As a beginner, you are faced with a crucial question at the very beginning of your darts career, which you want to get to the bottom of through various actions. How do I hold the dart correctly?
The only thing that is true is that there is no blanket solution for this. This also shows the diversity of professionals holding a dart in their hand. For example, while Phil Taylor only threw the dart with two fingers , there are players who use almost the entire hand .
But what is the best way for a beginner to learn the game of darts? Are there golden rules or should you just follow instinct?
The dart finger position – how do I find out which one is right for me?
There are various techniques you can build on if you want to figure out how to hold the arrow correctly. As is well known, the throwing technique is part of the bigger picture in darts.
The combination of throwing movement, finger position and dart is crucial. Only when all three components fit together perfectly can you really assume that you have reached your maximum level .
There are a total of four basic ways to hold the arrow in your hand . With two, three, four or even five fingers. The latter is also referred to as the “hand version”.
In the following sections we will go into the advantages and disadvantages of the various finger positions in more detail. We would like to help you find out which finger position best suits your throwing style and the darts.
The two-finger variant – the dart finger position for real experts
There aren't many of these players who actually only throw with two fingers. There are many reasons. But, to make this clear again, it is absolutely not a quality feature how many fingers the players use to hold the dart in their hand.
Darts is generally a two-finger sport . However, only very few people do it that way. The reasons are varied. Incidentally, the thumb and index finger are used in this variant.
The major disadvantage of this variant can also be seen as an advantage. You're probably wondering how that can be. Because you only hold the arrow with two fingers, you will probably find it difficult to throw the arrow into the board in a controlled manner at the beginning.
The reason is that the direction of the arrow can vary slightly during the throwing movement and is never the same. At least not if you are a beginner on the board and your throwing movement is not yet fully developed.
The big advantage of this variant, however, is that you have as few points of contact with the arrow as possible with two fingers. This also means that, for example, there are only two fingers that can change your throwing movement and posture.
At least for advanced players, the risk of the arrow flying uncontrollably into the board is relatively low .
In plain language: Not a good idea as a beginner, but as an advanced player it can be quite promising. Try it yourself.
Oh, by the way: The greatest darts player of all time, Phil Taylor, used exactly this two-finger variant.
The three-finger variant – hold the dart correctly to perfect your throwing technique
The three-finger variant will probably appeal to most readers. This variant is used most frequently .
This dart throwing technique is played with the thumb , index and middle finger . As a beginner, it is usually instinctively the first throwing technique that you will probably resort to.
The big question that arises, however, is what advantages and disadvantages it offers a beginner and an advanced dart player. First of all, I would like to explain to you why you instinctively grab the arrow like that.
A little experiment: Take a pen and write a few words on a piece of paper. Only after you have done this instinctively do you stop writing and look at how exactly you are holding the pen. Since the dart can be compared to a pen in terms of both shape and length, we often hold the dart in the same way as we hold pens in our hands when writing. After all, humans are creatures of habit.
The advantage of this variant is that it gives you the greatest level of security at the beginning . Quite simply because it is a familiar finger position. The disadvantage is that you often end up rigid with this finger position .
Expert tip: Since with darts the arrow and the entire throwing technique also have an influence on how the dart lands, you should adapt your finger position to these two components - not the other way around.
The four-finger variant – a good dart finger position for beginners to get to grips with
The four-finger variant is the perfect dart technique to make it easier to get started . With the two-finger variant, I explained to you that the stability when throwing can suffer extremely if you have not yet gained enough experience.
Or to put it another way: the fewer fingers you have on the dart , the higher the probability that you will throw the dart uncontrollably - exceptions confirm the rule here too.
With the four-finger version, all fingers except the little finger are used. The ring finger , which is also used in this variant, allows you to provide more stability . For this reason, many beginners use this finger position to achieve their first successes on the dartboard.
Basically, this finger position can be compared to the three-finger variant , but for some players the fourth finger is more of a problem than a stabilizer. Nevertheless, most players, even among professionals, play darts with three or four fingers.
The five-finger variant – also called the hand variant
The rarest variant of playing darts is the so-called hand variant, in which not only the fingertips but the entire hand are used to hit the board.
There are always players who have discovered this unorthodox throwing style. I personally remember a tournament where an opponent preferred this throwing style.
When I threw it in I thought I was clearly beating him because it just didn't look like you could play with that dart finger position. But far from it. A fraction of dart players can also successfully throw at the dartboard with this finger position.
I then tried it once myself - with moderate or, better yet, no success at all. I think that you have to be born for this throwing technique and you can't learn it. But try it yourself.
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