How to Enjoy and Improve Remote Darts

As 2020 began, I made the decision to help form a new team – a contender of like-minded players seeking new roles, higher levels of play, and beneficial emotional contagion. We had gotten together to practice and congeal. The New York Dart League was one week into its new season when the season was postponed and subsequently cancelled. Guess whose team had the unfortunate luck of having a bye on their schedule in week #1. (Sigh.)

I resigned myself to cancelling private lessons and retreated into the pandemic-imposed exile, waiting for dart players to commune again for competition and revelry. Players reached out about engaging in online darts. Conceptually, I understood their pleas. There was a void to fill. I had heard the overtures through the years for either soft tip machines that allow you to play someone somewhere else or webcam steel tip darts. It just never scratched the itch for me, and I’ve generally been quite tech averse. 

With different environments and not being physically present with your opponent, the community of game (that I really love) was removed. I was content enough getting in small practice sessions on my own at home. After a few weeks, even some of my more unique practice routines became mundane without something to practice for.

My family and I decided to retreat farther to a remote home, away from the populous of the concrete jungle; a home with no dartboard. After a couple of weeks of solitude, I started to get the itch. I could feel dart atrophy setting in and I didn’t like it one bit. 

My wife saw my restlessness and told me to order everything I needed. She didn’t need to say it twice. A week later I had new equipment, as if any of us need a pandemic to order new supplies. I decided to take on remote darts as a personal challenge to my technophobic tendencies and as a sociological case study for our community. Based on the dire nature that our (dart) world was in, I had to be willing to change my mind to adapt, learn and overcome. Here are the basics, for those who haven’t gotten involved yet, and observations, for those looking to enhance their experience.

First and foremost, we need to know where we came from to know how we got to where remote darts are today. 

I never saw the need for remote darts with the ability to easily play darts in-person living in New York City. It didn't seem necessary… until it was, and I realized not everyone lives within a realistic distance to their local bar leagues to play in-person. I had taken for granted the ease at which I was able to play in the pubs without the worry of driving too far, or at all. 

It had been nice to learn that there is a solid swath of the community who love the game (soft or steel), but didn’t realistically have the ability to play socially even before quarantine. A lot of respect should go to those in the remote corners of the technological darts world who have been given more of a platform to meet more of the community and show their stuff. There is unaccounted for interest and unknown talent whose latency is only now being felt. 

Thank you for welcoming technological newbies, like me, to your world. I can’t thank the remote-only players without acknowledging the innovations that have allowed such connections. Whether or not you have ever played remote soft-tip or webcam darts, the innovators and players deserve our thanks for trailblazing the technology.

The important gear hasn't changed for remote darts, but there are some upgrades I highly recommend you get for a better at-home darts setup.

For anyone who has been procrastinating on upgrading the lighting for their dartboard, there is no better time. I had been content for years just having the room lighting to illuminate the board. Do yourself the favor of upgrading your lighting setup if you haven’t already. I thought it was apropos to get the Target “Corona” Vision in light of our previous station in life.

Good lighting has taken on new meaning. In the pub, you and your opponent are dealing with the same light and shadows. You are also present at the same board. Now, a level of consideration needs to be given to the camera and to your opponent (or viewers) watching remotely. As we have seen from the outset in articles and videos, there have been darts questioned amongst pros and amateurs alike. It is much better to upgrade your lighting than to have someone question your integrity to themselves or to the community at-large. 

It is also awesome to have the light you need. Proper lighting helps you assess the lie of your dart, the angle, the depth of the point, and most importantly exactly where the dart landed – all without needing to step in to see if you are on target. This is crucial. You don’t want to have to come off the oche, and have to reset your feet/balance when you are in a groove.

You will need internet service and Wi-Fi capabilities. During a match, you will need at least two devices connected at the same time: one for your camera/phone and one for your scoring application.

I have always been a late adopter to all things technological. I had used DartConnect at tournaments and in league on occasion, but I never had a scoring application on a device. I never saw the need. I decided it was time to level-up. Certain jobs require specific tools. Never before had there been such a need for such a specific tool. 

If you are also a late adopter like myself and haven’t gotten with the times, it's never too late – so you will be able to score a match interactively. It has a ton of intuitive functionality and gets updated routinely to adapt to the changing landscape and player feedback. It also keeps a bunch of data. If you can’t take my word for it, just see what the PDC has done with it.

Back in the day, it was a struggle to find darts televised in the United States. Now, even when our favorite pros aren’t being brought directly to a device, there are many enterprising people out there who – with a little effort, a few how-to videos, and a small investment – are carving out their own path in our community. Companies like USA Darts Production have been enabling players of all skill levels to meet virtually, compete, and strut their stuff. Many of us have spoken about the exposure our sport so badly needs. Without such live streams, we wouldn’t have seen the first Championship Darts Circuit 9 Darter:

We all owe gratitude to L. David Irete, the pioneer of all American dart productions and the CDC Chief Marketing and Production Officer. He paved the way for those learning streaming production on the fly. They are giving all of us exposure and opportunity.

Like any player who has goals, those who focus on producing and production quality do too. You can’t be afraid to make a mistake. You can’t be afraid to fail. This is a time of great opportunity for all in our community. Take the first step.

Some have embraced online play and some want to partake in this newer way to interface and compete. Let's dissect it and approach it with a better level of understanding.

The truth of the matter is: the world of darts has forever changed with online play during the pandemic. That doesn’t mean we should discount it. On the contrary, we need to take it for the tool it is. It is the available tool to stay mindfully practiced whether you're playing in-person or at home.

