Darts is considered a “gentlemanly sport”. There are certain things that are expected of players, scorekeepers and spectators. While there are some players that do not follow these guidelines, it is usually because they are rude, ignorant or sore losers. Better players will not like to associate with these kinds of players, and often such activity can lead to the better players giving the offenders a “taste of their own medicine”. Stick to these simple rules, and you will have a much more enjoyable game and make a lot more friends than enemies.

Sportsmanship: Generally, all dart players are good sportsmen. They will shake hands at the beginning of a match and wish each other good luck. Similarly at the end of the game, they will shake hands and say “good game” or “nice shooting”.

No Distractions: Much like professional golfers making an important putt, dart players like no distractions while throwing. Good dart etiquette means:

•Do not speak to the player who is shooting. Don’t go “ooh” and “aah” with each dart that is thrown.

•Wait until all three darts have been thrown to say “good darts” or “right there”.

•Do not make sudden movements in front of the shooter. Scorekeepers should remain statue-still while a player is throwing.

•Even better is to try to always stand behind the shooter outside their line of sight.

•Spectators should try to keep movement and noise to a minimum while a player is shooting.

•No one but the scorekeeper or a teammate should tell the shooter what has been hit.

What has been hit should only be announced if the shooter asks.

No one except a teammate who has bad dart etiquette, not even the scorekeeper, should ever tell the player what to hit next.

Score Your Darts Before You Pull Them. This can avoid many arguments. If you write down the score on the board before you pull the darts from the board, you can show your opponent what you threw if there is a discrepancy.

Don’t Be A Sore Loser and bad dart etiquette. Dart etiquette appreciate what the other player has accomplished. If the other player bested you, live with it. Remember if you had thrown something really amazing, you’d be happy about dart etiquette, so be happy for the other player too. Not only will dart etiquette show that you are a lady/gentleman, but by keeping your own spirits up, you will remain relaxed and throw your next darts better than if you got angry or tense. I have witnessed MANY players (including myself and other members of my team) lose a game purely because they got angry and their game suffered because of poor dart etiquette.