. Playing in groups is also allowed, with "Cutthroat Cricket" and "Freeze." The game "Click Darts" allows the player to just point and click the mouse; where the dart lands is determined automatically by the website. FreeWorldGroup.com, mostdartgames.com and crowsdarts.com are some of the popular websites that offer online dart games.
Tournaments are also held to enable darters all over the world to compete and win. At present, there are two tournaments starting every weekend. Since all the people that want to take part are not all online at the same time, tournaments can take a couple of weeks to complete. It is possible to monitor the progress of the existing tournaments and to look for any upcoming ones on these web sites. The World Professional Darts Championship, a tournament of great prestige, is held in the month of January, at the Lakeside Leisure Complex, UK.
Darts provides detailed information on Darts, Lawn Darts, Darts Rules, Online Darts Games and more. Darts is affiliated with Chess Sets [http://www.Chess-Web.com].
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Bainbridge
The virtual game rules are the same as those of a standard game of darts. There are numerous dart games that can be downloaded from various sites. Smile Games - Darts is a very realistic dart game that does not take long to load; in this game, there is no computer to play against, so it goes without saying that there should be somebody else to play with. Other interesting online dart games are "Darts 4 Cash" and "Let's Play Darts." The Net also offers free multiplayer online dart games such as "Click Darts," where it is possible to play games like 301, 501, and Cricket. Playing in groups is also allowed, with "Cutthroat Cricket" and "Freeze." The game "Click Darts" allows the player to just point and click the mouse; where the dart lands is determined automatically by the website. FreeWorldGroup.com, mostdartgames.com and crowsdarts.com are some of the popular websites that offer online dart games.
Tournaments are also held to enable darters all over the world to compete and win. At present, there are two tournaments starting every weekend. Since all the people that want to take part are not all online at the same time, tournaments can take a couple of weeks to complete. It is possible to monitor the progress of the existing tournaments and to look for any upcoming ones on these web sites. The World Professional Darts Championship, a tournament of great prestige, is held in the month of January, at the Lakeside Leisure Complex, UK.
Darts provides detailed information on Darts, Lawn Darts, Darts Rules, Online Darts Games and more. Darts is affiliated with Chess Sets [http://www.Chess-Web.com].
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Bainbridge
Online Darts Games
There are many sites that offer free dart games that can be played online. In addition to this, a click of the button allows dart game enthusiasts to download the game into the computer, and to have the pleasure of enjoying their favorite game at their leisure. The advantage of online dart games is that they let the player experience the joy of the game without having to go outdoors or to the local recreation center. Also, there is the added excitement of the whole game being a virtual one.
The virtual game rules are the same as those of a standard game of darts. There are numerous dart games that can be downloaded from various sites. Smile Games - Darts is a very realistic dart game that does not take long to load; in this game, there is no computer to play against, so it goes without saying that there should be somebody else to play with. Other interesting online dart games are "Darts 4 Cash" and "Let's Play Darts." The Net also offers free multiplayer online dart games such as "Click Darts," where it is possible to play games like 301, 501, and Cricket. Playing in groups is also allowed, with "Cutthroat Cricket" and "Freeze." The game "Click Darts" allows the player to just point and click the mouse; where the dart lands is determined automatically by the website. FreeWorldGroup.com, mostdartgames.com and crowsdarts.com are some of the popular websites that offer online dart games.
Tournaments are also held to enable darters all over the world to compete and win. At present, there are two tournaments starting every weekend. Since all the people that want to take part are not all online at the same time, tournaments can take a couple of weeks to complete. It is possible to monitor the progress of the existing tournaments and to look for any upcoming ones on these web sites. The World Professional Darts Championship, a tournament of great prestige, is held in the month of January, at the Lakeside Leisure Complex, UK.
Darts provides detailed information on Darts, Lawn Darts, Darts Rules, Online Darts Games and more. Darts is affiliated with Chess Sets [http://www.Chess-Web.com].
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Bainbridge
The virtual game rules are the same as those of a standard game of darts. There are numerous dart games that can be downloaded from various sites. Smile Games - Darts is a very realistic dart game that does not take long to load; in this game, there is no computer to play against, so it goes without saying that there should be somebody else to play with. Other interesting online dart games are "Darts 4 Cash" and "Let's Play Darts." The Net also offers free multiplayer online dart games such as "Click Darts," where it is possible to play games like 301, 501, and Cricket. Playing in groups is also allowed, with "Cutthroat Cricket" and "Freeze." The game "Click Darts" allows the player to just point and click the mouse; where the dart lands is determined automatically by the website. FreeWorldGroup.com, mostdartgames.com and crowsdarts.com are some of the popular websites that offer online dart games.
Tournaments are also held to enable darters all over the world to compete and win. At present, there are two tournaments starting every weekend. Since all the people that want to take part are not all online at the same time, tournaments can take a couple of weeks to complete. It is possible to monitor the progress of the existing tournaments and to look for any upcoming ones on these web sites. The World Professional Darts Championship, a tournament of great prestige, is held in the month of January, at the Lakeside Leisure Complex, UK.
Darts provides detailed information on Darts, Lawn Darts, Darts Rules, Online Darts Games and more. Darts is affiliated with Chess Sets [http://www.Chess-Web.com].
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Bainbridge
Tuesday 23 February 2010
The Soft Tip Darts Game
The electronic dart board is definitely a hit, especially for home users as they are safer than the old style darts thanks to the soft tip darts used in the game. The soft tips are made from plastic so as not to damage the dartboard, and consequently won't damage your walls so much either. Also the maximum weight allowed is set at 20grams, which is one of the reasons the old style darters are against the new electronic game, as they prefer the heavier steel tip darts that can be used on the bristle boards. However being made of plastic has its disadvantages too, as the tips can bend or break when in use so you will need plenty of spares for them as well. Fortunately they are very cheap and easily replaced as they screw into the barrel so can be unscrewed and replaced in seconds using a dart tool.
All the major manufacturers now produce soft tip darts, with the famous black widow darts set from Laserdarts and the devastators from Bottelsen, just to name a couple and there are a lot of convertible darts sets around which give you a set of screw in steel tips as well as soft tips, like the skinnys from Bottelsen, so you can use the same darts for both the soft tip and the steel tip games, which is neat. The skinnys also have the famous hammerhead action steel tip inserts that reduce those infamous bounce outs on the wires of the bristle boards. Also the shafts and flights for the soft tip darts are just the same as for steel tip darts.
The black widow soft tips have the spider grip aluminium shafts which are supposed to grip the flights better; 4 wires made of steel are embedded into the aluminum and covered in rubber so that the wires grip hold of the flights tightly and you can choose from 16, 18 and 20 gram weights; so if you are in to arachnids, these are for you. They even have a set with a gold colored finish that look really cool called Gold Widow darts, (guess what color the black widow darts are?). Bottelsen have got some great soft tip darts as well, their devastators are very popular as well as the Nemesis set, which have the Bottelsen spinning shafts.
