Follow-through: the underestimated metric in darts mydart Follow-through: the underestimated metric in darts ==================================================== The follow-through reveals more about your throwing technique than you think. Learn why this often ignored phase of the throwing motion is the key to consistent hits. Pose-Tracking Echtzeit 8+ Metriken [ mydart ](https://mydart.app/en) [Features](https://mydart.app/en/features) [Price](https://mydart.app/en/pricing) [Blog](https://mydart.app/en/blog) EN [ DE Deutsch ](https://mydart.app/de/blog/follow-through-metrik) EN English [Login](https://mydart.app/login) [ Register ](https://mydart.app/register) [ Features ](https://mydart.app/en/features) [ Price ](https://mydart.app/en/pricing) [ Blog ](https://mydart.app/en/blog) [ Login ](https://mydart.app/login) [ Register for free ](https://mydart.app/register) [ Back to Blog ](https://mydart.app/en/blog) Technique 12 min read • 28. February 2026 Follow-through: the underestimated metric in darts ==================================================== The follow-through reveals more about your throwing technique than you think. Learn why this often ignored phase of the throwing motion is the key to consistent hits. Why the follow-through in darts reveals more than any other metric ------------------------------------------------------------------ You stand at the oche, throw three darts and wonder why the first lands perfectly in the triple 20, the second goes just wide and the third disappears into the single segment. Your stance was identical. Your grip too. The backswing felt the same. So what happened? The answer often lies in a phase of the throwing motion that many players neglect: the follow-through. This movement after the release of the dart is underestimated, although it allows precise conclusions about the quality of the entire throwing technique. A clean follow-through is not coincidence. It is the result of a controlled, fluid throwing motion. Professional players like Michael van Gerwen or Gerwyn Price have one thing in common: Their arm swings out in an almost identical path after every throw. This consistency is not a byproduct of their abilities. It is an indicator that every technical parameter is correct. What exactly is the follow-through in darts ------------------------------------------- The follow-through describes the continuation of the arm movement after releasing the dart. The moment the dart leaves your fingers, its flight path is already determined. From a physical standpoint, the follow-through no longer has a direct influence on the dart. Nevertheless, this phase is crucial. The movement after the release reflects what happened in the milliseconds before. An arm that pulls to the side after the throw indicates that there was already a lateral component during the acceleration phase. An abruptly stopping arm signals muscle tension throughout the entire throw. The ideal follow-through shows the arm extended in a straight line toward the target. The fingers point toward the board, the elbow is almost fully extended. This position only arises when the throwing motion was controlled, relaxed and straight. The anatomy of a good follow-through ------------------------------------ A technically correct follow-through can be evaluated using several parameters. These criteria help you analyse your own movement and identify deviations. ### Arm extension After the release, your arm should be almost fully extended. The elbow angle ideally lies between 160 and 180 degrees. Incomplete extension suggests that acceleration stopped too early. You waste energy and control because the throwing motion is not carried through to the end. Important: Full extension does not mean hyperextension. A hyperextended elbow stresses the joint and leads to problems in the long term. The arm should swing out naturally, not be forced through. ### Direction of the fingers At the end of the follow-through, your fingers should point toward the target. If they point upward, you released the dart too early or threw with an upward wrist movement. If they point downward, the release was too late or the wrist collapsed downward. Lateral deviations are particularly problematic. If the fingers point left or right of the target, a lateral force was applied during the entire throwing motion. This force transfers to the dart and causes horizontal scatter. ### Shoulder stability The shoulder should remain quiet throughout the entire throw and in the follow-through. If the shoulder rises during acceleration, it adds an additional axis of movement. This vertical component is hard to control and leads to inconsistent results. A stable follow-through begins with a stable shoulder. If you notice your shoulder shrugging or rising with every throw, work consciously on keeping it quiet. It may feel unnatural at first, but it pays off in more precise throws. ### Duration of the hold Many players snap their arm back immediately after the throw. This prevents a clean analysis of the follow-through and can also affect the throwing motion itself. Hold the extended arm for a brief moment before pulling it back. This pause of about half a second helps you consciously perceive the end position. Rob Cross is known for his long, held follow-through. He keeps his arm in the end position for a clearly visible moment after every throw. This technique forces control and makes deviations immediately noticeable. Typical follow-through errors and their causes ---------------------------------------------- Most problems in the follow-through are symptoms of errors that originate earlier in the throwing motion. Instead of working on the symptom, you should identify the cause. ### The abrupt follow-through If your arm stops abruptly after the throw, it usually indicates excessive muscle tension. You try to control the throw by actively braking the arm. Paradoxically, this control leads to less precision. The solution: Relaxation. Imagine your arm being pulled by an elastic band. After the release it swings naturally toward the target. No muscle tension is needed to guide the dart. The movement should be fluid, not controlled. ### The laterally deviating follow-through If your arm pulls left or right, it usually does not start after the release. The lateral movement begins during the acceleration phase. Common causes are a crooked stance, a twisted elbow or a rotation from the shoulder. Check your stance: Is your body straight to the board? Is your throwing arm in line with the target? During the throw, does only the forearm move or does the upper arm rotate too? ### The upward or downward tipping follow-through Vertical deviations in the follow-through correlate with the release timing and wrist movement. If the arm tips upward, the dart was tendentially released too early. If it tips downward, the release was too late. The wrist also plays a role. An active downward snap of the wrist creates a downward-pointing follow-through. This technique can be used consciously, but