Most points come from the same throw, repeated. Find one shot that works, then add the others.
Stance
Stand on the side of your throwing arm — right-handed throws from the right side of the box, left-handed from the left. Square your shoulders to the far board. Lead foot forward, weight even.
Grip
Hold the bag flat on your palm. Pinch it between your thumb and the side of your index finger. Don't crush it. A loose grip lets the bag leave your hand the same way every time.
The Throw
Pendulum swing. Arm straight, motion from the shoulder. Release at hip height with the bag flat. Step into the throw with your lead foot if you want more weight behind it.
The bag should arc, not float. Aim for a peak around the height of the far board's back edge.
Spin
Spin makes the bag land flat and grip the board. To spin, roll the bag off your fingertips on release. Right-handers spin counter-clockwise. Left-handers spin clockwise. A bag with no spin tumbles and bounces — a spinning bag lands and stays.
Practice spin first. Distance is easy to fix. Tumble is hard to fix.
Shot Types
Flop. Lands flat at the hole and stops. Used when there's nothing in the way.
Slide. Lands short, slides up the board, falls in. Slick bags slide best. The slide is the safest scoring throw — even a poor slide ends as a 1-point bag on the board.
Push. Lands behind a blocker, pushes it into the hole. Useful when an opponent's bag sits in front of the hole.
Airmail. Travels straight through the hole without touching the board. Same 3 points, more pressure. Pick airmail when there's a blocker in the way and you can't push it.
Block. Doesn't score, doesn't try to. Lands in front of the hole on purpose so your opponent has to throw over it.
Picking a Shot
Look at the board before each throw. If your last bag is on the board, throw a push. If the front of the hole is clear, slide. If a blocker is in the way and you don't trust the push, airmail.
Sticky-side bags grip the board — better for flops. Slick-side bags slide — better for, well, slides. Most regulation bags have one of each.
Drill
Throw 16 bags solo. Record bags-in, bags-on, bags-off. Do it before every session. Track every throw in BagTrax and watch the percentages move.