Darting about

Darts were invented by two Scottish physicians and brothers by the name of Dartmouth. In 1844, the pair became inebriated one evening (a Tuesday around teatime) in their office and started throwing hypodermic needles at each other. Eventually the by-then-“holy” brothers began to aim their throws at other targets and as time went by the pair decided to call their new game “Darts.”

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What?

…

You’re not buying that?

Okay. I made all that up.

You got me.

Throwing a 180

The origin of Darts is actually kind of uncertain. I have seen places that claim the game began with the ancient Greeks throwing shortened spears at the ends of wine casks for sport. The Brits lay claim to the invention of the game with a fairly evident passion though. Their claim goes like this: During the reign of King Henry VIII it was decreed that archers should practice their skill year-round in order to be battle-ready. It is thought that some archers would, from time to time, throw instead of shoot their arrows at targets for fun. Because England has notoriously unfavorable weather, the arrows were taken inside to the comfort of the local public house. To make the game easier for indoor use, the arrows were shortened.

The bottom of a wine or beer barrel was used as the first target and, in an odd aside, that portion of the barrel was called a “butt” which coincides with the french word “butte,” meaning target.

When barrels were not available, other primitive boards were used. A cross-section of a tree trunk made a handy target and the age rings served to divide areas in which to throw.

It has also been said that as the wood began to split those radial cracks served as further target divisions which may have helped differentiate the pie-shaped target areas we have today.

If you really want to make a Brit mad though, tell them darts originated in France. There is some documentation to support this and the word “Dart” is possibly derived from the old French “Darz” meaning spear or lance.

Oh ... on today’s boards throwing a score of 180 is the best numerical toss that can be made. One accomplishes this by hitting a “triple 20” three times. “Doing a 180” means to reverse course—which is what I did with the second, and wholly more accurate, history.

Getting board with it

After barrel butts and tree sections, other boards came on the scene. Before World War I a typical English pub featured boards made from solid elm. These boards had to be soaked overnight to close up the holes created by the darts. This process was messy for the pub owner and other materials were tried. Clay, cork and rolled paper were all used and some of those can still be purchased today. The best material to date is made from sisal fibers stacked side by side and compressed into the familiar circular shape. These boards, also called “Bristle Boards,” allow a pointed dart tip to part the fibers and be removed without leaving a mark. Bristle boards are also known for their durability.

Going for the Score

Today, American establishments that feature dart boards have electronic dartboards. These plastic dartboards, which feature pre-drilled holes that accept soft tip darts, keep score for you. They also have the advantage (for the pub owner) that they take money to operate. These make keeping track of points much easier since a computer tallies the score for each throw.

You can still find pubs that have standard bristle boards with a chalk board for keeping track. Often, points are not tallied but score is kept by marking a slash for every number you need. If you get another, you add a crossing slash to make an “X.” When you get three of that number you make an “O” around the “X.” If you throw a triple right off the bat, you can just make the “O.” I like the simpler version—and it does not allow for the “point mongering” that can hapen on electronic boards.

Got your number

As stated earlier, target areas were originally tree growth rings and radial cracks. Later, numbering these sections had regional standards applied in different areas across England. Some of these area standards featured a triple and a double ring. Some did not. Some had bullseyes and double bullseyes. Some did not. A man named Brian Gamlin has been credited with coming up with the numbering system still in use today. Though Gamlin’s very existence has been called into question, every place I looked associates the man with the numbering system. Gamlins’ system penalizes inaccuracy by placing lower value numbers next to the higher ones. As an example, a “20” which is at the top of the board has a “5” to the left and a “1” to the right of the desirable number. Though many papers have explored the many numbering sequences possible, the Gamlins sequence has been accepted as about as close to perfect randomness as you will find.

Other points

King Henry VIII enjoyed the game so much that in 1530 Ann Boleyn gave him a set of ornamented darts.

It has been said darts were played on the Mayflower for entertainment during the long voyage to America.

During World War II a set of darts was standard issue to British armed forces. The darts were said to relax the soldiers, boost their morale and remind them of home.

Toeing the line

The line from which darts are to be thrown at the board was originally known as the Oche (pronounced “Hockey” without the “H”).

It is said to have gotten its name from an English brewery by the name of Hockey and Sons. Three crates the company used to transport their product put end to end were supposedly the original measure of how far away from the board the Oche should be.

The only problem with this theory is that no one can find that a company named Hockey and Sons ever even existed.

I am starting to think I should have stuck with my made up version! Apparently Darts has a long history of people making things up.

Today the line is almost universally called the Hockey line. Take it as you will.

Throw away stuff

If you play darts you will develop your own style. I have observed and named many types of throws over the years.

When I started I used “The Windmill.” This is where you wind up and bring your arm all the way up, all the way down and then back up to a throw point.

I have seen “The Tomahawk,” where it looks like you are trying to throw a tomahawk.

There is “The Lurch” which involves your whole body lurching towards the board on every throw.

“The Loft” is where you put a high arc on your darts in an attempt to get your point across.

“The Zing” is used to zip your dart directly to the target.

Whatever your style, I have been told that the best way to throw involves moving as little of your body as possible, focusing mainly on using only the wrist and elbow.

Picking your missile

Darts come in a variety of shapes and sizes—Long and skinny or short and fat with a wide assortment of shapes and sizes and materials. There are also several different shapes and types of flights which can be attached to your particular flying implements. These also come in varying materials from simple plastic to woven nylon and carbon fiber.

You will just have to experiment to see what works best for you.

Final throw

Darts have come a long way from the days of the Dartmouth brothers people standing around throwing arrows at barrels.

Kings, Queens and common folk alike have been enamored of the sport.

If you haven’t thought of playing, perhaps you should toss the idea around.