Dart History

Dart History

If rumor holds true, the sport of darts has a long and decorated history. Originally the sport began as a contest between warriors during lulls in battle. The soldiers heaved short throwing spears into upturned ends of wine barrels. As the competition evolved, targets were marked, leading to the use of tree slices as a target.

The tree's natural rings were perfect for scoring. Winter forced the sport indoors where shorter darts and standard rules were adopted. Darts likely evolved from archery and spear throwing, Henry VII of England and Charles VI were said to be among the first dart throwers. In 1530 Anne Boleyn gave Henry VIII a set of "dartes of Biscayan fashion, richly ornamented." Our pilgrim fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620 are also said to be dart throwers, using an upturned wine barrel as a dartboard.

Throughout the establishment of the British Empire, soldiers would visit drinking clubs with built-in dartboards. The development of modern darts was closely associated with English Pubs. Darts spread and locals picked up the sport. It was commonly believed that to hit the center of the board (the bullseye) with a dart was pure luck. However, in 1908 an innkeeper demonstrated that it is indeed a game of skill. Darts is now accepted as a popular social and sporting activity. Tournaments are held in every country and millions worldwide enjoy the game. The dart itself became standardized, as the sport became a general pastime. The barrel was typically a piece of wood about 4 inches long with a metal point stuck in one end and feathers on the other.

In 1898 an American patented a folded paper flight. In 1906 an Englishman patented the all-metal barrel. Around this time, the numbering system on the dartboard was devised and gained acceptance. Placing three crates end to end from a brewery called Hockey and Sons, which supplied beer to the Southwest of England, marked the standardization of the throwing distance. The crates were three feet long, making the distance from the toe line to the board nine feet. The crates from Hockey and Sons were reduced to two feet, and four crates were lined up to mark the eight-foot distance from the board. This is supposedly the origin of the phrase "toeing the hockey".

American servicemen stationed in England during World War II caught the dart fever, often bringing the flavor of the English game home to the United States. From young to old now darts brings friends together as individuals and teams to enjoy the sport of darts. The high tech game of darts many of us know today is much different than the medieval version. Revolutionary electronics has elevated the excitement of the game to a new level. Automatic scorekeeping and new and exciting games make darts easy and fun for the entire family. The popular game of darts worldwide extends the tradition of beginning and ending each game with a handshake.

Dart Etiquette

Dart Etiquette
Darts is considered a "gentlemanly sport". There are certain things that are expected of players, scorekeepers and spectators. While there are some players that do not follow these guidelines, it is usually because they are rude, ignorant or sore losers. Better players will not like to associate with these kinds of players, and often such activity can lead to the better players giving the offenders a "taste of their own medicine". Stick to these simple rules, and you will have a much more enjoyable game and make a lot more friends than enemies.

Sportsmanship:
Generally, all dart players are good sportsmen. They will shake hands at the beginning of a match and wish each other good luck. Similarly at the end of the game, they will shake hands and say "good game" or "nice shooting".

No Distractions:
Much like professional golfers making an important putt, dart players like no distractions while throwing. This means:
Do not speak to the player who is shooting.
Don't go "ooh" and "aah" with each dart that is thrown.
Wait until all three darts have been thrown to say "good darts" or "right there".
Do not make sudden movements in front of the shooter. Scorekeepers should remain statue-still while a player is throwing.
Even better is to try to always stand behind the shooter outside his or her line of sight.

Spectators should try to keep movement and noise to a minimum while a player is shooting.

No one but the scorekeeper or a teammate should tell the shooter what has been hit.
What has been hit should only be announced if the shooter asks.
No one except a teammate, not even the scorekeeper, should ever tell the player what to hit next.

Score Your Darts Before You Pull Them:
This can avoid many arguments. If you write down the score on the board before you pull the darts from the board, you can show your opponent what you threw if there is a discrepancy.

Don't Be A Sore Loser:
Appreciate what the other player has accomplished. If the other player bested you, live with it. Remember if you had thrown something really amazing, you'd be happy about it, so be happy for the other player too. Not only will this show that you are a lady/gentleman, but by keeping your own spirits up, you will remain relaxed and throw your next darts better than if you got angry or tense. I have witnessed MANY players (including myself and other members of my team) lose a game purely because they got angry and their game suffered because of it

Dart Board Game Rules

Dart Board Game Rules
VariationsThere are many different house rules that are not official but are often played. At one of the places we used to play we had a rule that if you caught a dart that bounced off the board it entitled you to replay the dart (this is a potentially painful rule). Another rule we played was "Mugs away" the loser of the previous game got to start the next game. Remember these are not official rules, whenever you play in an unfamiliar place make sure you check out the local rules.

The 301, 501 etc.The most popular dart variation is the x01 game with 301 and 501 being the favorite single’s game and teams often play from 701 or even 1001. The game object is to count down from the starting number to exactly zero. In all x01 games the player must finish the game with a double. If the three darts total score exceeds the remaining score the player has busted and the score returns to what is was at the beginning of the turn. Some people play that in order to start scoring one must first hit a double, in fact it is customary to play 301 this way (note: a double bull counts as 50 and can be used to finish a game or start a game). Many tournaments including many pro tournaments play 501 straight in and double out. John Lowe shot the only televised perfect 9 dart game. He started with 180 on his first turn followed by a second 180 on his second turn. With 141 left he shot a triple 17 followed by a triple 18 and finished with a double 18.

