Forget what you think you know about darts. Yes, it’s a game that typically involves alcohol and some light-hearted competition among friends.
But believe it or not, darts can also be a great form of exercise. Here are 12 reasons why playing darts is a great choice of activity.
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Table of Contents
Does Darts Count as Exercise?
Playing darts does count as exercise because it requires lots of walking. The amount of calories you burn while playing darts depends on your weight, intensity, and the amount of time you play. Generally, you can expect to burn around 100 calories per hour.
For many of us, the word “exercise” conjures up images of going to the gym, sweating it out on the treadmill, or hitting the weights. But what about activities that are a little less strenuous? In reality, your level of physical fitness and activity are completely subjective.
For someone who does a triathlon, a game of darts will not feel like much, but for someone who does not or cannot engage in strenuous exercise, it is the perfect way to get moving.
One activity that often gets overlooked in this regard is darts. While it may not seem like much, the reality is if you play darts for an hour, you walk over a mile from the board and back!
Playing darts contributes to your physical fitness by:
- Developing hand-eye coordination
- Improving your wrist strength
- Burning calories by walking
- Strengthen your shoulders, arms, and hands as you need to keep your elbow up and arm steady and throw darts accurately
- Developing cognitive function, dexterity, and your aim
Lastly, When you improve your darts stance to throw darts better, your stabilizing muscles receive a workout, which develops your core and pelvic strength over time.
Is Darts a Sport?
Darts is considered a sport since it requires a high degree of skill and dexterity to play well. The game also has a competitive element to it, which can make it both fun and challenging. Professional dart players work hours to perfect their throwing technique, aim, stance, physical stamina, and strategies for specific games.
Why is Darts Classified as a Professional Sport?
- Playing darts professionally demands an extremely high skill level.
- Players need a high level of dedication and discipline to be successful.
- Darts matches are incredibly entertaining and many people enjoy watching matches.
12 Benefits of Playing Darts
Although it may seem quite straightforward, darts has a plethora of benefits:
1. Improve hand-eye coordination
Darts is a game that requires precise hand-eye coordination. To win at darts, you have to be able to aim and throw at a target with accuracy. This is an important skill that helps improve your overall coordination and motor skills.
2. Help Promote Brain Health
Playing darts activates different sections in our brains which helps us think faster while also improving numeracy skills.
3. Stress Reliever
Darts is a fun, competitive game that can help you eliminate anxiety. Darts may also aid in enhancing one’s mental health. You can forget about your worries when you play darts; consider playing darts if you’re stressed.
Darts requires a great deal of focus to play well, and this can be a fun distraction from life’s stresses.
4. Social Experience
Darts are a great way to socialize because it helps you meet people and even make new friends. The social aspect of darts can be far-reaching and include:
- Boost your confidence
- Learn leadership
- Gain peer acceptance
- Laughing a lot
5. Improve Concentration Skills
Playing darts can improve concentration skills. The more you play the more you learn to focus on the game and ignore distractions.
6. Develop Confidence
Darts is a game that allows you to show off your skills and gain self-confidence. The feeling of success from winning can be a nice confidence boost.
7. Requires Self-discipline
To the uninitiated, darts may be viewed as a game of chance, but the reality is that it takes a great deal of focus and self-discipline to be successful. You have to be precise and pay attention to what you’re doing, not to mention the rigorous hours of practice if you plan to be any good.
8. Playing Darts Socially Can Involve Teamwork
Playing darts with a group can be particularly valuable for individuals who want to improve their teamwork skills – try playing darts baseball in teams.
9. Develop Strategic Thinking
Darts is a game that requires both accuracy and strategic thinking skills to be successful. You can improve these skills by playing darts and becoming a better player overall. Darts has many strategic elements. The best players learn to read their opponents and adjust their strategy accordingly. This teaches you how to think ahead and plan your next move.
10. Active
It may not seem like much, but darts can be a strenuous activity when you add up all the walking. You can burn up to over 100 calories per hour playing darts. That may not seem like a lot, but it increases over time.
Because you’re vertical playing darts is a weight-bearing activity, it helps strengthen bones and core stabilizing muscles. You’re also getting an arm and shoulder workout while playing.
11. Low-impact Sport
Darts is a low-impact exercise that makes it easy for your joints (unless you overdo it and have elbow problems). It’s also great for people of all ages and abilities, and there’s no age restriction.
Stabilizing muscles to prevent falls in older adults helps keep younger players in improving their balance skills, reducing their chances of injury.
12. Competition
Darts is a fast-paced, worldwide competitive sport that tests your skill and consistency. Whether you’re an avid player or just getting started with this game for the first time, there are many ways to get involved.
It’s a terrific way for beginners to get involved in friendly competition with low barrier to entry and a lot of fun to take part in local darts leagues.
Professional clubs often hold weekend events, so check out what’s available near you.
Conclusion
That’s all there is to it, 12 reasons why playing darts is excellent for your health and should be considered a form of exercise and a sport.
Now get out there and start playing! Who knows, you might even become a professional player one day! Thanks for reading.
Sources
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BENEFITS: SOCIAL HEALTH
Top 15 Health Benefits of Playing Darts
Sue has been playing darts since her 20’s when she played in weekly tournaments and she enjoys writing about darts. She’s also a great teacher, and she enjoys helping others learn how to play the game well. When Sue isn’t throwing darts, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
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