How to Play French Darts

Fun Frisbee games

If you've never heard of French darts before, you might be surprised to learn that it's not even played with actual darts. It's played with Frisbees instead, in a similar fashion to horseshoes, with two teams of two players working together to score the most points. The catch is that each player must hold a drink in one hand for the entire game to make it harder to balance. While French darts has gained its reputation as a beer drinking game, it can be just as fun to play with a non-alcoholic beverage.

Things You'll Need

• 4 players
• Frisbee
• 2 poles
• 2 empty bottles
• Tape
• 4 cups

Instructions

1. Pick teams. There needs to be two teams with two players on each team. For larger gatherings, you can rotate players and switch teams to get everyone involved.

2. Set up the playing area. You'll need two poles or pipes that are approximately 4 feet, 8 inches high and thick enough to balance an empty bottle on top. Space the poles 40 to 50 feet apart, hammer them into the ground, and mark an 8-by-8-foot square around each pole with tape. Mark each pole about a foot above the ground, which will be the scratch line. Then balance an empty bottle on the top of each pole.

3. Fill up four cups, with the beverage of each player's choice. Players are not allowed to set down the cups during the course of the game.

4. Get in playing position. Each team must stand behind its pole. Players then take turns throwing the Frisbee at their opponents' pole, with the goal to knock down the bottle. The team whose bottle is being thrown at has two goals: catch the Frisbee or catch the falling bottle while still balancing their drink.

5. Keep score. Only the team that is throwing gets points. They get 3 points if the Frisbee and the bottle touch the ground, 2 points if the other team catches the Frisbee and the bottle falls, and 1 point if the other team catches the bottle and the Frisbee falls. They receive zero points if the opponents catch both items or if the Frisbee doesn't reach the scratch line on the pole.

6. Play for a given period of time, or until the score reaches the decided upon amount. Keep the cups full throughout the game.

References

• The Roanoke Times: How to Play French Darts