New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Winning at darts: Timing of dart release or hand position may improve dart throwing accuracy

Date:
February 12, 2014
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
Two major strategies are attributed to accurate throwing: timing the object release, and the using hand positioning at release to compensate for releasing the object at variable times. To better understand these strategies, researchers investigated whether expert dart players utilize hand movement that can compensate for the variability in their release timing.
Share:
FULL STORY

Timing of dart release or hand position may improve dart throwing accuracy, according to a study published in PLOS ONE on February 12, 2014 by Daiki Nasu from Osaka University, Japan and colleagues.

Two major strategies are attributed to accurate throwing: timing the object release, and the using hand positioning at release to compensate for releasing the object at variable times. To better understand these strategies, researchers investigated whether expert dart players utilize hand movement that can compensate for the variability in their release timing. The study compared the timing variability and hand movement of 8 expert players with those of 8 novices as they threw a dart 60 times, aiming at the bull's eye. The movements of the dart and index finger were captured using seven cameras and analyzed.

The results revealed two strategies in the expert group. The timing variability of some experts was similar to that of novices, but these experts had a longer window of time in which to release an accurately thrown dart. These subjects selected hand movements that could compensate for the timing variability. Other experts did not use these hand movements, but rather reduced the variability in timing of the dart's release. The authors indicate that both strategies can equally achieve consistent throwing.


Story Source:

Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Daiki Nasu, Tomoyuki Matsuo, Koji Kadota. Two Types of Motor Strategy for Accurate Dart Throwing. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (2): e88536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088536

Cite This Page:

PLOS. "Winning at darts: Timing of dart release or hand position may improve dart throwing accuracy." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140212183658.htm>.
PLOS. (2014, February 12). Winning at darts: Timing of dart release or hand position may improve dart throwing accuracy. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 7, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140212183658.htm
PLOS. "Winning at darts: Timing of dart release or hand position may improve dart throwing accuracy." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140212183658.htm (accessed October 7, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES