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FAQ - Sweaty Palms

Also see the related issue tension.


I have a problem
right now in terms of sweaty palms during league  
and I think it has cost me a few big matches.
I have tried both rosin and chalk and neither work
well enough and I get some strange and humerous looks 
when I do use either of them.  Do you have any other 
suggestions /  what do the pro's use?
Ryan 
Hi Ryan,

Sweaty palms are a common problem. Of course they often result from nervousness, so I suggest a combined strategy. First, fight nervousness by mental techniques such as 'The Quiet Place', described in the first article of the mental section. The article is titled 'Tension'.

Second, do something against it on the 'mechanical' side:

Using chalk, magnesia or other such things is known, but in my opinion this doesn't produce the best results. I had the sweaty palm problem when I started to play, and I tried different things against it. Magnesia/chalk didn't quite work because it produced a 'greasy' hand surface more than improved grip. The best result was produced by simply wiping my hands with a linen handkerchief. This can be done during the match, and wiping hands/darts can also have a nice calming side-effect. If your hands get too dry this way you can 'adjust' the right 'humidity' by combining wiping with small amounts of saliva. Like pro Phil Taylor I am licking my thumb from time to time -- might not be everybody's taste, but it works.

Eric Bristow uses a 'sophisticated' chalk technique -- he puts chalk on bis left arm, and when he needs some chalk he wipes his darts on the chalky place of his left arm. This ensures that he doesn't get too much chalk on his darts/fingers.

Keith Sullivan is one of the 'wipers'. He always carries a blanket on his belt which makes him look similar to a football quarterback. He wipes his hands and darts quite frequently.

I have also seen some extensive chalk users. In the 1991 World Cup in Holland I saw a guy from New Zealand who used loads of chalk. I mean loads -- you could tell easily if he played on a board before because if he did the area around the 60 was white and dusty. Not the recommended method... this guy was soon nicknamed 'The Duster' by our team.