The Piranha is one of the most popular darts in the soft tip world and comes in any weight you want from 12 up to 20 grams and has the new feature from Piranha, the Razor Grip which is an aggressive grip that helps stop any slippage when you throw. They also come with "Top Spin" spinning shafts that can rotate so if hit by a dart whilst in the board it spins the flight out of the way so reducing the deflection of the dart coming in.
The darts that come with the dart board sets are err..... how can I put it, not very good, so even the cheaper Soft tip Darts at $20-$30 or so would be a great improvement on those, so if you get one of the all in dartboard sets it is definitely worth investing in a decent set of darts as well.
Written by a keen darter Steve Porter. Find out more by clicking the link for soft tip darts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Porter
All the major manufacturers now produce soft tip darts, with the famous black widow darts set from Laserdarts and the devastators from Bottelsen, just to name a couple and there are a lot of convertible darts sets around which give you a set of screw in steel tips as well as soft tips, like the skinnys from Bottelsen, so you can use the same darts for both the soft tip and the steel tip games, which is neat. The skinnys also have the famous hammerhead action steel tip inserts that reduce those infamous bounce outs on the wires of the bristle boards. Also the shafts and flights for the soft tip darts are just the same as for steel tip darts.
The black widow soft tips have the spider grip aluminium shafts which are supposed to grip the flights better; 4 wires made of steel are embedded into the aluminum and covered in rubber so that the wires grip hold of the flights tightly and you can choose from 16, 18 and 20 gram weights; so if you are in to arachnids, these are for you. They even have a set with a gold colored finish that look really cool called Gold Widow darts, (guess what color the black widow darts are?). Bottelsen have got some great soft tip darts as well, their devastators are very popular as well as the Nemesis set, which have the Bottelsen spinning shafts.
The Piranha is one of the most popular darts in the soft tip world and comes in any weight you want from 12 up to 20 grams and has the new feature from Piranha, the Razor Grip which is an aggressive grip that helps stop any slippage when you throw. They also come with "Top Spin" spinning shafts that can rotate so if hit by a dart whilst in the board it spins the flight out of the way so reducing the deflection of the dart coming in.
The darts that come with the dart board sets are err..... how can I put it, not very good, so even the cheaper Soft tip Darts at $20-$30 or so would be a great improvement on those, so if you get one of the all in dartboard sets it is definitely worth investing in a decent set of darts as well.
Written by a keen darter Steve Porter. Find out more by clicking the link for soft tip darts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Porter
Which Dart Board? Bristle vs Electronic Dart Boards
A dart board is a great accessory for any games room or home bar, but how do you decide between the myriad bristle and electronic dart boards on sale? Do you go for a traditional bristle dart board, or opt for a modern electronic board? This article outlines the qualities of different types of dart boards, to help you make that decision. Whatever you decide, your new dart board is sure to provide your friends and family with hours of entertainment over many years. Being able to play darts in your own home is a huge amount of fun!
Quality bristle dart boards are made from African sisal fibers, which have the unique ability to self-heal, or close up, each time darts are removed from the surface, so there won't be any visible holes from dart tips. A well made board will be regulation size of 18 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches thick. Good features to look for include rotating wire numbers, which help prolong the life of a board, and staple free bulls eye wire to help eliminate bounce-outs. To play on a bristle dartboard you'll need to use steel tip darts. Dartboards can be mounted onto a backboard or displayed in a specially designed cabinet to protect the surrounding walls from being hit by mis-thrown darts.
Electronic dart boards are increasingly popular, using the latest technology to enable automatic scoring, score displays for multiple players, sound effects and a huge choice of different games. Most have playing surfaces that require players to use soft tip darts, which have the advantage of being softer and safer for younger members of the family. Some modern versions have a specially adapted surface that is suitable for both types of darts, depending on your personal preferences and throwing techniques. Most electronic boards enable a single player to play against the computer, which is great for practicing your skills.
Ultimately, the choice is yours, and other factors such as the look of your dart board and how it will match your décor, need to be considered too. But whether you opt for a traditional bristle board for that authentic appearance, or go for the useful additional features of an electronic board, you're sure to have hours of fun playing darts!
Caroline Smith is a regular contributor to DartBoards180.com - an online resource all about the game of darts and dart boards, including electronic dart boards and other dart supplies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Smith
Quality bristle dart boards are made from African sisal fibers, which have the unique ability to self-heal, or close up, each time darts are removed from the surface, so there won't be any visible holes from dart tips. A well made board will be regulation size of 18 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches thick. Good features to look for include rotating wire numbers, which help prolong the life of a board, and staple free bulls eye wire to help eliminate bounce-outs. To play on a bristle dartboard you'll need to use steel tip darts. Dartboards can be mounted onto a backboard or displayed in a specially designed cabinet to protect the surrounding walls from being hit by mis-thrown darts.
Electronic dart boards are increasingly popular, using the latest technology to enable automatic scoring, score displays for multiple players, sound effects and a huge choice of different games. Most have playing surfaces that require players to use soft tip darts, which have the advantage of being softer and safer for younger members of the family. Some modern versions have a specially adapted surface that is suitable for both types of darts, depending on your personal preferences and throwing techniques. Most electronic boards enable a single player to play against the computer, which is great for practicing your skills.
Ultimately, the choice is yours, and other factors such as the look of your dart board and how it will match your décor, need to be considered too. But whether you opt for a traditional bristle board for that authentic appearance, or go for the useful additional features of an electronic board, you're sure to have hours of fun playing darts!
Caroline Smith is a regular contributor to DartBoards180.com - an online resource all about the game of darts and dart boards, including electronic dart boards and other dart supplies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Smith
Monday 22 February 2010
Darts History
When it comes to Darts origins, this is a very grey area. It is thought that the game possibly evolved from either archery, crossbow or javelin. What is not in doubt is the fact that more and more people started playing darts in pubs following the first world war. In 1927 the first News Of The World Darts Championship was held and by the swinging sixties Darts was on television.
The seventies saw the emergence of the British Darts Organisation (1973) and The first Embassy World Darts Championships was played at Heart of The Midlands Nightclub in Nottingham with Leighton Rees defeating John Lowe 11-7. John Lowe went on to become a darting legend, winning the world crown in three different decades. The eighties belonged to the Crafty Cockney, Eric Bristow. He dominated the game and went on to win five world titles. Little did he know that a player he had discovered and backed with his own money to play darts professionally would not only topple him, but go on to be the greatest darts player of all time! Phil Taylor was a factory worker from Stoke On Trent earning £74 a week. Eric discovered him playing in a local pub and turned him into a champion and the rest as they say his history. Phil The Power Taylor currently holds fourteen world titles and has taken the game of darts to a whole new level, setting match averages that the other professional players can only dream of.
