Darts tips
How to stand, grip and throw, how to practise and how to finish legs. Advice that helps beginners and pub players alike — no expensive kit, just a repeatable throw.
Short and often. Half an hour every day does more than one long evening a week.
Five doubles in a row: D16, D8, D4, D2, D1. Missing into the single leaves you on a double again.
When darts block the T20. The 19 sits between 7 and 3, so a miss costs less than the 1 and 5 next to the 20.
Throwing technique
Stance
Right-handers put the right foot forward at the oche, left-handers the left. Your weight is on the front foot.
Your body stays still — the movement comes only from the forearm.
Stand in exactly the same spot every time. Mark it on the floor if you like.
Grip
Hold the dart with your thumb and two to four fingers. There is no correct grip, only a comfortable, consistent one.
Keep it relaxed — if your knuckles go white, you are squeezing too hard.
The point should face slightly upwards as you draw back, not at the floor.
The throw in four steps
- Aim — eye, dart and target in one line.
- Draw back — the forearm comes back towards your face, the elbow stays put.
- Release — the forearm moves forward and you let go smoothly, without flicking the wrist.
- Follow through — the arm carries on towards the board and ends pointing at the target. The elbow may rise.
Most missed darts come from cutting the throw short, not from bad aim. Follow through all the way.
How to check out
Anyone can score; matches are won on the doubles. These are the finishes you will meet most — the same ones the app suggests during a game:
| 170 | T20T20Bull |
| 100 | T20D20 |
| 81 | T19D12 |
| 60 | S20D20 |
| 50 | Bull |
| 41 | S9D16 |
| 40 | D20 |
| 32 | D16 |
Doubles that halve
- D16
- D8
- D4
- D2
- D1
Miss D16 into the single 16 and 16 is left — a double again. That is why D16 is a favourite: five attempts without any maths.
Set up your finish
Leave an even number. An odd one needs a single first, and that is an extra dart.
If you cannot finish this visit, leave 40 or less, or anything you can finish with two darts.
Avoid remainders you cannot check out — bogey numbers such as 169 or 159.
Half an hour of practice
- 5 minutes warming up on T20 — get your arm going before you count anything.
- 10 minutes of doubles — go round every double from D1 to D20, then the bull.
- 10 minutes of checkouts — pick a random remainder under 100 and finish it in as few darts as you can.
- 5 minutes under pressure — one attempt per remainder, as if it were the deciding leg.
Give every session a goal. Not “I’ll throw a bit” but “I’ll hit every double at least once”. And keep numbers: your average and checkout % show whether you are improving better than any feeling.
Common mistakes
| Moving body | Swaying sends every dart somewhere else. Only the forearm throws. |
| Stopping short | The throw ends halfway and the dart drops. Follow through to the board. |
| Tight grip | Clenched fingers pull the dart sideways. Hold it just firmly enough not to drop it. |
| Rushing doubles | The most important dart, thrown the fastest. Take your time. |
| Changing kit | New darts every week means you never know whether the miss was them or you. |
Mindset
Use the same routine before every visit: stance, breath, aim.
Think only about the next dart. You cannot change the last one.
Play better players. Losing to someone stronger teaches you more than beating someone weaker.
New to the game? Start with the rules of darts. Dart weight and shape are covered in how to choose darts, every finish in the checkout table.
More guides
Let the app count.
World of Darts keeps score, suggests the finish during the game and tracks your average, checkout % and 180s. Play solo, against a bot or online with live video of your opponent.