How to avoid breaking the tips on your soft tip DARTS

You're out for a night of fun, a casual game of DARTS at the bar or your weekly DART league. You throw your dart, it bounces off the board and you retrieve it to find the tip has snapped off. It's happened to virtually every dart player using soft (plastic) tip darts. Here are a few simple steps to help prevent those game delaying breaks.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soft tip dart set
• Plastic tips
• Dart tool

1. 
   Replacement Tips

   First, make sure you always have some extra tips before the game play starts to avoid delay if you need to make a quick change of a broken tip. If you run out of tips, there will usually be tips for sale where you are playing, it's best to have them on hand before play to prevent delays during the game.

2. 

   Next, always check the tips before you start and after every turn to make sure they are straight and tightened. If they are bent, straighten and check to make sure they have not weakened. The weaker the tip, the more it will get bent, this is your cue to replace it with a new tip before it breaks.

3. 
   Dart Tool

   Using a dart tool is an easy way to make sure that your tips are always tightened before you start play. Insert the tip in the proper section of the tool (instructions should be provided with your tool), grasp the barrel of the dart and twist to tighten.

4. 

   Don't use excessive force in throwing your dart. You want to develop a finesse so you are placing the dart on the board. This will also help to avoid unnecessary breaks in tips. Keeping your darts in a case will also prevent tips from damage and increase the life of your tips and flights as well.

5. 

   Change tips regularly before they break will make your playing experience better and they are less likely to break off getting stuck in a board. Remember... get in the habit of checking the tips of your darts regularly and you'll have more fun playing instead of maintaining! :)

Tips & Warnings

• Change tips regularly.
• Make sure you always have some extra tips.
• Keep darts in a case will also prevent tips from damage and increase the life of your tips and flights as well.
• A dart tool comes in handy to make sure that your tips are always tightened before you start play. You can usually find one relatively inexpensively ($5-10).
• Don't use excessive force in throwing your dart.
• Darts is an adult game. Supervise children at all times with darts.
• Don't pitch like throwing a baseball, excessive force will lead to more frequent breaking of tips.

Resources

• Dart Throwing Tips
• Darting Equipment Tips
• Dart History

[mvalora]

on 9/29/2009 Good advice on how to avoid breaking the tips on your soft tip darts.

[emuman1]

on 2/24/2009 Great article. Well written 5*

[themadscribe]

on 1/30/2009 Very interesting! I have always been a steel-tip man, myself, but this is good to know if I find myself with plastic tips one day!

[pegwinn]

on 1/29/2009 Even though I prefer steel tips, I keep soft tips around just in case a game pops up. Good tips.

[labellefleur100]

on 1/26/2009 Your tips here are great because I always break them and piss people off. Thanks!!! 5* and recommended