When it comes to darts, players are always faced with the question of which dart weight is best for achieving top performance. And the answers to this question are just as different as the weights of the dart professionals. There is no general answer as to what weight of dart will guarantee you success. Every player has their own individual preferences when it comes to playing darts and adapts the dart accordingly to their own needs. In this blog post we would like to go into more detail about how the dart is made up and what you need to pay attention to when it comes to the total weight.
Basic knowledge: The difference between soft darts and steel darts
Before we go into a little more depth, let's look at the differences between soft and steel darts . This is the first very important difference that needs to be taken into account. For example, with e-darts, which are played with soft darts , you are only allowed to use darts that do not weigh more than 21 grams. The situation is completely different with steel darts. There is a weight limit of 50 grams. As a rule, hardly any player on the professional circuit plays darts heavier than 28 grams. Nevertheless, this is almost a ten-gram difference compared to soft darts - in this sport, such numbers are admittedly worlds apart.
The composition of a dart
The dart weight is ultimately made up of several components. In another blog post we have already given an insight into the importance of the weight of the barrel. At this point we should take a closer look at the entire dart. And it ultimately consists of more than just the barrel. So let's take a look at the weight of the flight, the shaft, the barrel and the tip. Only if you dedicate yourself to the bigger picture does it become clear how important the composition of the dart is to your own success when playing.
How heavy are the individual components of the dart?
In this chapter, let's start with Flight . The flight only has a marginal weight because it is usually made of plastic and only serves to stabilize the dart during flight. The weight is ultimately limited to around 0.5-1 gram of the total weight - i.e. only a fraction. Let's move on to the next part of the dart - the shaft . The weight of the shaft of the dart often depends on several factors.
There is no general answer as to what weight of dart will guarantee you success.
Namely, on the one hand, the length of the shaft and, on the other hand, the material. Here, for example, a plastic shaft is significantly lighter than one made of aluminum or even carbon. Depending on whether a short, medium-length or long shaft is used for throwing, the weight can fluctuate slightly. Overall, the weight should not exceed 2 grams.
The main part of the dart is the barrel. The barrel plays a crucial role in determining the weight of the dart. The weight of the barrel is usually between 14 and 26 grams, depending on the player's preferences. Here too, there are different materials and various lengths, which ultimately have a decisive influence on the weight. Equally important is the shape, which should suit the player's throwing style.
Last but not least, there is still the top. While this is only almost 0.3 grams for a soft dart, a tip for a steel dart often weighs twice as much.
Ultimately, an arrow consists of the following components, for example. For example, if a player plays a dart that weighs 25 grams, it consists of:
- 0.5 gram tip
- 23 gram barrels
- 1 gram shank
- 0.5 grams flight
Attention: This is an example. Depending on the material, length, weight and shape of the materials, the individual values for a dart weighing 25 grams can of course vary.
The perfect dart weight for beginners and casual players
There is no such thing as the perfect dart weight. Nevertheless, some recommendations can be made - especially for beginners in this sport. It is now widely known that a complete beginner should initially use heavier arrows - that is, arrows that weigh around 23 grams or a little more. The reason is that heavy arrows initially lie much better and more stable in the air. The main advantage of this is that newcomers to darts can initially concentrate on acquiring a clean throwing style.
Over time, it ultimately makes sense to reduce the weight. However, this should only be the case when you are completely sure that you have sufficiently trained and internalized your own throwing style. Of course, exceptions prove the rule here too, so it's quite possible that you have such great talent that you can handle light darts straight away.
What weights do the professionals use?
Even the professionals don't generally follow the rule of switching to lighter darts after a while. Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, for example, still use darts that weigh around 23 grams. The darts of Stephen Bunting are somewhat lighter, and at 12 grams they are the lightest darts of all professionals. However, it should be added that over a longer distance it is often extremely strenuous to throw the light darts onto the board with the same concentration.
Conclusion: The entire composition is important for the dart weight
Overall, there is no general recommendation as to what weight a dart player should use. This makes it all the more important to take a close look at the composition. Two dart sets that weigh, for example, 23 grams can differ in many ways. Be it the shape of the barrel, the length of the shaft or other components. This makes it clear that weight is an important factor, but not a killer argument.
So next time pay special attention to which flight, which shaft, which barrel and which tip you use and in which combination you achieve the best results on the dartboard. The differences between soft and steel darts must also be considered.
Once you've found the right weight for you, it's time to train, train, train. You can find training plans, dart tips and various games with explanations in our darts book .
A little tip at the end: If possible, use darts where you can exchange the tip so that the darts are suitable for both electronic dartboards and a steel dartboard. This will definitely make it easier for you next time to switch to the other type of dartboard without having to completely replace the arrows.
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