Darts

Darts

This activity is good for:

Cardio

★☆☆☆☆

Strength

★☆☆☆☆

Balance

★★★☆☆

Get your eye in, brain engaged and your competitive juices flowing.

Why darts is especially good

Playing darts is good for sharpening hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and mental maths agility.  Darts offers social interaction as it can be played in a number of different settings.

Darts is a low-impact activity that can be enjoyed while seated or standing and in a number of different settings.  You might play at home, in a community setting or in a pub.

 

Darts is this
type of movement

Cardio
★☆☆☆☆

Cardio

For most people, playing darts doesn’t challenge your cardio system much.

  • If you spend a lot of time sitting, then getting up and down between turns is good.
  • Try increasing your standing time between legs
  • Support your darts by increasing your other cardio activities on the days you don’t play.
Strength
★☆☆☆☆

Strength

Getting up and down from a chair for each turn is good for your leg strength.

  • Practicing at home will be good for your upper body strength
  • Building core strength will improve your posture and your darts.
Balance
★★★☆☆

Balance

Playing darts is a good way to build balance because of the stability required.

  • Practicing balance with and without darts will improve your darts
  • Hand eye coordination is very good for your balance mechanisms.

Frequently asked question

Don’t worry, you can use a magnetic or foam dart board where you won’t mark the wall if you miss. Or, hang the dart board outside to soak up the sun and the fresh air. You could use a game console too where the game is virtual. No chance of wayward arrows then.

Find your starting point

It can be hard to know where to start when trying to move more. Everyone begins at a different point, depending on how active they are, how easily they move, and how strong they feel.

To get started, choose the option that best matches what you usually do on an average day in each column below. Look at your daily activities, mobility, and strength to find a sensible place to begin. Then click on the ‘see results’ button to reveal where you should start.

Is there an accessible option?

Yes, darts is a social sport which can be played by most people regardless of ability, impairment or age. The board can be safely lowered to accommodate a person playing from a wheelchair.

Get started!

There are lots of websites dedicated to playing darts and darts competitions to enter or to watch.

Your local British Legion, pub or community centre will also likely have a board for you to start playing.

Brought to you by experts in exercise medicine

This site has been put together by specialists in exercise medicine and supported and funded by Nuffield Health Charity.  In collaboration with academic experts, specialists in behavioural change, medics across a wide spectrum of specialties, physiotherapists, nurses and most importantly, people living with the symptoms of long term conditions. Through our rigorous academic process we have carefully ensured that all the information on this website is trustworthy and evidence based.

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