Have you noticed darts slipping in your hand a lot? Wondering how you can deal with that problem?
When your darts slip in your hand it can mean one of two things. Either you aren’t gripping your dart properly, your dart barrel is very worn down, or the sweat on your hand is causing your dart barrel to be slippery.
Whichever the reason, there are a few ways to remedy this. Properly gripping a dart, using dart wax, and also purchasing a dart with a barrel designed for maximum grip are just a few ways to prevent your darts from slipping in your hand.
The Issue With Darts Slipping in the Hand
Darts is a game where you need to be accurate on a very small board. Being off a fraction of a centimeter can mean the difference between wrapping up the game there and then, or having to throw the darts a few more times.
If the darts slip in your hands, then it makes it incredibly tough to aim them. You need to be able to hold the dart straight and level otherwise it will go off course as it leaves your hand. This means that it will never end up landing exactly where you want it to land.
The Best Way to Hold a Dart
The secret to holding a dart properly is to find the center of gravity. Once you have found this, gripping should be fairly easy.
To find the center of gravity, and this will be different for each dart, you will need to assemble it. You can then balance it on your fingers. Basically, rest the dart on your fingers. Move the dart back and forth along the finger until it is perfectly balanced. Once it is perfectly balanced, the area resting on your fingers will be the center of gravity.
Since you are likely just getting started in darts, you should start with the ‘standard grip’. There are more complicated grips, but you can learn those later.
With the standard grip, your index finger will need to be on the top of the dart. This should be in line with the center of gravity. The thumb should be on the bottom of the dart.
So, what about the third finger? Well, this will be your middle finger. It needs to stretch along the length of the dart. The middle finger will likely be close to the end of the dart when you are gripping everything properly. You can then move the dart with your middle finger so you can line everything up properly.
Dart Grip Wax
For many, dart grip wax is the ideal solution for preventing dart slippage during a throw. The dart grip wax will be applied to the fingers before you hold the dart. You will often have to reapply the dart grip wax every couple of throws.
All that the dart grip wax does is add a bit more of a rough surface to your hands and that of the dart. This means that the smoother surface of the dart grip won’t be sliding through your fingers. It makes everything a whole lot easier to hold, basically.
We recommend using this multi-use grip wax for your darts. Many players have used official dart wax to no prevail, but have tried this wax instead and it has made their unusable darts usable again. This wax gets the job done, and it does it well.
Normal finger wax should work fine. You can actually buy this type of thing from many stationery shops. However, since dart grip wax has been designed specifically for holding darts, you may as well spend a bit of extra cash and get that instead.
That being said, there are some professional players that steer clear of dart grip wax. A few find that it actually hinders their game more than anything. This is because the wrong dart grip wax can make it difficult to release the dart from your hand.
If you want, you could also lick your fingers before you hold a dart. This will add a bit of extra grip, but it will also ensure that you will not be holding the dart so tightly that it struggles to leave your hands. Remember, even the slightest amount of resistance can completely shake up the way in which you take your throw.
What Darts Have the Best Grip?
Ideally, if you want to ensure that you have the best possible grip on the darts that you are throwing, you are going to need to steer clear of cheaper darts. This is because cheaper darts will never be manufactured with grip in mind. They are often manufactured to a price point. This means that the grip part will often be completely smooth.
Therefore, you should always try to purchase the best darts that you can afford. Nearly every dart used at a pro-level should have a decent grip on it. However, there are some darts that have a slightly better grip than normal. You should opt for these ones if you have serious dart slippage problems.
Unicorn Darts
Nearly every product in the Unicorn Darts range should be decent to throw. This company actually makes darts for many of the professionals on the circuit.
Target Darts
If a professional darts player isn’t using Unicorn darts, then they are probably going to be using Target darts. Once again, nearly everything in their range will have a decent grip. This means that it shouldn’t be too difficult to track down something that will work for you.
Bulls Darts
This company offers a couple of options for those that want darts with a slightly better grip than normal.
- Spike 90%
- Barracuda 90%
- Ultra 90%
The 90% means that they have been made from tungsten carbide, which means that they are incredibly light and will float through the air nice and easily. This means that you should always be able to get them on target.
Each of these darts are what is known as ‘extreme grip’ which means that the grip is nice and tough, but it also means that there won’t be any slipping when you throw the dart.
Final Thoughts
If you find that the dart is slipping in your fingers when you are playing dart,s then this is a problem that you need to deal with sooner as opposed to later.
The longer you leave the problem, the worse it gets. You will start to come up with some awful habits to try and stop dart slippage.
Once this happens, it can be tough to train those habits out of you.