The crucial point here is position. You want to stand on the oche with your throwing foot perpendicular to the line. Place your other foot behind the first at a distance that keeps you comfortable and stable. You want your weight distributed evenly across both legs so that you don’t tip forward and unbalance as you throw. Stand straight so that your shoulders from a line with the centre of the board. Providing you are balanced, don’t wobble and are comfortable you are ready to throw. With the throw there are two important things to bear in mind. Firstly, you require to ensure that you keep you only throw with your arm. You want to keep your back and the rest of your body straight and balanced so that your throw itself remains stable. Practice a few times and check that you throw consistently each time without wobbling. Practice releasing the dart at the same point in your forward arc each time and try and adjust so that the dart remains fixed as it leaves your grip. Secondly you require to ensure that your darts are consistently hitting in the same or similar area. At first don’t worry about exact accuracy just try and get them to land in a group together, your aim will improve with time.

It was thought that darts developed into a sport in itself when soldiers being trained in archery took their shortened darts to local pubs and bars so they could refine their skills as well as exhibit their talents to the locals. When the bottom of the barrel proved to be inconvenient, someone created a cross-section of a moderate sized tree.

The game of darts itself soon spread and it was being played by old and young all over England. The rich and elite of the country were no different. They soon put their own stamp on the game. Darts can be traced back to the Pilgrims. It has been said that the game of darts was very popular on the Mayflower as it made its ocean crossing.

The rules of darts settled into what we know today at around 1900. The size of the board, throwing distance and even the size of the darts became standard. Many people enjoy the sport around the world. Today there are organized tournaments and organizations and leagues that specialize in the sport of darts. It is very popular and people make their living playing this sport all over the world.

The basic requirements are a dartboard and darts. With the advancement of technology dartboards have also evolved through the times. The most common dartboard is the bristle board – either cork or sisal. Cork dartboards deteriorate quickly with continued used, as the darts leave holes in the boards and the cork crumbles. The fibrous nature of sisal, however, is able to overcome this drawback and has therefore gained popularity. Sisal does not crumble even after constant use. Electronic dartboards are also available, and are equipped with sensors allowing for automated scoring.

There are various types of darts. The main parts of a dart are the tip, barrel, shaft and flight. Tips are either steel or soft. Soft tips are preferred on electronic dartboards and cork dartboards and are also recommended for new players. Steel tips are for the more experienced dart players. Shafts also come in various types. Synthetic flights are the most common nowadays and can be combined with the shafts. The use of feathers as flights has decreased considerably nowadays.

Many dart accessories are available nowadays. Instead of simply hanging the dartboard on walls, dart cabinets can be used to add style and elegance to your dart game. Many players also attach add-a-grams to get the required weights on the darts. The perfect weight improves accuracy in shooting. Dart mats are useful for new players, as the bounce-off from the boards may cause considerable damage to the floor. It is also important to have a rule book as there are many methods of keeping scores and the game can be played under different rules.