CricketCricket uses the numbers 15-20 and the bull. The object is for a player to hit each number and the bulls-eye three times. Doubles count as two hits and triples as three. The first player to hit a number three times owns that number and it is said to be opened. Further hits on the opened number score that number of points until his opponent also hits that number three times, then that number is removed from play. Once a player has opened or closed all the required numbers and bull and has equal or more points than his opponent that player wins.VariationsMany players add doubles and triples to the mix and are score them as a separate category as above. This variation can be played either as easy or hard rules. In easy rules any double or triple counts. In hard rules only the triples and doubles on the numbers from 15-20 count. In both variations a double bull can be used as a double. One other category that is sometimes added is a miss category. If none of a player’s three darts count, place a mark beside the miss category. Once one player has three misses subsequent misses score for the opponent until the opponent also has three misses. For example, if player one already has 3 misses and misses again you count the score of the missed darts and give that score to the other player. Once both players have 3 misses the category is removed from play.
GolfGolf uses the numbers 1-18. Players alternate turns starting at the number 1 ascending to number 18. A triple on the number you are aiming for is considered a hole in one. A double is a birdie, 2. The area between the bullseye ring and the triple wire on the number you are aiming for is considered a par three. The area between the triple ring and the double ring on the number aimed for is a bogey 4. A complete miss of the number is a double bogey 5. All players play the 18 holes and the lowest score wins. Each player has up to three shots at each hole but only the last dart thrown counts. For example if on the players first dart it scores between the triple ring and double ring on the selected hole the player has the option of taking the 4 and not shooting the last two darts or shooting again hoping to improve on the 4. Since only the last dart shot counts the risk is that the player may end up with a complete miss and pick up a 5.
Round the ClockOften the first game people learn is Round the Clock. Players alternate turns and must hit each number starting at the number 1 and finishing at the number 20. For instance, player one starts and the first dart hits the number 1. On the second dart the player aims for the number 2 but misses. On the third dart the player aims for and hits the number 2 so when this player starts their next turn the player will be aiming for the number 3. The first player to get to 20 wins.VariationsThere are many variations to round the clock. A popular one is if all three darts score the shooter continues to shoot. Another variation is that doubles and triples skip you two and three numbers respectively. For example a player is shooting for 14 and hits double 14, the player now shoots for 16 bypassing the 15 because of the double. One version we often play after getting to 20 in order to win the game the player must finish with either a bullseye or a double 20.
BaseballBaseball uses the numbers 1-9. Players alternate shots starting at the number 1 moving up to the number 9. For example, in the fifth inning the players would shoot at the number 5 and score a run for each hit on the number. The player with the most "runs" at the end of the game is the winner. A perfect game would be 81 runs (9 in each inning). A tied game after 9 innings goes into extra innings starting with the number 10.

Assassin A game for 2-10 players. To begin each player throws one dart with their opposite throwing hand (right handed players throw with their left hand and left handed players throw with their right). The number or bull each player hits is their number (each player must have a different number—if a player hits a number that is already taken the player shoots again until the player gets a number that has not been taken) Each player shoots for their own number to begin with. Once a player or players have hit their number 5 times the player or players become an ASSASSIN (doubles and triples count). Once a player or players become an ASSASSIN they can then shoot for the other players numbers taking away one hit each time they hit an opponents number. Once all a player’s hits are gone that player is eliminated from the game. This continues until there is only one player left. An important note: if for example player 1 is an ASSASSIN and another ASSASSIN hits player 1’s number, player 1 must get his number back up to 5 hits before player 1 regains his ASSASSIN rank.



Also I added a list of possible site names for my information blog... I would love hear feedback on what you like the best.. thanks...

ARACHNIDDARTBOARDS.INFO
BRISTLE-DARTBOARDS.COM
BRISTLE-DARTBOARDS.INFO
BRISTLEDARTBOARDS.INFO
DART-ACCESSORIES.COM
DART-ACCESSORIES.INFO
DART-BOARD.INFO
DART-CABINETS.INFO
DART-CASES.COM
DART-CASES.INFO
DART-GUIDE.INFO
DART-RULES.COM
DART-RULES.INFO
DART-SHAFTS.COM
DART-SHAFTS.INFO
DART-SHOP.INFO
DART-SUPPLY.INFO
DART-TIPS.COM
DART-TIPS.INFO
DARTACCESSORIES.INFO
DARTBLOG.INFO
DARTBOARD-CABINETS.INFO
DARTBOARDINFORMATION.COM
DARTBOARDINFORMATION.INFO
DARTBOARDS-ONLINE.INFO
DARTBOARDSONLINE.INFO
DARTBUYINGGUIDE.INFO
DARTFLIGHTS.INFO
DARTFORUM.INFO
DARTGURU.INFO
DARTINFO.INFO
DARTINFORMATION.COM
DARTINFORMATION.INFO
DARTRULES.NET
DARTS-DARTBOARDS.INFO
DARTSDARTBOARDS.INFO
DARTSET.INFO
DARTSETS.INFO
DARTSHAFTS.INFO
DARTSONLINE.INFO
DARTSONLINE.MOBI
DARTTIPS.INFO