Best Exercises to Keep You Fresh at Darts

Darts is a game which many find appealing, but few have the necessary skill to make a decent throw. Everyone has different desires concerning darts; while some participate in this game as a leisure activity and perhaps to impress those around them, others have a dream of going pro. Regardless of your reasons for participating in a game of darts, hitting the target goes beyond wishful thinking. It requires a lot of effort. There are exercises which could go a long way in improving your performance at darts. Get ready to revamp your darts game with an effective exercise routine.

The exercises listed here are aimed at improving certain aspects of your well-being which could be instrumental towards attaining a reputation at darts. The aspects under review include:

Darts, like every other sporting activity, demands a certain level of endurance on your part.

Improving your overall fitness ensures you don’t get exhausted, regardless of the time spent in a dart game. This excludes the immense benefits to your general well-being that come with engaging in fitness exercises. Below are some fitness exercises which would go a long way towards elevating your stamina.

• Regular jogging increases your endurance, though there’s a method to this exercise routine. You will need to keep increasing the distance after specific time intervals. Cardiovascular exercises like jogging increase the vascular channels in your body with the consequent increase in blood flow to body parts. The result is the continuous supply of oxygen to your body. So, regardless of the time you spend throwing darts, you don’t get tired!
• A treadmill workout is another great way to improve your overall fitness. It’s advised that you start at a modest level and build from that; this way you don’t get exhausted quickly. A five-minute initial workout should suffice. Increasing the speed of the treadmill should only take place after you have recorded sufficient improvement in stamina. This is one of the ways you build your endurance.
• Outdoor activities that require stamina. Building up your endurance doesn’t have to be as boring as running or sitting on a treadmill in the gym for hours on end – I know a lot of people hate this type of workouts. You can get the same effect from fun outdoor activities, ranging from rock climbing, tennis, tandem kayaking, or whatever else you could do as a hobby. For example, one of our fittest team members, Danny, only plays drums!

Playing a game of darts, for whatever reason, requires having the right posture and balance. While there are innovative techniques which can improve your posture, going the conventional route (exercise) has proven to be less financial demanding and without the commensurate discomfort that comes with such gimmicks. Below are some posture exercises which will not only improve your general appearance, but also give your dart game a boost:

The Arrow

This is an exercise which strengthens your back muscles while improving posture as well. The following steps should get you adequately suited to this exercise routine

• Lay in a face down position
• Your feet slightly apart
• Avoid straining your muscles
• Take a deep breath
• Draw in your abdomen using the muscles of the floor of your pelvic region
• Your legs should be slightly apart
• Draw in your shoulder, so your scapular (the triangular bony structure at the back) moves downwards
• Your arms should be stretched aligning to the movement of your shoulder
• The palm of your hands should face inwards in this exercise routine

It’s important you don’t over exert your scapulae while carrying out this exercise. Also, try not to engage the gluteus (your butt) muscles excessively.

As you exhale, the muscles of your arms become relaxed, returning your arms to their initial position. Your shoulders and abdominal region should also return to their initial position. Repeat the exercise several times for increased benefits.

Planks

This is another exercise routine which should be great for your posture and darts as well. Adhere to the following steps for a proper plank workout:

• Lay face down with your elbows and forearms supporting your body
• Your legs should be slightly apart while your elbows should be in line with your shoulders
• Engage the muscles of your abdomen
• Maintain this position for as long as you can
• Relax your abdominal muscles

By keeping your elbow aligned with your shoulder during the exercise you reduce the strain to the shoulder joint. Just like becoming better at darts, consistency is critical in this exercise routine.

You can’t engage in throwing darts without sufficient power to your throw. Such power only comes with building your upper-limb muscles.

Think of it this way… The stronger you are, the less you’ve got to move for a “proper” throw. The less you move, the more stable your shot.

Triceps Pushups

This exercise routine builds the triceps brachii—a muscle located at the back of your arm. The triceps pushup is beneficial due to its influences on the elbow joint. The significance of the elbow joint in a game of darts cannot be overemphasized. There are three different variations of the triceps pushup. To get started on this exercise routine, follow the outlined steps below:

• Begin by getting on your hands and knees with your legs at an angle
• Inhale deeply and depress your rib cage and head region lower than your elbow (near the horizontal floor)
• Exhale while reversing the earlier movements

The other variation of the triceps pushups consists of getting on your hands and your toes.

Your wrists and hands affect your performance in a game of darts. Strengthening these parts of your body can be done through simple exercises. One of such exercises involves forming a fist with your hands and subsequently relaxing them. This can be repeated.

In another exercise routine, you abduct and adduct your fingers. This means you spread your fingers like a web and then retract them. This also can be repeated several times.

Improving your level of concentration is another segment of your well-being which is essential towards recording an improvement in your dart game. Indulging in activities that build your concentration would be a good step. Meditating and reading are some of the ways you can improve your attention span. If you want to give meditation a shot, I can recommend starting out with a few apps such as Headspace or Waking Up.

This is one of the essential segments to prioritize if you want to excel at darts. Aligning your dominant eye and throwing hand often leads to an efficient dart throw. Achieving such a feat requires boosting the connection between your eye and hand, and this doesn’t come easy.

Juggling would be a great way to start. Playing a game of catch is another approach worth considering for enhanced eye-hand coordination.

Exercises do a lot for your well-being. Your performance in darts benefits immensely from a well-balanced well-being. No doubt exercises are great, but your performance at darts requires consistent practice. If you’re looking to become better in a game of darts, regardless of the purpose behind the challenge, a mix of exercises and practice would be an excellent way to start.

Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of having the right equipment. By investing in a better dart board or upgrading your set of darts, you may find that they bounce away less, stick to the board better, and perhaps fly more stable due to better materials.

Lots of rookies think they’re “bad at darts” where in reality, they’re tossing blunt darts at a dart board that should’ve been tossed in the trash years ago.

This matters twice as much when it comes to electronic dart boards because bounce-outs are more common. If that’s your game of choice, do yourself a favor and invest in the best soft tip darts you can afford.