My dart flights kick out sometimes during league play.

[Shaymer]

I'm left handed.

So I play in various leagues throught the year. I'm not crazy good, but competative. I've noticed that sometimes during the match, my darts start kicking out so that they land with the flight at a 45 degree angle, up and to the left. For example, if I'm corking, the dart will donkey-kick out and up with the point on bull but the flight up at the 9 or 12. I don't get it. What's happening.

I throw skinnier darts, 23g, pear shaped flights, average velocity, and have always used XS shafts, although this issue has been occurring the last few weeks. Been playing in leagues for 15 years.

Thank you.

[Milkysunshine]

I'm guessing the nerves of competition are causing some tension and you're not following through as much as normal, or your release isn't as clean.

Try to remember to relax your shoulders before you step to the line.

I played against a dude that would do a quick, full boxing wamup before pressure throws. He was a good shot under pressure.

[Banned]

My darts used to go in the board kind of like Wes Newton. The dart flight would be pointing over to the right pretty bad. It always did this so I thought it was normal for me. I switched from a standard sized flight to a smaller flight and all of a sudden by dart went in the board dead straight. Might be worth a try for you?

[Shaymer]

Thank you gentleman.

I think it's nerves because I never do it warming up, playing casual at the bar, or shooting at home. It's frustrating because I can't ever intentionally make my dart do that, but two weeks in a row, it started happening half way through the night.

I traditionally used xl shafts, short points and skinny flights because I wanted everything as compact as possible and found this setup best for grouping. During this season, I was 2nd in overall Tons (30-40 players) after switching to bigger pear flights, then my darts started kicking and I came back to Earth. So frustrating-

Thanks for your responses.

[Regulatori]

Do you have a finger on the dart point? If you're stressed, it's easy to push too much pressure against the tip...if the dart leaves your hand with the tip slightly angled left/right, it will land in the board at a sideways angle too.

If you don't believe me, tilt the dart's tip/point just a few degrees left or right. Just a *tiny* amount. The dart will always land at an odd angle. It doesn't take much.

[Adams]

As suggested above, experimenting with different size/shape flights and different length shafts might reveal a solution to your problem. I developed a problem a while ago and changing shaft length caused the problem to disappear.

[Shaymer]

Fist off, as a newbie, I really appreciate the feedback and everyone's knowledge. Thank you.

I do rest my middle finger against the outside of the point. Never realized that I may be changing pressure without knowing. Next time it happens, I'll focus on finger pressure and tip alignment.

Thank you all for your time
Seamus

[Stalker]

Instead of waiting until the next time its happening, you can try to replicate if its your finger by throwing for some practice and intentionally adding a little pressure to the tip of the dart with your finger. Maybe grip the dart a little harder as if your worried about a big finish or winning the cork.