Darts enjoyed a golden era in the eighties with the likes of Eric Bristow, John Lowe and Jockey Wilson playing in tournaments televised live on the BBC and ITV, but by the nineties it was beginning to unravel. In 1993 a group of leading players (including Phil Taylor) who had become disillusioned with the governing body and the direction the game, broke away from the BDO and formed their own circuit and organisation which later became known as the Professional Darts Corporation. This is still the case today with two world championships being held each year.
The is little doubt that darts has been revitalised under the PDC which is run by sports business supremo Barry Hearn. Backed up with exclusive contracts with Sky Sports and ITV the tour will offer a record breaking six million pounds in prize money in 2009. The Premier League screened on Sky consecutively for 16 weeks has taken darts to huge arenas across Britain with record crowds in attendance. Professional players (all with nicknames) walking on to loud music with glamour models by their side is all part of the show at a televised PDC event. It's a far cry from the working class pub game that was once played with wooden darts and a board made of plasticine.
For how long two governing bodies and two world championships can co-exist in one sport remains to be seen, but for now darts is riding the crest of a wave and Phil's getting richer.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
The seventies saw the emergence of the British Darts Organisation (1973) and The first Embassy World Darts Championships was played at Heart of The Midlands Nightclub in Nottingham with Leighton Rees defeating John Lowe 11-7. John Lowe went on to become a darting legend, winning the world crown in three different decades. The eighties belonged to the Crafty Cockney, Eric Bristow. He dominated the game and went on to win five world titles. Little did he know that a player he had discovered and backed with his own money to play darts professionally would not only topple him, but go on to be the greatest darts player of all time! Phil Taylor was a factory worker from Stoke On Trent earning £74 a week. Eric discovered him playing in a local pub and turned him into a champion and the rest as they say his history. Phil The Power Taylor currently holds fourteen world titles and has taken the game of darts to a whole new level, setting match averages that the other professional players can only dream of.
Darts enjoyed a golden era in the eighties with the likes of Eric Bristow, John Lowe and Jockey Wilson playing in tournaments televised live on the BBC and ITV, but by the nineties it was beginning to unravel. In 1993 a group of leading players (including Phil Taylor) who had become disillusioned with the governing body and the direction the game, broke away from the BDO and formed their own circuit and organisation which later became known as the Professional Darts Corporation. This is still the case today with two world championships being held each year.
The is little doubt that darts has been revitalised under the PDC which is run by sports business supremo Barry Hearn. Backed up with exclusive contracts with Sky Sports and ITV the tour will offer a record breaking six million pounds in prize money in 2009. The Premier League screened on Sky consecutively for 16 weeks has taken darts to huge arenas across Britain with record crowds in attendance. Professional players (all with nicknames) walking on to loud music with glamour models by their side is all part of the show at a televised PDC event. It's a far cry from the working class pub game that was once played with wooden darts and a board made of plasticine.
For how long two governing bodies and two world championships can co-exist in one sport remains to be seen, but for now darts is riding the crest of a wave and Phil's getting richer.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
Sunday 21 February 2010
Dart Games - Play Something Other than 301 or Cricket for a Change!
If you play darts regularly, or even if you have played darts only a few times, you likely already know the games of 301 (and its variations) and variations of Cricket. But perhaps it is about time that you learned how to play a new game, learn some new skills.
Here are a few dart games that you may or may not have already played, but are definitely worth playing. Why not switch up your game a bit with a few of these different dart games?
All Five
This game is most definitely for more advanced players. In every round, each player must score a total that is divisible by 5. An additional point can be added for however many times the number 5 divides into their total score. For instance, if a player got a 4, 3, and 8 for a total of 15, he will get 3 points (5 goes into 15 three times). First to 51 wins.
The player will receive no points at all if at the end of the round (three darts), his score total is not divisible by five. Also, there will be no trickery in this game - if the first 2 darts create a score that is divisible by 5 and then the third dart misses, the player cannot get any points.
Nine Dart Century
You know how on the Price Is Right, contestants want to guess the price of something as close as possible without going over? Well, nine dart century is similar - in a way. Each player gets 9 darts (three turns worth) to score 100, or to get as close to 100 without going over (hence the Price Is Right reference). If you go over 100, you are out of the game.
To make sure that there are no purposeful misses, any dart that lands outside of the scoring area not only must be thrown again, but also brings the player's score back down to zero so that he must start again. (One that bounces out is not penalized and no points are counted for it).
Shanghai
For this game, every player needs to go around the board from 1 to 20, ending with the bullseye. For each number, the player can throw three darts. The highest score wins. If this game is not already difficult enough, you can make it more difficult by playing with the double and triple.
These three dart games are only a few of the many other dart games out there. Why not switch it up? Why not add a little sugar to your coffee or play a different dart game besides 301 or Cricket?
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, recreation, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on fur boots and fashion please visit Dart Cases.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Clarke
Here are a few dart games that you may or may not have already played, but are definitely worth playing. Why not switch up your game a bit with a few of these different dart games?
All Five
This game is most definitely for more advanced players. In every round, each player must score a total that is divisible by 5. An additional point can be added for however many times the number 5 divides into their total score. For instance, if a player got a 4, 3, and 8 for a total of 15, he will get 3 points (5 goes into 15 three times). First to 51 wins.
The player will receive no points at all if at the end of the round (three darts), his score total is not divisible by five. Also, there will be no trickery in this game - if the first 2 darts create a score that is divisible by 5 and then the third dart misses, the player cannot get any points.
Nine Dart Century
You know how on the Price Is Right, contestants want to guess the price of something as close as possible without going over? Well, nine dart century is similar - in a way. Each player gets 9 darts (three turns worth) to score 100, or to get as close to 100 without going over (hence the Price Is Right reference). If you go over 100, you are out of the game.
To make sure that there are no purposeful misses, any dart that lands outside of the scoring area not only must be thrown again, but also brings the player's score back down to zero so that he must start again. (One that bounces out is not penalized and no points are counted for it).
Shanghai
For this game, every player needs to go around the board from 1 to 20, ending with the bullseye. For each number, the player can throw three darts. The highest score wins. If this game is not already difficult enough, you can make it more difficult by playing with the double and triple.
These three dart games are only a few of the many other dart games out there. Why not switch it up? Why not add a little sugar to your coffee or play a different dart game besides 301 or Cricket?
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, recreation, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on fur boots and fashion please visit Dart Cases.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Clarke
Saturday 20 February 2010
Dart Rules, The Basics
These are the basics you should know to play the game of darts. They are mostly pretty obvious and are common to all the major darts organizations. If you need greater details just go to the respective darts organization for your country, but the BDO (British Darts Organization) is the granddaddy of them all.
