6 Tips to Improve Your Cornhole Technique7 min read
While you may play cornhole just for fun, it’s definitely more fun if you win more often than you lose. Who doesn’t love to win, right? Even if you weren’t playing to win, you’d still want to make a decent showing. This article will help you do just that with 6 tips to improve your game. Here’s how you can get started improving your cornhole tossing technique and learn the best strategies to get a bag in-the-hole.
1. Improve Your Stance
Before you can learn how to toss a cornhole bean bag, you need to first find a stance that works for you. Footwork is crucial in cornhole, as it provides a foundation for your throw, but there’s no single technique that works well for everyone. It’s important that you find a stance that’s comfortable for you instead of simply copying the experts.
There are a few throwing stances that you can try out. Some people stand still with their feet slightly apart, so they can use all arm as they throw. In other words, their arm is the only driving force in their throw. This could help you maintain fluid movements, which is essential to improve your throw.
Others take a step forward with their opposite foot so they can gain some momentum while throwing with their dominant arm. Like in bowling, they would ideally keep one leg slightly bent behind the other, but you really need to see which of these stances would work best for you and make adjustments depending on what you feel is most comfortable.
While we’re on the topic of footwork, wearing comfortable shoes that have decent traction is a plus since if you’re taking a step forward, you definitely don’t want to accidentally slip and fall.
2. Know Where to Aim
Another vital step to improve your cornhole tossing technique is by knowing exactly where to aim. Many beginners make the mistake of aiming right at the hole, which is not surprising considering how the main goal in cornhole is to get the bag in the hole.
However, it’s very easy to miss if you do this, so avoid thinking about the hole when you’re just learning how to throw accurately. Instead, focus on hitting the bottom six inches of the board. If you throw it right, the velocity will take care of the rest and slide the bag into the hole.
Besides this, you should avoid aiming at the sides of the board. Otherwise, you’ll end up throwing lots of foul bags. Aim for the middle section of the board so even if the bag doesn’t go in the hole, it’ll be in a great position to obstruct your opponent’s throw.
If your bag manages to land in the middle of the board without getting into the hole, your opponent will be forced to try a difficult shot. They’ll either have to try throwing an “air mail,” where their bag goes over yours and into the hole or they will have to try and push your bag in with theirs. Both shots are extremely difficult to nail unless you’re an expert or professional.
3. Improve Your Grip
One of the most important factors to consider in your bean bag toss technique is your grip. If your grip isn’t right, you’re likely going to end up with a bad throw. A classic throwing mistake beginners make is to grab the bag by the corner; throwing a bag this way, will cause it to tumble over itself and land at an inconsistent angle. The bag will then have a much harder time staying on the board, much less sliding into the hole.
If you want to make sure the bag lands either in the hole or on the board, you’ll need to grip it so it lays flat even as it floats in the air. So the best way to grip it is in the same way you would hold a Frisbee, as opposed to a ball. Lay the bag flat on your palm and keep your four fingers on the bottom with your thumb on top. Keep your palm facing upwards as you throw the bag.
You can watch the following video from the American Cornhole League to get a clear demonstration of how to grip your cornhole bag. Their demonstration of how to throw the bag can also help you in improving your bean bag toss technique.
4. Give It a Spin
Another common mistake beginners make with their cornhole tossing technique is that they use an underhand throwing technique. If you toss it this way, your bag will land awkwardly on the board or even bounce off the board. In other words, you’re likely to miss the hole with an underhand throwing technique. It doesn’t matter even if you’re using the best cornhole boards that have minimal bounce.
For a more accurate throw, you need to throw your bag like you would a Frisbee. So you should give it a flat, spinning toss to make sure that the bag lands where it’s supposed to land. With this throwing technique, even the bounce will be more accurate and directed towards the hole.
Check out the following video from Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company for a demonstration of how to throw your cornhole bag. You’ll be able to see the differences in how the bags land when using an underhand throw and a spinning toss.
5. Avoid Line Drive Shots
It’s very common to see beginners taking line drive shots at the board, which gives the bag little to no arc. A flat line drive can easily bounce or slide the bag off the board, resulting in a foul bag. If you want the bag to land flat on the board, you need to keep your shots a little higher and give the bag some arc.
This technique will also help you in practicing air mail shots. Keep practicing this throwing technique so when you do need to throw an air mail to avoid your opponent’s bean bags, you’ll have a better chance of nailing the shot. For best results, try to keep your sliding shots and air mail shots at around the same height so you won’t have such a hard time throwing the latter.
6. Practice the Four Cornhole Shots
There are four types of shots involved in cornhole tossing – slider, air mail, blocker, and push. The slider or the sliding shot involves throwing the bag in such a way that it lands on the front of the board and then slides into the hole. An air mail shot involves throwing the bag right into the hole, as you would have guessed from what we have already discussed.
A blocker involves landing your bag close to the hole so that your opponent has a hard time using the slider. They will have no option but to take an air mail shot, which can be difficult to nail. A push involves knocking your opponents’ blocker out of the way or nudging your bag so it goes into the hole.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Practice
Like every other sport, mastering your cornhole technique requires a lot of practice. Before you can master how to toss your bean bags, you need to use the tips given above and keep practicing. It doesn’t matter whether you know all these techniques; you won’t really get better unless you put them into practice. So grab a cold one, set up your boards, and start practicing to improve your bean bag toss technique.
