Dart Tips & Tricks
Dart Board Height and Throwing Distance
The dartboard is correctly mounted when the center of the Bull's-eye is 173 cm (5'8") from the ground. The official throwing distance is 237 cm (7'9¼"). Many people have difficulty setting the oche (throw line) at the correct distance. To set the oche at the right distance, you can measure diagonally from the bull. When measuring diagonally, the oche should be 293 cm from the center of the Bull's-eye. See the illustration for clarification.
Official Match Playing Area Dimensions
Roughly speaking, an official match playing area takes up a space of 4 by 3 meters. In a match playing area, the dartboard also hangs at 173 cm, and the throwing distance is 237 cm. The oche must be at least 61 cm wide and have a height between 3.8 and 6 cm. Another important requirement for a match playing area is proper lighting. When darts are in the board, there should be no shadows on the board.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dartboards
How long will my dartboard last?
The lifespan of a dartboard strongly depends on its use. When the dartboard is used frequently, it won't last as long as when it's used less often. The throwing style also plays an important role - when someone throws hard, the board will damage faster than with a gentle throw. There's a distinction between recreational boards and professional boards. Winmau and Unicorn are considered the best boards at present. Recreational players are less critical of their dartboard than advanced or professional players. Professional players will want to replace a board sooner when they see irregularities in the sisal. There's no definitive answer to how long a dartboard lasts - it strongly depends on usage.
If you regularly rotate the board, you'll extend its lifespan. You can easily remove the number ring of a board so it can be rotated. Based on 1 hour of darts per day, we recommend rotating the board several segments weekly. To prevent damage to the dartboard, we recommend regularly sharpening or replacing the points with a repointing machine. Darts with blunt points or burrs cause damage to the sisal fibers. Dart points can be easily sharpened with a whetstone or an electronic point sharpener.
The sisal of my dartboard is wearing out, how do I prevent this?
When you play darts regularly or frequently, the sisal of the dartboard may wear out. This mainly occurs because the same scoring areas are intensively used, such as the triple 20. The sisal can also wear out due to the use of blunt or damaged dart points. To prevent the board from wearing out quickly, we recommend regularly rotating the board and sharpening your darts.
What is a dartboard made of?
Many people think dartboards are made of horsehair or pig hair. This is incorrect. Dartboards are made of Sisal. Sisal is a tropical fiber and is used for brushes, carpeting, and rope in addition to dartboards. Sisal is mainly harvested in South America, Africa, and Asia.
Frequently Asked Questions about Darts
Which darts suit me best?
The average dart weighs 23 grams. Darts below 23 grams are generally considered light darts, darts from 24 grams are considered heavy. For a beginning dart player, it's advisable to start with 24 grams or heavier. These darts tend to wobble less than lighter darts. When you become a more experienced dart player and your technique improves, you can try lighter darts.
What length shafts should I have?
A common belief in the darts world is that longer shafts work better with lighter darts (up to 23 grams) and short shafts with heavy darts. Additionally, throwing style is important. If you throw with an arc, shorter shafts are better; if you throw more directly, longer shafts are better. Ultimately, you can figure out the ideal shaft length yourself. If you have many wayward throws, this likely has to do with the shaft length. You should then try shorter or longer shafts.
How long do my darts last?
This depends on how intensively you use your darts and the quality of the dartboard you frequently throw at. If you throw a lot on a poor quality dartboard, your points will wear out sooner. Additionally, you'll have more issues with bouncers, causing your darts and points to wear out sooner. If you regularly replace the points of your darts, they can last a long time. Nevertheless, dart players quite regularly replace their darts because new darts have more grip and it's always good to test new equipment.
My shaft is broken and stuck in the barrel, what should I do?
While playing darts, shafts can break when you have a bouncer or hit one dart against another. Often the shafts break at the weakest point, the thread. To get the thread out of the barrel, you can heat a needle and push it into the plastic. You can then easily unscrew the thread from the barrel. Additionally, we have various handy tools in our assortment to easily remove broken shafts from the barrel. With the Dartshopper Broken shaft remover, you can remove the broken shaft (thread) from the barrel in no time.