No Joke, you can have 12 inch long darts if you want, the rules give 12 inches as the maximum size of a dart! Not that I've never seen any that length for sale, and the maximum weight is 50 grams. Usually, soft tip darts are in the range of 14 to 20 grams, and steel tip darts range from 18 to 26 grams, although there are heavier darts on sale.
The dreaded Bounce out rule:
The rule is that all bounce outs do not count towards your score and NO you cannot have another throw. Not only that, but if the dart falls out before the score has been taken it does not count either. I suggest you throw your darts harder if you keep suffering from this rule.
The toe line or throw line is 7 ft 9 1/4 inches from the dartboard: now where did that come from? But you can lean over as far as you like providing your feet are behind that throw line or toe line as it is sometimes called.
The dartboard height is 1.73 metres or 5 foot 8 inches to the centre of the bull
When a dart hits the board, the score is determined by the wire not the color of the segment. The dart has to land inside the segment determined by the wire surrounding the number. If you hit the green of the triple but the dart point is outside the triple wire the score is only a single.
The darts must be thrown point first one at a time at the board and in the '01 games the score is taken away from the previous score until the score is zero. You have to throw a double for your final dart. As a double is required to finish a game, so your score must 40 or less and an even number to be able to throw a winning dart.
There are other '01 type games that require you to start on a double as well, in fact there is a televised tournament that has a double to start rule as well as a double to finish rule. The World Grand Prix uses that rule.
And don't forget the Bust rule, if you get one more or one less than you need to go out, the score is voided and your score remains the same as when you started the throw. Needless to say, you are considered to be 'bust' if you get down to score of 1 as well, because there would be no double to go for .
Also note the score must be decided upon BEFORE the darts are pulled out of the board.
Some of the more interesting rules
During match play, any Players using offensive language or deemed to be "mouthing" any offensive language or seen to be making offensive gestures shall be deemed to have brought the Sport of Darts into disrepute and shall become liable to Disciplinary Proceedings being taken against them by the DRA.
And From the ADO
At the tournament director's discretion, women may be recycled in mixed doubles and triples events only. (Golly, I'm sure the women are delighted!)
These dart rules brought to you by Steve Porter, a keen darter. Despite frequent practice in many bars and pubs, never made professional status.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Porter
No Joke, you can have 12 inch long darts if you want, the rules give 12 inches as the maximum size of a dart! Not that I've never seen any that length for sale, and the maximum weight is 50 grams. Usually, soft tip darts are in the range of 14 to 20 grams, and steel tip darts range from 18 to 26 grams, although there are heavier darts on sale.
The dreaded Bounce out rule:
The rule is that all bounce outs do not count towards your score and NO you cannot have another throw. Not only that, but if the dart falls out before the score has been taken it does not count either. I suggest you throw your darts harder if you keep suffering from this rule.
The toe line or throw line is 7 ft 9 1/4 inches from the dartboard: now where did that come from? But you can lean over as far as you like providing your feet are behind that throw line or toe line as it is sometimes called.
The dartboard height is 1.73 metres or 5 foot 8 inches to the centre of the bull
When a dart hits the board, the score is determined by the wire not the color of the segment. The dart has to land inside the segment determined by the wire surrounding the number. If you hit the green of the triple but the dart point is outside the triple wire the score is only a single.
The darts must be thrown point first one at a time at the board and in the '01 games the score is taken away from the previous score until the score is zero. You have to throw a double for your final dart. As a double is required to finish a game, so your score must 40 or less and an even number to be able to throw a winning dart.
There are other '01 type games that require you to start on a double as well, in fact there is a televised tournament that has a double to start rule as well as a double to finish rule. The World Grand Prix uses that rule.
And don't forget the Bust rule, if you get one more or one less than you need to go out, the score is voided and your score remains the same as when you started the throw. Needless to say, you are considered to be 'bust' if you get down to score of 1 as well, because there would be no double to go for .
Also note the score must be decided upon BEFORE the darts are pulled out of the board.
Some of the more interesting rules
During match play, any Players using offensive language or deemed to be "mouthing" any offensive language or seen to be making offensive gestures shall be deemed to have brought the Sport of Darts into disrepute and shall become liable to Disciplinary Proceedings being taken against them by the DRA.
And From the ADO
At the tournament director's discretion, women may be recycled in mixed doubles and triples events only. (Golly, I'm sure the women are delighted!)
These dart rules brought to you by Steve Porter, a keen darter. Despite frequent practice in many bars and pubs, never made professional status.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Porter
Friday 19 February 2010
Darts Checkouts
It goes without saying that once you are on a double, you must remain calm. Try and keep the same smooth action and follow through as normal in order to avoid snatching the dart. But before you even get to a double you need to put some thought into how you will finish.
Most darts players have their favourite doubles, which they practice and hit often. If you watch a professional game, you will see a certain player regularly leave the same double. It is important to try and leave a double you like and feel confident of hitting. The most common doubles players leave are 20 (double top) and 16. These are both even numbers which ensures if you hit the single part of the segment, you will have another double to aim at next dart. This eliminates the need to hit single numbers, thus giving you more darts and chances at a double. Double top is very popular because most players are already use to aiming at and hitting the twenty segment and therefore only need to raise their aim slightly while keeping the same line to hit the double.
The red bullseye in the centre of the board is worth 50 points and is the highest number you can checkout on with one dart. If you watch a professional darts player throwing,you will notice they will often use the bullseye at some point during their out shot. One instance is when they only have two darts left to throw and have a finish of more than sixty and their opponent is sitting on a possible out shot. For example if you need 67 and only have two darts left, you cannot hit a single number followed by a double as the finish is too high. You could of course go for a treble but if you miss there is no dart at a finish. One option is to go for the treble 17, if you hit it you then have one dart at double 8. However if you miss it but still hit the single 17, you can still throw a dart at the bull to win the leg. It is all about giving yourself the greatest opportunity to win the leg. The bullseye is also used a lot in the build up to a double, again to give you more chances to finish. For example you have 3 darts to throw and require 82, you can go for treble 14 and double top, but if you hit single 14 you would still need 68 with two darts. Most professional players in that situation would aim for the bull with their first dart. The reason is that if they hit it they have left double 16, however if they miss it but hit the green outer ring scoring 25, they are now left with a comfortable two dart finish of 57 (17 & double top). Practice aiming at the bullseye regularly, it will give you more chances to finish and win.
It is important that you learn the various three and two dart outshots required to finish. The more you play darts, these shots will become second nature to you. Once you become familiar with these checkouts you can then taylor your finishing to suit your game. In other words leave your favourite doubles, the ones you like and feel more confident hitting. Remember that aiming to finish on a high even number like 40 or 32 will leave potentially more darts at doubles and chances to win. If you practice the double top and double 16 routes often, it will add a real edge to your game.
Below I have listed all the outshots in darts alongside some popular finishes. This list is by no means exhaustive and with the exception of the very highest outshots there are numerous ways to hit an outshot. It is simply a matter of finding the way which works for you. Enjoy your darts.
