Hotshots has been designed to allow children to participate in darts with a minimum of competition. Results in Hotshots are played down - rewards if any should be in self improvement and competence areas. Young players need quick success, as interest can be crushed by early and constant set back.
The Hotshots Dartboard (right) is designed for safety. There are no wires on the board
separating numbers like on a normal board, cancelling out any bounce outs. Soft tip darts are
used on these boards.
RULES FOR HOTSHOTS
To assist the young players, the height of the board may be lowered 23cm to 150cm from
the centre of the bull's eye to the floor. The throwing distance will remain the same which is
237cm measured along the floor.
Coaches should be conscious and alert that the height of the board should be in relation to
the maturity and size of the student rather than age, and if two stands are necessary then
this will be the case.
Time frame for each group will depend on the school however, 40 minutes is recommended
for primary school students.
Group sizes should be kept to a minimum so as to ensure the coach or coaches are in control
and they can readily handle the group size. If in the opinion of the coach that the group size is too large to handle then teachers must be informed, and the group split into two, the session time will be reduced. Remember safety is paramount. If groups are going to be continually large then the coach must enlist the aid of another coach for the duration on the visits.
Coaches must ascertain if the students have any medical disability, any current injury, or have any problems that should preclude them taking part in this activity. This warning must be stated at every lesson. Teachers should also be made aware of this requirement, so enlist the help of them, as they know the students. Not all students will be forth coming with accurate information.
HOTSHOT GAMES
This is a short list of games that can be played on the Hotshot board. These games are for children to enjoy and have fun, and are designed to help with learning and skill development, also to introduce them to the sport of darts.
GAME 1 - BINGO
The object of this game is to see who can hit the chosen numbers first. All the numbers on the board are placed in a hat. Each person has a shot at the bull and the closest gets to pick the first number; this is the number that the first person must hit using three [3] darts. Each person takes a turn to throw at their number, if they hit their number they pick another one. This carries on till the player or team has hit a predetermined amount of numbers, the one who has the most numbers is the winner. This can be played as an individual or a team event depending on the size of the group.
GAME 2 - HIT THE SPOTS
This game is as it suggests, the idea is to set a predetermined amount. The player or team is
the winner who has hit the required amount of spots.
GAME 3 - CRICKET
The object of this game is to get the opposition out for the lowest amount of runs.
The Bowling team must hit the "Bulls-Eye" to get a wicket, x amount of wickets
determine each innings The batting team must score as many runs as they can
before they are bowled out, all scores count as the value they represent IE spot
20 is 60 runs. If the batting team hits the "Bulls-Eye" they lose a wicket.
The highest scores after two innings are the winner. This game can be modified depending
on the age group and skill of the players. The bowling team always goes first.
GAME 4 - 301
The object of this game is to score 301 with the least amount of darts. Finishing on a double, or starting on a double, or increasing the game to 501 or 601 can increase the degree of difficulty. Addition or subtraction can be used for this game.
There are many more games that can be played on the hotshot's board, these are the basics to get the students or beginner started. If the coach thinks there is a need for a different variety to be introduced they have the authority to do so.
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