Darts is type
of throwing game in which a player should throw a dart (missiles) into a
dartboard (circular target) which is fixed in a wall. It is traditionally pub
game. It can be played by men and women. The game has two parts of equipment
darts and dartboard (Dartboard is divided into equal parts each part with a
specific number). Darts was first played in 1870s and it is usually one versus
one. It was never an Olympics game.
At first the
missiles were simply cut down arrows or crossbow bolts. Initially darts were
manufactured from a single piece of wood which was covered with a strip of lead
for weight and fitted with flights made from split turkey feathers. These types
of darts was known as French darts because they were imported from France. In
1906 metal barrels were invented. However wood still exists until 1950s. At the
beginning they were made from brass because it is to work and cheap. Nowadays
darts are made from tour parts. The points, the barrels, the shafts and
fletching. The steel points come in two common lengths 32mm and 41mm and
sometimes knurled and or coated to improve the grip.
In ancient
history darts were used in warfare. Skirmishers used darts in different sizes,
like miniature javelins. The practice of this skill that became into a game.
Before the First World War. United Kingdom’s pubs used to have dartboards made
of solid wood, most likely elm. It was a difficult job for the publican since
it had to be soaked overnight to heal the holes caused by the darts.
All of that
changed after 1923 when a company called Nodor specialized in making modelling
clay started producing clay dartboards. Unfortunately clay dartboards did not
caught on. So Nodor went back to the traditionally elm dartboards which were
popular at the time. Clay dartboards didn’t get the success they hoped for
until someone came with the idea of using the century plant to make it. Small
bundles of sisal fibers with the
same length were attached together. The bundles were then flattened into a disk
and bound with a metal ring. It was a great achievement, as the darts did not
leave am impact to the board—they just parted the fibers when they entered the
board; this type of board was more efficient and required less maintenance. This
sort of dartboards are used in the present time due to it is good quality and
reasonable cost. A regulation board is 17 3⁄4
inches (451 mm)
in diameter and is divided into 20 circular units. A thin band of sheet or a
metal wire separate each section from the other. The thinnest the wire the
better is the dartboard. So that will minimize the probability that the dart
will hit a wire and bounce it out.
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“Butt” is an old name for the dartboard which is originally a French word but that means target. The standard dartboard is divided by a wire from a central circle to an outer circle into 20 sections, scoring from 1 to 20. There are single, double and triple areas as shown in the figure. The maximum score possible is 180 and called a “ton” because the highest number is 20 and each player can throw three times each turn thus 20(score) X 3(triple) X 3(times)=180 . At the beginning of the game each player starts with 501 or 301 point and whoever finishes first is the winner. However if in final shot he is left with 10 points for example and he scored 11 or anything more than 10 it doesn’t count. So he should score the exact number he’s left with to finish the game.
The height of the dartboard is 5ft 8in (1.73 m) from the
ground to the center of the bulls eye which is considered eye level for a six
foot man. While the distance between the player and the dartboard is 7ft 9¼in
(2.37 m).
Darts players doesn’t have to be fit or such. Even a retardant
person can play it. So it is a sport for everyone which is something that you
can do it with most of other sports. However darts are not a common sport in
the gulf region. Especially for Arabs at least but I hope that it will be more familiar
in the future. I personally love it and I think it is a very good sport.