170 T20 T20 bull
169 No outshot
168 No outshot
167 T20 T19 bull
166 No Outshot
165 No Outshot
164 T20 T18 bull
163 No Outshot
162 No Outshot
161 T20 T17 Bull
160 T20 T20 D20
159 No Outshot
158 T20 T20 D19
157 T19 T20 D20
156 T20 T20 D18
155 T20 T19 D19
154 T18 T20 D20
153 T20 T19 D18
152 T20 T20 D32
151 T17 T20 D20
150 T20 T18 D18
149 T20 T19 D16
148 T20 T20 D14 or T16 T20 D20
147 T20 T17 D18
146 T20 T18 D16
145 T15 T20 D20
144 T20 T20 D12
143 T20 T17 D16
142 T14 T20 D20
141 T20 T19 D12 or T20 T15 D18
140 T20 T20 D10 or T20 T16 D16
139 T13 T20 D20
138 T20 T18 D12
137 T20 T15 D16 or T19 T16 D16
136 T20 T20 D8
135 T20 T15 D15
134 T20 T14 D16
133 T20 T19 D8
132 T20 T16 D12 or 25 T19 Bull or Bull Bull D16
131 T20 T13 D16
130 T20 T18 D8 or T20 20 Bull (This gives you two chances to hit the treble).
129 T20 T11 D18
128 T20 T20 D4
127 T20 T17 D8
126 T20 T18 D6 or T19 19 Bull
125 T20 T19 D4 or T20 T15 D10 (If you hit single 15 with your second dart you can then go for the bull).
124 T20 T16 D8
123 T20 T13 D12
122 T20 T18 D4
121 T20 T15 D8 or T19 T16 D8
120 T20 20 D20
119 T20 19 D20
118 T20 18 D20
117 T20 17 D20 or T19 20 D20
116 T20 20 D18
115 T20 15 D20
114 T20 18 D18 or T20 14 D20
113 T20 13 D20
112 T20 12 D20
111 T20 19 D16 or T17 20 D20
110 T20 10 D20 or T20 18 D16 or T20 Bull (2 dart finish)
109 T20 17 D16
108 T20 16 D16
107 T20 7 D20 or T19 18 D16 or T19 Bull
106 T20 6 D20 or T20 14 D16
105 T20 5 D20 or T20 13 D16
104 T20 4 D20 or T20 12 D16 or T18 Bull
103 T20 3 D20 or T17 20 D16
102 T20 2 D20 or T20 10 D16
101 T20 1 D20 or T17 18 D16 0r T17 Bull
100 T20 D20
99 T19 10 D16 or T13 20 D20
98 T20 D19
97 T19 D20
96 T20 D18
95 T19 D19
94 T18 D20
93 T19 D18
92 T20 D16
91 T17 D20
90 T18 D18 or T20 D15
89 T19 D16
88 T20 D14 or T16 D20
87 T17 D18
86 T18 D16
85 T15 D20
84 T20 D12
83 T17 D16
82 Bull D16 or T14 D20
81 T19 D12 or T15 D18
80 T20 D10 or T16 D16
79 T13 D20
78 T18 D12 or T20 D9
77 T19 D10 or T15 D16
76 T20 D8
75 T13 D18 or T15 D15 (single 15 would leave 20 and D20)
74 T18 D10 or T14 D16
73 T19 D8
72 T20 D6 or T16 D12
71 T13 D16
70 T10 D20
69 T11 D18 or 19 Bull
68 T20 D4 or 18 Bull
67 T17 D8 or 17 Bull
66 T18 D6 or T10 D18 or 16 Bull
65 T19 D4 or T15 D10 or 25 D20 or 15 Bull
64 T16 D8 or 14 Bull
63 T13 D12 or T17 D6 or 13 Bull
62 T10 D16 or T14 D10 or 12 Bull
61 T15 D8 or 25 D18 or 11 Bull
60 20 D20
59 19 D20
58 18 D20
57 17 D20 or 19 D19
56 16 D20 or 20 D18
55 15 D20
54 14 D20 or 18 D18
53 13 D20
52 12 D20 or 20 D16
51 11 D20 or 19 D16 or 17 D17
50 10 D20 or 18 D16 0r Bull
49 9 D20 or 17 D16
48 8 D20 or 16 D16
47 15 D16 or 7 D20
46 14 D16 or 6 D20
45 13 D16 or 5 D20
44 12 D16 or 4 D20
43 11 D16 or 3 D20
42 10 D16 or 2 D20
41 9 D16 or 1 D20
40 D20
39 7 D16
38 D19
37 5 D16
36 D18
35 3 D16
34 D17
33 1 D16
32 D16
31 15 D8
30 D15
29 13 D8
28 D14
27 11 D8
26 D13
25 9 D18
24 D12
23 7 D8
22 D11
21 5 D8
20 D10
19 3 D8
18 D9
17 1 D8
16 D8
15 7 D4
14 D7
13 5 D4
12 D6
11 3 D4
10 D5
9 1 D4
8 D4
7 3 D2
6 D3
5 1 D2
4 D2
3 1 D1
2 D1
1 score has bust.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
Most darts players have their favourite doubles, which they practice and hit often. If you watch a professional game, you will see a certain player regularly leave the same double. It is important to try and leave a double you like and feel confident of hitting. The most common doubles players leave are 20 (double top) and 16. These are both even numbers which ensures if you hit the single part of the segment, you will have another double to aim at next dart. This eliminates the need to hit single numbers, thus giving you more darts and chances at a double. Double top is very popular because most players are already use to aiming at and hitting the twenty segment and therefore only need to raise their aim slightly while keeping the same line to hit the double.
The red bullseye in the centre of the board is worth 50 points and is the highest number you can checkout on with one dart. If you watch a professional darts player throwing,you will notice they will often use the bullseye at some point during their out shot. One instance is when they only have two darts left to throw and have a finish of more than sixty and their opponent is sitting on a possible out shot. For example if you need 67 and only have two darts left, you cannot hit a single number followed by a double as the finish is too high. You could of course go for a treble but if you miss there is no dart at a finish. One option is to go for the treble 17, if you hit it you then have one dart at double 8. However if you miss it but still hit the single 17, you can still throw a dart at the bull to win the leg. It is all about giving yourself the greatest opportunity to win the leg. The bullseye is also used a lot in the build up to a double, again to give you more chances to finish. For example you have 3 darts to throw and require 82, you can go for treble 14 and double top, but if you hit single 14 you would still need 68 with two darts. Most professional players in that situation would aim for the bull with their first dart. The reason is that if they hit it they have left double 16, however if they miss it but hit the green outer ring scoring 25, they are now left with a comfortable two dart finish of 57 (17 & double top). Practice aiming at the bullseye regularly, it will give you more chances to finish and win.
