Flights Experiment
The correct flights and stems combination is crucial for success on the oche. One dart player we know has been experimenting!
Have you ever considered what difference altering your flight and stems combibation could make to how your darts land? If not, you should, they can make a huge difference and the correct combo is vital for success on the oche.You need to consider how your darts land to optimise your chances of stacking and grouping the darts in the trebles as well as how they land in the doubles!
One of our members Kevin wanted to find his perfect combo. We sent him an experiment pack and here is his report!
Kevin B
Many thanks for the stems and flights. It has certainly been interesting experimenting with them all. I've put together a little bit of a write up from my findings testing the flights first:Flights
Standard
I had always used standard before experimenting. However, I found that similar to the shorter stems, they are a disadvantage when you are trying to group your darts in the treble 20.closely. They do fly straight and true but sometimes can either block the bed and deflect incoming darts into the 5 and 1 beds. They also seem to naturally make my darts go high into the 20 bed, rather than towards the treble.Fintail
These are the flights that I was most intrigued with. They are very similar to slims but they seem to stick in the board to the right and veer towards the one. They then seem to block the bed of the treble 20, even if the actual dart is in one. It meant a lot of switching to treble 19s a lot of the time in order to try and max my score. These flights were really not for me.Slims
These flights are either right on the money, or fly all over the show. When they are good they are brilliant but when they are off they fly in the board at all different kinds of angles and into all different numbers. Even 12 or 18 sometimes! They also seem to block the bed if you throw them, like I do, just above the treble 20 naturally. This meant having to go for the treble 19 a lot of time.Pear
I liked these flights a lot and they were almost the flights that I opted for. They seem to make grouping a lot easier and they are accurate a lot of the time. The only con was that they just have a slight tendency, like the fintail's, to venture ever so slightly to the right. They don't do it all the time but it's just the odd time, but that could cost valuable points.Kite
These were the best flights for me. They fly true and straight but are ever so slightly more direct than the standards. This means that I find it easier to be hitting treble 20. They also give you the ability to group the darts closer in the treble 20. They also seem extremely accurate for me on the doubles. I have been extremely happy with them so far and am going to look at using them going forward.Darts Performance Centre
Our bio-mechanist Andy H has the last word:Kevin is correct with everything he has said. If you do not throw a 'straight' dart then kites are without a doubt the way to go. I used them for years.
Slims only work if your throw is perfectly straight. They can be used as a practice aid to help straighten the arm. As for deflections, what he said is totally correct.
Our Experiment Packs
Do you fancy trying to see if you can find your ideal combination of flights and stems? We have put together three packs, one with just flights, one with just stems and one with both stems and flights. We also have a Unicorn flights version too.The packs are available here:
Experiment Packs