“How to choose a dart?”
Suggestions to help sort out all the confusion
by
Rob the ‘Dragon’ Heckman
Whether you are a beginner or aspiring tournament player, choosing the “right dart” for you isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Or is it? It has taken me almost 15 years to finally have a dart that I now consider to be truly “my perfect dart”at this point in time. It’s of my own design and concept. But you will see my newest dart design has design cues taken from darts I have thrown with over the years. The end product has finally been formed and I now have the “right dart” for me. So don’t think you’re alone if it seems difficult finding the holy grail of darts on the first go around. Hopefully in this article, I can give you a few hints and tips on finding that “right dart” for you.
The following items on choosing a dart aren’t in any particular order, nor do I say this is the only way to pick a dart out. But hopefully you will use this and other ideas that are out there, to find that perfect dart. I like to say Darts is 90% mental and 10% skill. You have to really have no doubt and all the confidence in the world when your toe hits the throw line. Once you take the thinking part out of the game, everything then becomes muscle memory. So choosing the right dart is VERY important so there’s no doubt in your mind once play starts, that you will be able to hit what your aiming for!
Before we begin, let’s break down the dart by its components:
FLIGHT SHAFT BARREL TIP or POINT
***Note - higher end darts are generally made of at least 80% or more “Tungsten”. Darts can be made of; “Brass”, “Brass/Nickel Combo”, or “Tungsten”. The higher the percentage of tungsten the thinner the barrel, this is because tungsten is a very dense but brittle metal. That is why you won’t see darts made of 100% tungsten. Top professionals generally use darts within the 90-95% Tungsten range.***
HOW TO CHOOSE A DART:
• 1st Try out some darts with your friends or at a club or go down to your local dart store and pick out several dart styles and weights you like. Generally if you have dry rough hands, maybe a heavier knurled or grooved barrel will give you a better feel for the dart. Vice versa, if you have smoother hands, then try to find a dart that doesn’t have as heavy knurling etc.
• Now take off the shaft and flight (we’ll get to these in a bit) and set them aside.
• Close your eyes and pick up each set individually. Pretend you are at the throw line, keeping your eyes closed. Find the dart that feels comfortable in your hand, in regards to weight, shape, grip feel & length. This is what I like to say is a “Natural Feel”. You should never have to think about or convince yourself the dart “feels good”. Now it’s also OK to have several barrels you like, we’ll narrow that down as well here shortly.
• Once you have chosen the barrels you like, now you have to decide on how you like your dart to feel when it leaves your hand and if you want to get really critical, how the dart sits in the board if you are looking at steel tip darts. Do you want the dart to land parallel to the floor in the board? Do you like it to sag a bit in the board, i.e. like Phil Taylor’s? Or do you like it to land at a downward angle point first? All of these are important in regards to your style of play and what you like to see in your mind when your darts stick in the board. We will leave that topic for a later date!
• Try not to pick more than two or three different barrel types, as this will just start to confuse your mind on what feels “natural” and start to frustrate you more than anything else. If you find you like three or more different barrel designs, try the first step over again, close your eyes and really focus on which dart barrel feels the best.
• The smaller the flight, the faster the flight of the dart because you have less surface area to slow it down or “drag”. The smaller flights you will see are used a lot by Soft Dart players because of the lighter darts used. Smaller flights also require a bit more precision in your stroke and offer a lesser margin of error in your throw. But you also have less “deflections” when you have close groupings with your darts.
• The Bigger the flight, i.e. the full “standard” flight slows the dart down and has more surface area, which generally aids in straightening your dart out before it reaches the board. This dart lends better to a player with a softer throw or just beginning to play, as it offers a lot more forgiveness in your stroke when you throw the dart.
• Now that you’ve narrowed down your “Barrels”, set up one set of the same darts one with a short shaft, one with a medium and one with a long shaft. Now place the same shape flight on all three shafts. Throw each dart at the “Bull” several times. If you want to change the flight to speed up or slow down the dart, now’s the time to do it. After you are comfortable with your choice of flight and shaft, place the same flight/shaft setup on the remaining two barrels. Throw with these darts several more times at the “Bull” to reconfirm your choice. Now put that set down and repeat the process with any other barrel you may have chosen.
• Give yourself enough time to select your dart. This is an important step, you wouldn’t go into a car dealership and buy a car without test driving it first would you? So take your time in selecting the dart that is right for you. Take a couple hours on the weekend to do this so you can be truly happy with your decision. Also as your dart game changes so will your dart choice.
The biggest thing to remember is this…. Don’t worry how much the dart costs or that it may be a “Name Brand”. A cheaper set of darts can fly just as good as an expensive set. It’s all in what YOU ARE COMFORTABLE with, not what everyone else throws with! But I obviously would encourage you to try out the PUMA or SHOT! Dart lines, you won’t be disappointed. I hope this article helps you out with choosing the right dart for you.
Enjoy the game...best wishes and good darting to you all!
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