It is important that you learn the various three and two dart outshots required to finish. The more you play darts, these shots will become second nature to you. Once you become familiar with these checkouts you can then taylor your finishing to suit your game. In other words leave your favourite doubles, the ones you like and feel more confident hitting. Remember that aiming to finish on a high even number like 40 or 32 will leave potentially more darts at doubles and chances to win. If you practice the double top and double 16 routes often, it will add a real edge to your game.
Below I have listed all the outshots in darts alongside some popular finishes. This list is by no means exhaustive and with the exception of the very highest outshots there are numerous ways to hit an outshot. It is simply a matter of finding the way which works for you. Enjoy your darts.
170 T20 T20 bull
169 No outshot
168 No outshot
167 T20 T19 bull
166 No Outshot
165 No Outshot
164 T20 T18 bull
163 No Outshot
162 No Outshot
161 T20 T17 Bull
160 T20 T20 D20
159 No Outshot
158 T20 T20 D19
157 T19 T20 D20
156 T20 T20 D18
155 T20 T19 D19
154 T18 T20 D20
153 T20 T19 D18
152 T20 T20 D32
151 T17 T20 D20
150 T20 T18 D18
149 T20 T19 D16
148 T20 T20 D14 or T16 T20 D20
147 T20 T17 D18
146 T20 T18 D16
145 T15 T20 D20
144 T20 T20 D12
143 T20 T17 D16
142 T14 T20 D20
141 T20 T19 D12 or T20 T15 D18
140 T20 T20 D10 or T20 T16 D16
139 T13 T20 D20
138 T20 T18 D12
137 T20 T15 D16 or T19 T16 D16
136 T20 T20 D8
135 T20 T15 D15
134 T20 T14 D16
133 T20 T19 D8
132 T20 T16 D12 or 25 T19 Bull or Bull Bull D16
131 T20 T13 D16
130 T20 T18 D8 or T20 20 Bull (This gives you two chances to hit the treble).
129 T20 T11 D18
128 T20 T20 D4
127 T20 T17 D8
126 T20 T18 D6 or T19 19 Bull
125 T20 T19 D4 or T20 T15 D10 (If you hit single 15 with your second dart you can then go for the bull).
124 T20 T16 D8
123 T20 T13 D12
122 T20 T18 D4
121 T20 T15 D8 or T19 T16 D8
120 T20 20 D20
119 T20 19 D20
118 T20 18 D20
117 T20 17 D20 or T19 20 D20
116 T20 20 D18
115 T20 15 D20
114 T20 18 D18 or T20 14 D20
113 T20 13 D20
112 T20 12 D20
111 T20 19 D16 or T17 20 D20
110 T20 10 D20 or T20 18 D16 or T20 Bull (2 dart finish)
109 T20 17 D16
108 T20 16 D16
107 T20 7 D20 or T19 18 D16 or T19 Bull
106 T20 6 D20 or T20 14 D16
105 T20 5 D20 or T20 13 D16
104 T20 4 D20 or T20 12 D16 or T18 Bull
103 T20 3 D20 or T17 20 D16
102 T20 2 D20 or T20 10 D16
101 T20 1 D20 or T17 18 D16 0r T17 Bull
100 T20 D20
99 T19 10 D16 or T13 20 D20
98 T20 D19
97 T19 D20
96 T20 D18
95 T19 D19
94 T18 D20
93 T19 D18
92 T20 D16
91 T17 D20
90 T18 D18 or T20 D15
89 T19 D16
88 T20 D14 or T16 D20
87 T17 D18
86 T18 D16
85 T15 D20
84 T20 D12
83 T17 D16
82 Bull D16 or T14 D20
81 T19 D12 or T15 D18
80 T20 D10 or T16 D16
79 T13 D20
78 T18 D12 or T20 D9
77 T19 D10 or T15 D16
76 T20 D8
75 T13 D18 or T15 D15 (single 15 would leave 20 and D20)
74 T18 D10 or T14 D16
73 T19 D8
72 T20 D6 or T16 D12
71 T13 D16
70 T10 D20
69 T11 D18 or 19 Bull
68 T20 D4 or 18 Bull
67 T17 D8 or 17 Bull
66 T18 D6 or T10 D18 or 16 Bull
65 T19 D4 or T15 D10 or 25 D20 or 15 Bull
64 T16 D8 or 14 Bull
63 T13 D12 or T17 D6 or 13 Bull
62 T10 D16 or T14 D10 or 12 Bull
61 T15 D8 or 25 D18 or 11 Bull
60 20 D20
59 19 D20
58 18 D20
57 17 D20 or 19 D19
56 16 D20 or 20 D18
55 15 D20
54 14 D20 or 18 D18
53 13 D20
52 12 D20 or 20 D16
51 11 D20 or 19 D16 or 17 D17
50 10 D20 or 18 D16 0r Bull
49 9 D20 or 17 D16
48 8 D20 or 16 D16
47 15 D16 or 7 D20
46 14 D16 or 6 D20
45 13 D16 or 5 D20
44 12 D16 or 4 D20
43 11 D16 or 3 D20
42 10 D16 or 2 D20
41 9 D16 or 1 D20
40 D20
39 7 D16
38 D19
37 5 D16
36 D18
35 3 D16
34 D17
33 1 D16
32 D16
31 15 D8
30 D15
29 13 D8
28 D14
27 11 D8
26 D13
25 9 D18
24 D12
23 7 D8
22 D11
21 5 D8
20 D10
19 3 D8
18 D9
17 1 D8
16 D8
15 7 D4
14 D7
13 5 D4
12 D6
11 3 D4
10 D5
9 1 D4
8 D4
7 3 D2
6 D3
5 1 D2
4 D2
3 1 D1
2 D1
1 score has bust.
Chris Waddington is the publisher of the Dart Masters Coaching Course Ebook. This course is not just about how to play darts, it contains serious methods of learning designed to improve your game beyond your optimum level in around six weeks. For more details on the course and the opportunity to receive free snippets from the course visit playgreatdarts.co.uk.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Waddington
Wednesday 17 February 2010
What Darts Should I Purchase?
This is a question that I am constantly being asked so to assist all new Darts Players with. This information is intended to arm you with a little fundamental understanding and advice, that I hope will give you a good idea on where to go for the best equipment.
Are Tungsten Darts better than Brass Darts?
There are a number of resources that Darts are manufactured from, the main 3 being Brass, Tungsten and Nickel Silver. Brass Darts are probably the most general and are relatively cheap. Prices vary from a few dollars to around $35 and are a fairly good option when purchase your original set of Darts, or are learning to play Darts. They are a cost effective way of trying diverse weights and styles, without investing too much of your hard earned cash.
Nickel Silver Darts are comparable to brass Darts, and are around the same price usually, however, they are generally of a better quality. As with brass Darts, they are generally used at home or by the infrequent Dart Player.
