What Is the Oche? Throwing Distance Explained | Oche

The word oche (say it “ockey”) is one of the first bits of darts jargon every new player meets. It simply means the throwing line — the line on the floor you stand behind to throw. But there’s an exact distance behind it, and a rule about your feet that’s easy to get wrong.

What the oche is

The oche is the marked line a player must stand behind when throwing. It can be a raised bar (a common 38 mm × 610 mm oche bar) or just a strip of tape, as long as the back edge sits on the correct measurement. Our oche guide shows how to mark it precisely.

The exact distance

Measured horizontally from the face of the board:

• Steel-tip: 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in)
• Soft-tip (electronic): 2.44 m (8 ft)

These figures come from the WDF equipment specifications and are matched by PDC steel-tip play. Measure from the spot on the floor directly below the board, not from the wall — the board stands proud of the wall, so measuring from the wall puts your line too far back.

The diagonal check

If you want to be sure, measure the diagonal from the centre of the bull to the back of the oche: a correct steel-tip setup reads 2.93 m (9 ft 7½ in). Because the height (1.73 m) and distance (2.37 m) form a fixed triangle, a correct diagonal confirms both are right. See our height and distance guide for how the three numbers fit together.

The foot-fault rule

Here’s the part that catches players out: you may lean your body forward over the line as far as you like, but no part of your foot may cross or touch the floor beyond the front edge of the oche. Stand on the line or step over it and the throw is a foul. Plant your front foot firmly behind the line and lean from the hips instead.

Practising from the right line

A throw from the wrong distance grooves the wrong muscle memory, so mark your oche once and leave it. Then the Oche X01 scorer does the rest — tracking averages and checkouts every leg so your reps from a regulation oche turn into measurable improvement.