must then be identical for every throw. The follow-through as a training indicator ------------------------------------------ In training, the follow-through is a valuable feedback tool. Instead of only looking at where the dart lands, observe your arm movement after every throw. The end position tells you whether the technique was correct. ### Self-observation without tools Consciously hold your arm in the end position after every throw. Pay attention to the direction of your fingers. Feel whether your arm is relaxed or tense. Mentally check whether the position is the same for every throw. This self-observation has limits. You cannot see yourself from the outside and cannot reliably recognise subtle deviations. Moreover, conscious observation distracts from the natural movement sequence. ### Video analysis A camera filming you from the side shows the arm extension and vertical direction. A camera from behind shows lateral deviations. Slow motion recordings make details visible that are not recognisable in real time. The problem: Manual video analysis is time-consuming. You have to view each recording individually, compare positions and identify deviations. For meaningful insights you need many throws, which makes the analysis even more labour-intensive. ### Measurable metrics What really helps are objective, measurable values. Instead of a subjective assessment you need numbers you can compare. How many degrees does your elbow deviate from full extension? By how many degrees do your fingers point beside the target? How consistent is your end position over ten, fifty, a hundred throws? These metrics enable real training. You do not only see that something is wrong. You see exactly what is wrong and whether it is improving. Why consistency matters more than perfection -------------------------------------------- A widespread misconception: The follow-through must match an ideal form. In truth, consistency matters more than perfection. A player with a slightly deviating but consistent follow-through will achieve better results than someone whose technique is theoretically optimal but different with every throw. Consider players like Raymond van Barneveld or Adrian Lewis. Their techniques are not textbook perfect. But they are reproducible. With every throw the movement looks the same. This consistency allows the player to calibrate their technique and hit reliably. This does not mean technical errors should be ignored. It means the prioritisation must be right. First consistency, then optimisation. An inconsistent but theoretically correct throw is worth less than a consistent, slightly deviating one. ### Measure spread instead of evaluating individual throws The consistency of the follow-through can only be assessed over several throws. A single throw says little. It becomes interesting when you look at the spread: How much does your end position vary from throw to throw? High spread in the follow-through correlates directly with high spread on the board. If you reduce the variance in your technique, you reduce the variance in your hits. That is the core of technique training. How mydart analyses the follow-through -------------------------------------- mydart uses AI-powered movement recognition to measure your follow-through in real time. The app captures the position of your arm after every throw and calculates concrete metrics from it. The most important metrics mydart provides: - The degree of elbow extension in degrees - The deviation of finger direction from the target in degrees - Shoulder stability during the throw - Follow-through consistency over multiple throws After every session you see not only your average values but also the spread. You recognise whether your follow-through is constant or varies strongly. You see trends over time and can trace how your technique is developing. The app also recognises patterns: If your follow-through worsens toward the end of a session, it suggests fatigue. If it varies more under pressure, it shows mental factors. These insights help you train more effectively. Instead of spending hours evaluating videos, you receive feedback immediately after the throw. You see what you need to correct and can implement it on the next throw. This immediate feedback significantly accelerates the learning process. Practical exercises for a better follow-through ----------------------------------------------- Technique training for the follow-through begins with awareness and ends with automation. The following exercises help you develop a consistent follow-through. ### The freeze exercise Throw a dart and hold your arm in the end position for a full three seconds. Do not move. Do not correct. Just hold. Observe where your arm is. Repeat this for every throw in a complete session. This exercise forces you to consciously perceive the follow-through. You will quickly notice when your end position is different with every throw. The pause after the throw prevents you from fooling yourself. ### The wall exercise Stand with your back to the wall so that your elbow and upper arm touch the wall. Now perform only the forearm movement of a throw. The upper arm stays against the wall. This exercise isolates the forearm movement and makes upper arm movement impossible. Practise this movement without a dart until it feels natural. Then add a dart but do not throw. Only perform the movement. Only when the isolated movement is solid, step away from the wall and throw normally. ### The slow motion exercise Perform the throwing motion extremely slowly. So slowly that you feel every millimetre. The arm should take ten seconds for the complete movement. This exercise sharpens body awareness and makes tension or uncontrolled movements noticeable. Do not actually throw in this exercise. It is only about the movement. The dart should lie loosely in your fingers at the end, not fly away. Ready to measure your follow-through? --------------------------------------- Register for free and let mydart analyze your throwing technique. [ Register free ](https://mydart.app/register) Follow us [ ](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588643532421) [ ](https://www.instagram.com/mydart.app/) [ ](https://www.tiktok.com/@mydart.app) [ mydart ](https://mydart.app/en) Improve your throwing technique with real-time feedback and pose tracking. Also available on iOS [ ![Download mydart on the App Store](https://mydart.app/storage/apple-black-en.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/de/app/mydart-app/id6762560486) Product - [Features](https://mydart.app/en/features) - [Price](https://mydart.app/en/pricing) - [Blog](https://mydart.app/en/blog) - [Partnerships](https://mydart.app/en/partnerships) Account - [Register](https://mydart.app/register) - [Login](https://mydart.app/login) Legal - [Imprint](https://mydart.app/en/imprint) - [Privacy](https://mydart.app/en/privacy) - [Terms](https://mydart.app/en/terms) - [Giveaway Terms](https://mydart.app/en/beta-gutschein) © 2026 mydart. All rights reserved.