Tungsten Darts are used by serious Darts Players, and Professionals. These darts are usually of a far superior quality, and come in a huge variety of weights and styles. The tungsten section is normally described as being 80%, 85%, and upwards, Tungsten Alloy.
With the elevated tungsten value, being the most costly Dart, prices usually start from as little as $15 and go up to nearly $200 or above, depending upon your specific requirements.
What weight of Dart is best for me? The weight of your Darts is an individual preference. As a common rule, the majority of people would usually throw a weight between 19-24gms. There are of course individuals, such as 14 time world champion Phil "The Power" Taylor, that particularly use heavier weighted Darts, such as 26gms, while others have a preference for a lighter weight such as current BDO Professional champion Ted "The Count" Hankey, who throws an 18gm Dart. My personal advice for anyone new to darts, is to throw a dart between 19 and 24gms, and then decide what weight suits them best.
Paul Power has been playing darts for nearly 20 years, and has competed at a good pub level for 15 of them.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_G_Power
Are Tungsten Darts better than Brass Darts?
There are a number of resources that Darts are manufactured from, the main 3 being Brass, Tungsten and Nickel Silver. Brass Darts are probably the most general and are relatively cheap. Prices vary from a few dollars to around $35 and are a fairly good option when purchase your original set of Darts, or are learning to play Darts. They are a cost effective way of trying diverse weights and styles, without investing too much of your hard earned cash.
Nickel Silver Darts are comparable to brass Darts, and are around the same price usually, however, they are generally of a better quality. As with brass Darts, they are generally used at home or by the infrequent Dart Player.
Tungsten Darts are used by serious Darts Players, and Professionals. These darts are usually of a far superior quality, and come in a huge variety of weights and styles. The tungsten section is normally described as being 80%, 85%, and upwards, Tungsten Alloy.
With the elevated tungsten value, being the most costly Dart, prices usually start from as little as $15 and go up to nearly $200 or above, depending upon your specific requirements.
What weight of Dart is best for me? The weight of your Darts is an individual preference. As a common rule, the majority of people would usually throw a weight between 19-24gms. There are of course individuals, such as 14 time world champion Phil "The Power" Taylor, that particularly use heavier weighted Darts, such as 26gms, while others have a preference for a lighter weight such as current BDO Professional champion Ted "The Count" Hankey, who throws an 18gm Dart. My personal advice for anyone new to darts, is to throw a dart between 19 and 24gms, and then decide what weight suits them best.
Paul Power has been playing darts for nearly 20 years, and has competed at a good pub level for 15 of them.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_G_Power
Tuesday 16 February 2010
What Darts And Dart Boards Are Best?
What Darts should I buy? What Dart Boards are best? Are tungsten Darts better than brass Darts?
These are questions that we are constantly being asked so to assist all the new Darts Players, I have compiled this information. It is meant to provide you with some basic knowledge and advice and we hope that it serves this purpose.
What Dart Board Should I buy? This is probably the most frequently asked question and certainly one of the easiest to answer. There are basically three types of Dart Boards. The kids dart board that we have all played on at some stage, the sisal bristle Dart Board and the electronic Dart Board.
The kids dart boards are generally made of compressed paper, banded with wire and serve the purpose of entertaining kids for a short while. They have a very short life span and within weeks, look tattered or fall apart.
The Sisal Bristle Dart Boards are more expensive but essential for anybody that intends to play often. The board is manufactured from the leaves of the Sisal Cactus, they are tightly bound and will retain their shape, appearance and functionality for a very long term. The major manufacturer is Nodor and we highly recommend their Nodor Supawire and Nodor Supabull II. Advanced players may consider a Nodor Champions Choice, designed with half size doubles, trebles and a mini bull.
The electronic Dart Boards are very popular in America and England but not as popular in Australia. Many of the boards are virtually kids toys, however there are some good, high quality electronic Boards available. These boards require the use of Soft Tip Darts.
Are Tungsten Darts better than Brass Darts?
There are a number of materials that Darts are manufactured from., the main 3 being Brass, Tungsten and Nickel Silver.
Brass Darts are probably the most common and are relatively inexpensive. Prices vary from a few dollars to around $35 and are the best option when you buy your first set of Darts, or are learning to play Darts. They are an inexpensive way of trying different weights and styles, without investing too much money.
Nickel Silver Darts are basically the same as brass Darts, they around the same price range and are generally marginally higher in quality. Like brass Darts, they are suited for use at home or by the occasional Dart Player.
Tungsten Darts are used by the serious Darts Players. These darts are generally high quality and come in a large variety of weights and styles. The tungsten component is generally describes as being 80%, 85% etc. with the higher tungsten value, being the most expensive. Prices start from as little as $15 and go to upwards of $200, depending upon your needs.
What weight Dart is best?
The weight of your Darts is a personal preference. As a general rule, most people would generally throw a weight of 19-24gms. There are of course people that particularly like a heavy weight, such as the Titan Heaviesand others prefer a light weight such as Featherlites.
New Darters should try a few different weights, focusing on 19-24gms for their first set.
Where do I buy Darts from?
The best place to buy Darts is from a reputable dealer that can provide good quality equipment, good prices and after sales service. We recommend the Dart Shop, Australias best online Darts Retailer.
Tony Warne
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Warne
These are questions that we are constantly being asked so to assist all the new Darts Players, I have compiled this information. It is meant to provide you with some basic knowledge and advice and we hope that it serves this purpose.
What Dart Board Should I buy? This is probably the most frequently asked question and certainly one of the easiest to answer. There are basically three types of Dart Boards. The kids dart board that we have all played on at some stage, the sisal bristle Dart Board and the electronic Dart Board.
The kids dart boards are generally made of compressed paper, banded with wire and serve the purpose of entertaining kids for a short while. They have a very short life span and within weeks, look tattered or fall apart.
The Sisal Bristle Dart Boards are more expensive but essential for anybody that intends to play often. The board is manufactured from the leaves of the Sisal Cactus, they are tightly bound and will retain their shape, appearance and functionality for a very long term. The major manufacturer is Nodor and we highly recommend their Nodor Supawire and Nodor Supabull II. Advanced players may consider a Nodor Champions Choice, designed with half size doubles, trebles and a mini bull.
The electronic Dart Boards are very popular in America and England but not as popular in Australia. Many of the boards are virtually kids toys, however there are some good, high quality electronic Boards available. These boards require the use of Soft Tip Darts.
Are Tungsten Darts better than Brass Darts?
There are a number of materials that Darts are manufactured from., the main 3 being Brass, Tungsten and Nickel Silver.
Brass Darts are probably the most common and are relatively inexpensive. Prices vary from a few dollars to around $35 and are the best option when you buy your first set of Darts, or are learning to play Darts. They are an inexpensive way of trying different weights and styles, without investing too much money.
