Beginner’s Guide Part 1:
You’re new to the sport and looking for more information about how to improve, or Hell, how to even get started. Well, you have come to the right place! This will be Part One of a Three part series (maybe more if we think of other stuff) for beginners.
The game of cornhole is great for so many reasons. Anyone can play and be good at this game, you can play year round (inside for us colder weather folks) and the cost of required “equipment” is relatively inexpensive. It might seem obvious, but as a new player, who is starting to take this game more serious, the first thing you should invest in is a set of professional quality boards. In today’s market, there are seemingly hundred if not thousands of board makers. As with any product, you will have some manufacturers who produce a “pretty” product, but the quality just won’t last. A set of professional quality boards will run you anywhere from $200-450 (shipping included). When searching for boards, it is important to make sure these primary surfaces are made from ¾” wood (Baltic birch is the most common). A center brace should be seen at the midpoint of the board (underside) to reduce bouncing and improve the consistency at which the board will play. There is no worse feeling that getting a brand new set of bags that you have been waiting weeks for, only to have them ruined on your first few tosses because you threw it short and it hit the corner, puncturing your new favorite toy. The corners of the boards should be slightly rounded to avoid such catastrophes. The finish of the board (how the sliding surface is finished) is perhaps the most important. If you are serious about the game and want to begin to play in competitive type tournaments, I strongly urge you to avoid “wrapped” boards. This type of finish is typically much slower than their counterparts, and in all honesty, just don’t play as well. If you want a “custom” design on your board, search for a company like Colorado Cornhole Connection, who directly prints on their boards before finishing. It really does make all the difference. This is a non-sponsored piece, but below are some of the best manufactures out there. You can’t go wrong with any of these options:
-Colorado Cornhole Connection : Code BigAsp10 saves you 10%
-West Georgia Cornhole: Code: Doghouse saves you 15%
-Buffalo Boards
Next step! You now have your professional quality boards, you have a set of bags (we will get to bag selection in part two) and now you are ready to start throwing. The next important part to becoming more competitive at this game is developing your throw. First, decide which had you are going to throw with…if you can’t figure that part out…not sure what to tell ya. The next part of this process is to determine if you will be a “stepper” or “stationary” thrower. I can feel some people starting to get tense…”what is best?” There is no right answer. You have pros who step, pros who stand stationary and pros who even throw “granny style” between their legs (i.e. Sean Short). It is important to know you can change this over time, but I feel it’s important to go with what feels more natural and what you are most accurate with when first starting out.
You’ll hear and see talk about throwing a “flat bag”. In the beginning, don’t stress about that. Worry about developing muscle memory for the correct distance and accuracy. The “pretty” looking bag will come with time. If you’re reading this and you already have a good sense of which method works best for you, I highly recommend checking out Cornhole Science (Facebook), where ACL Pro, Anthony Ayon, does an amazing job in breaking down the subtle nuances needed in grip/release that will help to speed up your overall improvements.
In Summary, go grab yourself an awesome set of boards and starting slinging! Be on the lookout for Part Two of the beginners’ guide (practice routines and bag selection)! We hope you throw it straight and it’s nothing but four baggers from here on out!
