If you have just started playing cornhole, either with your family or friends, and want to improve your skills, then you need to understand some basic strategies and physics to be successful. Cornhole has of course increased in popularity in recent years and that means there are actual tournaments to compete in for prizes, money and of course fame and glory. Okay, okay, maybe the glory part is a bit over the top, but it’s good to daydream a little every now and then.
Cornhole Strategy: The Draw
If you want to get a good score in the Cornhole game, you need to be able to throw the bean bags with a certain level of consistency. Some people prefer to grab an edge of the bean bag and throw it that way, but you lose control over the momentum of the bag itself. The best way to hold cornhole bags is by cupping them in your hand, like you’re throwing a softball pitch. Use an underhand motion and release in a steady moment.
The way you throw cornhole bags can be as important, if not more so, than any other strategy to date.
Cornhole Strategy 2: The Goal
While the main goal is to get the cornhole bags into the small six-inch hole in the cornhole boards, it’s not always the best strategy to go for the hole. The reason is that you can still score points with your bags, as long as they stay on the cornhole boards and don’t slide onto the grass, pavement, or wherever you’re playing at the time.
Standing 27 feet from the dash, that six-inch hole will seem even smaller and even the landing pad, the dash, won’t seem like a welcoming place for anyone’s beanbags. Your main target should be the front third of the board. The bag will bounce or slide, depending on the trajectory you choose to launch the beanbags. The higher the angle, the less movement the bag will make once it hits the backboard.
Strategy 3: The Angle
Now when you throw the bean bags, the angle of the throw will affect what happens once it lands on the board. A lower angle launch will slide a lot more, often off the back or side of the cornhole boards. A steeper angle will bounce back, but stop a bit closer to your initial landing location. Sliding the bag down the center will give you the best chance of getting it into the hole.
It takes practice to get good at anything, so if you’re interested in becoming an exceptional cornhole champion, you’ll need to practice and develop your own unique strategies to suit your personal preferences.