Nickel Silver Darts are basically the same as brass Darts, they around the same price range and are generally marginally higher in quality. Like brass Darts, they are suited for use at home or by the occasional Dart Player.
Tungsten Darts are used by the serious Darts Players. These darts are generally high quality and come in a large variety of weights and styles. The tungsten component is generally describes as being 80%, 85% etc. with the higher tungsten value, being the most expensive. Prices start from as little as $15 and go to upwards of $200, depending upon your needs.
What weight Dart is best?
The weight of your Darts is a personal preference. As a general rule, most people would generally throw a weight of 19-24gms. There are of course people that particularly like a heavy weight, such as the Titan Heaviesand others prefer a light weight such as Featherlites.
New Darters should try a few different weights, focusing on 19-24gms for their first set.
Where do I buy Darts from?
The best place to buy Darts is from a reputable dealer that can provide good quality equipment, good prices and after sales service. We recommend the Dart Shop, Australias best online Darts Retailer.
Tony Warne
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Warne
Darts - How It All Started
Darts has been around for a very long time. Originally thought to have originated in England as a game for those longbow archers. Apparently they would throw their arrows at the base of a beer barrel for practice and it went from there. Even Henry the Eighth is said to have had a set of darts or "arrows". The soldiers even took their barrel bottoms with them or improvised a slice of tree as a "dart board". So the first boards were made of wood.
The game progressed and the dart became smaller and the game of darts became a big hit in local pubs around Britain, with lots of different rules and variations depending on what area of the country you were in. Indeed "Manchester dart boards are still used in some areas of Manchester they are smaller and often referred to as a "log end" dart board.
Just about everything that came to America is attributed to the Mayflower voyage. It is even said that darts was played on the Mayflower on the way to Ameriica. They caught on after the pilgrims arrived and played them whenever they could find the time. So Darts had come to America, where it was played often, and the Widdy darts company, even developed a uniquely American dart board. Meanwhile the British spread the game further in their empire. However, there is evidence that the Indians had a form of this game long before the white men came to America.
In the eighties the game was televised and of course the sponsors (cigarette and beer companies by and large) weighed in and the sport got a much needed injection of cash. It also helped enormously when John Lowe, a legend in the darts world, got his first televised 9-dart checkout. It caused a sensation at the time, not just because of the feat itself, but for the enormous amount of money he made by doing it. A sponsor had put up £100,000 ($175,000 at the time) for anyone that could do it. That was John's biggest payday at the time (1984)
Then came the war of the darters in the 1990's and the game split into 2 camps, the BDO and the brand new PDC, the Professional Darts Corporation who promised, and have largely achieved, to take darts truly International and have staged tournaments all over the world, hence the Desert Classic in Las Vegas.
During this time the humble dart has changed quite a lot, they are nearly all made from tungsten these days as tungsten gives weight without the bulk, and that has made 180 scores more likely as they can all fit into the treble 20 easier than the old bulkier brass darts.
And the Dart boards? They have also come on leaps and bounds especially in the last few years. Electronics have arrived; the wooden dart board gave way to the bristle dart board (which still gives the most satisfying thud when the dart hits the board in my opinion), which now is giving way to the electronic dart board. These new boards are simply technological marvels; they keep score for you (a great boon in Cricket) and can be programmed to heckle you when you throw, so you feel like you are back in the bar and the new Halex electronic board even marks out the throw line with a LASER! Well, darts has come a long way from throwing arrows at an archery target!
Finally, in 2005 UK Sport officially recognised darts as a Sport and International recognition soon followed. The image is also now being cleaned up, gone are the beer glasses and cigarettes, and especially in the PDC tournaments, the guys have really cleaned up their act. There is even a possibility that Darts could become an Olympic Sport before long! What would those "Archers" of England who started it all, have thought of the game now.
Written by a keen darter, Steve Porter, who in spite of many hours of practice in many bars, never quite made it to professional darter status. Click link for your Dart Supplies Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Porter |
Choosing the Right Dart For You
The real key to improving your accuracy, along with your score, is usually to choose a dart that fits your own desired playing style. When you choose a dart that you delight in throwing, reliability will follow.
Do you like a heavy dart, or a lighter dart? You will find quite a few darts on the market in a range of weights that top out at Fifty grams and can be found as light as 12 grams. The most popular weights used by avid dart players is generally in the 16 gram to 26 gram range. The selection of your dart weight is one of the more significant choices you will need to make. The only decent method to figure out this, is to throw darts of various weights and observe what feels perfect to you. A great opportunity to achieve this would be through an associate or any kind of location that hosts up dart play, such as the nearby bar. I've had many occasions to throw other people's darts. I've found other people to be very beneficial in giving their opinion regarding their darts, and more than pleased to allow me throw them an occasion or two to get a feel for them. Most passionate dart players are proud of their own darts, and take advantage of the chance to show them off. Many darts do support the adding of weight in two gram increments. A weightier dart will require a harder throwing style compared to a lighter dart.
The component which the darts are made from will play yet another important part in your dart selection process. Darts had traditionally been made of brass. Decades later, darts with barrels manufactured from tungsten along with other alloys came into the arena. These rapidly came into common use as a result of perceived added merits they provide. Tungsten darts have barrels which are slimmer in diameter compared to darts made with brass barrels. The advantages of using a thinner dart come from the fact that you can position additional, thinner darts inside a tinier spot than you can place greater diameter darts. For instance, there is only so much area within the bulls eye of a dart board. Just how much easier might it possibly be to put 3 slim darts, compared to 3 thick darts into that compact spot. Since they take up much less area on the dart board, they are usually less likely to result in deflections of your later tossed darts. The tungsten dart barrels tend to be more dense, and the tungsten matter is weightier. In order to maintain a confident weight, while still getting the smaller diameter. It has been several years since I have competed against any challenger, that was not throwing tungsten darts. The attractiveness of tungsten darts is derived by its advantages.
Ultimately, you must evaluate the feel of the grip that you prefer. There are various kinds of knurling that may be come with your barrels. You might often notice the standard smooth finish, with rings present on that barrel. Examples of these are a accepted design, but appear to be falling from acceptance with dart players favoring a harder or more coarse finish. The coarseness of the surface area will help offer an improved, more assured grip. It is likely that slippage are drastically decreased. Fine knurling and coarse knurling are both popular, with various levels of style and patterns.
Once you have a broad idea of exactly what style of dart you are searching for, you will be fortunate, because you will find lots of options. Whether you are interested in an inexpensive set of darts, or a high quality set, you might be shocked by the number of totally different models available to select from. There are various great producers placing high quality items of diverse prices in the marketplace like Accudart, Arachnid, Bottelsen, Dart World, DMI, Halex, Harrows, Nodor, Sportcraft, Target, and Viper.
Dave is an avid darter and can help you find the right soft tip darts for you. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Bryan |
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