That being said, when playing in our own space, there was no venue energy. There was no jukebox. There was no bartender to beckon in the middle of a leg while waiting behind the oche. We were alone, in our homes, garages, basements, or the like. Our evenings of escape, of refuge, of revelry were truly what have been put on the shelf during the pandemic of the past, not the game itself. 

Some players were finding they are stronger players without the peripheral distractions of a bar environment, while others were struggling to keep interest and focus. Either way, there were no fist bumps from teammates, and no one was buying you a shot at the end of the match. When the match was done and the call ends, we were by ourselves. The silver lining is we didn't have to get home. There was no, "one more drink" that lasted three hours while unnecessarily analyzing every dart thrown. 

We were all doing our best to stay engaged with the game we love, and now we can continue enjoying darts remotely with how far technology and livestreaming has come. For this, we can be thankful.

There is so much to consider here. For in-person competitive circumstances, metering your steps to stride effortlessly to the oche and lean in is key. It is an often overlooked step in keeping in rhythm after your opponent retrieves their darts. Now when playing remote darts, our opponent is elsewhere. 

It is worth standing behind the line (as you would) and approaching it as you would in person. It is too easy to retreat right back to your line and wait. Avoid the urge for expediency. Take your time. You should approach it as if you were right there with your opponent, scoring your own turn. You would likely be giving them room to clear the oche before you approached it yourself.

There are things we can control and things we can not when playing online darts. We all need to put our best foot forward to be considerate when playing. 

Things that we can control are music and televisions in the background. These phone mics seem to pick up everything. To be considerate for opponents less familiar with me, I let them know that I throw long points. My darts sit farther off of the board and I want them knowing that if it doesn’t look normal or right. 

Things we can’t control. There are tech hiccups, connectivity issues, ambient background noises, kids, spouses, pets, etc. If we have carved out time for ourselves to play we hope that it is uninterrupted, but that is not always realistic when we are home. Everyone’s setup at home is different, with different levels of privacy and distraction.

We need to be considerate and compassionate with ourselves and our opponents. Life happens and it happens to everyone at the most random of times. Under normal circumstances, I would've been at the bar playing when my daughter was getting put to bed. During pandemic-imposed online play, she would come into the garage to say goodnight while I was playing. I would always tell my opponent (on my turn) that I needed a moment. I would take two minutes to hug my daughter, and have a moment of daily gratitude with my family, before my wife took her to bed. 

These are moments in life you don’t get back. Your opponent can wait, and with the same amount of respect and consideration, you can too. (Ironically there are moments that we have taken back in not being at the bar during a child’s bedtime.)

Never before have I found it so challenging to find a reason to focus back in 2020. I imagine many of us were struggling with this too, and perhaps even now. There should always be a goal to achieve – you NEED goals to improve. It is imperative that when you practice, you practice for a reason. 

Without a reason you MUST create one or practice gets mundane and unfocused quickly. Playing in a remote darts tournament or league is that reason. Once my remote setup was in place, I committed to participate in a league before I was practiced and prepared to compete. It jump-started my desire to practice.

Online play is a perfect platform to play legs with players in different divisions, in different leagues, and in different states. A parameter to help guide you is to try to engage players in the same time zone or shiftwork hours for the sake of syncing up schedules. Reach out to the people you like, even if they are not on the level you are on. After all, you are inviting your opponents into some part of your home with a video call. The experience is more pleasurable if you are simpatico with those you are playing. If you can shoot the breeze and have a laugh after the match but before your phone dies, it makes the experience all the more worthwhile.

I generally don’t recommend playing people for money. In fact, I often try to talk people out of it even when they talk out of turn. When it comes to remote darts, I highly recommend against it. There are too many unknowns, too many shadows, too much skepticism, and too many averages that don’t pass the smell test. 

Money can often take the fun and integrity out of the game, especially online. If you have a few friends that you enjoy engaging this way, so be it, but think twice before you enter a tournament with a bunch of people you do not know. The people I have chosen to play with would often ask before a match, “Can you see my board well enough?” The answer was generally, "Yes, but I won’t be looking."

It is a much healthier experience to play with people whose word you can trust. Needing to peek in on your camera/phone to verify an opponent’s play is cumbersome, can take you out of rhythm, and makes the whole experience unproductive. An interesting question to ask all opponents individually in a league is: "If someone in this group were to cheat, who do you think it would it be?"

You will be surprised at how many players have the same answer. Cheaters exist in all walks of life and the darts community is sadly not immune. It is important to have integrity. Those who cheat eventually get exposed, and then they will find themselves on the outside of their communities looking in.

Now is not the time to put the darts on the shelf. On Christmas in the past, I have posted on Facebook: “The best in the world are practicing today. Are you?” We should look at quarantine in the same way. Rest assured the best in the world, your country, your region, and your league were still practicing back then and even still now. Do you know why? 

It’s because they still wanted to be the best in their domain, even after we went back to playing in-person. It is too easy to sit back thinking everyone is doing the same. Don’t be ill-prepared.

For so many reasons, remote darts is worth engaging in and likely has a larger lasting role for us moving forward. I can only imagine that as the technology gets better, it will take on more space in our world and attract more attention. 

If, like me, you had been apprehensive of the technology or didn’t think it would scratch your dart itch, recognize it as the tool it is: A user-friendly, tech-driven way to stay connected and practiced for at-home play and in-person games.