Discount Darts, Dartboards and Accessories!

It’s not a big secret that there are fundamental differences between American Style darts and Pub darts.  But, after having had three separate experiences with playing English darts in an English dart setting, it became apparent to me that not only the equipment and the games differ, but the etiquette between dart shooters is somewhat different as well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you clean your darts on a regular basis?  Probably not – but you should!  Common things such as hand lotion, chalk dust, skin, and food can build up on your darts barrels.  This mixture is what eats away at the finish on your darts.  Just about any sport equipment needs to be cleaned regularly to remove sweat, dirt, etc., yet it never occurs to most people that their darts also need cleaning.

When a players darts start to show wear, with knurling smoothing down, & the sharp edges of grooves becoming rounded, it is not usually just due to hitting other darts. Most of the wear is simply from corrosion.

To extend the useful life of your darts be sure to clean them regularly.  This is especially important after eating any salty or greasy snacks. Any mild cleaner that can remove oil will do: hand soap, household cleaners, even moist towelletes (not the ones that contain hand lotion!). If you need something to take along to tournaments or league play, small alcohol swab packets are handy.

Removing all of that junk from your darts will not only make them last longer, but will also restore much of the grip by removing both the slippery feeling.

So, to ensure your darts will last longer & throw better... keep 'em clean!

Until Next Time!
Tony 

The flight on any set of darts is necessary to stabilize your dart in the air. Flights are available in a vast selection of colors, sizes and materials. There is no correct or best flight shape. It depends on your individual throw and preference which flight to choose. You may need to try out a few different flights to figure out what you like and don't like. But don't worry, flights are fairly cheap, so you can try a few types and still not spend a lot of money.

The most important rules for handling your flights are to always use the same flight shape on all 3 of your darts and to make sure that your flights are always spread.

There are a few different shapes of flights - standard, pear, kite, electro and many more. For beginners, make sure you use the standard shape. You can always change it up later.

Flight Protectors

Flight protectors are very useful. Their main purpose is enhancing the durability of your flights. Whenever an incoming dart hits the flight of a dart already sticking in the dartboard this flight is in danger of being damaged. The flight protector will almost completely eliminate this damage. Another benefit is that flight protectors help keeping your dart spread -- which is a necessity to playing darts. The negative point with flight protectors is that they are small and tend to get lost. When it pops off a dart it is usually impossible to find on the floor because it's just too small. But they are not really expensive either so having extras on hand isn't the end of the world and won't break the bank. The benefit is definitely worth the price.

Until Next Time!
Tony 

Don't miss this deal!  I wanted to make sure everyone saw this offer!

Until Next Time!

Tony

I was shooting darts recently and I was asked by a local bar patron if I knew the difference between tungsten and brass or nickel silver darts.  Tungsten is twice as heavy.  Barrels made from tungsten will therefore be half the size, resulting in closer groupings and high scoring.

Here is an online tutorial that I found very resourceful for the beginning darter:

Until next time!
Tony