Add a darts mat to your darting setup at home or in a pub for fair and accurate dart matches while protecting the floor from stray darts. Our selection of darts mats all include official tournament throw line measurements so that you and your opponent are playing from an accurate distance.
This blog explores all of the different dart mat options available so you can select your ideal darts mat. From carpeted mats to rubber darts mats, our selection will protect both floors and darts while helping ensure throwing from an optimal location.
How can you protect the floor when playing darts?
A darts mat’s primary role is to serve as an accurate marker of where darts should be thrown from; however, it also serves several other important purposes.
Use of a darts mat can also protect the floor when playing darts, by acting as a layer of protection in case any darts fall out of the dartboard and land directly in front of it. This is particularly useful if playing on hard flooring surfaces; furthermore, its surface protects your darts’ tips from breaking on contact with hard floors by redirecting them onto carpeted or rubber mat surfaces, saving both darts and floor from being damaged in their fallout path.
If you need extra protection for your floor, the Shot T-Mat Carpet Dart Mat may be just what’s needed. Configured like an inverted T, this mat provides full coverage in front of any dartboard while simultaneously protecting it. Beginners might find themselves having more darts fly off than expected; beginners should find themselves especially grateful for having something like the Shot T-Mat on hand!
What are the lines on a dart mat?
Darts mats feature lines, commonly referred to as the throw line or, more accurately, “oche,” at which players must sit while throwing darts. Each darts mat is designed with precise measurements in order to ensure you throw from an accurate distance.
Professional dart tournaments using steel tips employ an officially approved throw line of 2.37 meters (commonly referred to as 7 feet 9 inches and 1/4 inch). This measurement has been in use since 1977 when the World Darts Federation (WDF), representing member nations, decided on adopting this length at a meeting held at Wembley Stadium.
How can you position yourself on a dart mat?
Location of Your Dart Mat | How Can We Help? The location of your dart mat depends heavily upon the kind of dartboard and darts that you use; steel-tip dartboard players must throw starting from 2.37m while soft tip dartboard users can start throwing from 2.44m instead.
If you want to use soft-tip darts, the ideal darts mat should measure 2.44 meters in width. Many, but not all of our darts mats feature this throw line so be sure to select from our site when making your purchase decision.
Why do there appear to be different lines on my dart mat?
Although 2.37m throwing lines with steel tips are frequently utilized in darts tournaments, different dimensions may also be employed by individual players. Darts mats typically come equipped with multiple throw lines for players to utilize when competing, including:
Soft-tip dart players have adopted an increase in using the 2.44m (8ft) throwing line since its introduction during steel-tip dart tournaments in News of the World Championship long ago; which featured best-of-three leg games from round one all the way to its finals and beyond.
This throw line, used under the old National Darts Association of Great Britain (NDAGB) regime from 1945 until 1970 and rarely seen now in tournament play, may prove beneficial for new dart players who may find reaching the board easier with it than with its alternative throw lines. It could also serve as an ideal training method.
Can You Lean Over The Line In Darts?
Now that your darts mat is set up and ready, it is essential that you understand its rules of usage. In matches, it is permitted for players to step on but not over their throw line; otherwise it would be considered illegal throwing and your score won’t count towards their total.
As long as both feet remain within the throw line, leaning over can be safely done. Players sometimes lean closer to the board in order to shorten the distance that their dart must travel while still remaining behind it.
Add professional flare to your darts setup with a Bulls NL Heavy Duty Rubber Mat With Built Oche. This rubber darts mat comes equipped with an integral wooden oche, eliminating any possibility of your feet going over the throw line when throwing darts – instead, your feet will rest against its wooden surface as you throw.
Mission Pro Raised Steel Oche is another way to reduce foot faults during play. Easy to assemble and dismantle after each game, this professional-style device comes complete with floor fittings for quick installation or removal – providing another step toward improved play!
Are darts mats designed to prevent slipperiness during play?
Our selection of carpet and rubber mats has been specifically engineered to prevent any movement during play – they all adhere securely to floors for safe play!