“ There’ s more( to it) than just throwing a bag. There’ s a defense to it, if you want to do that. You’ ve got four bags – a lot of times people like to throw that first bag, which is called a blocker bag. They throw it to stop in front of the hole and make your opponent do what he’ s going to do, whether he’ s going to try to slide in around yours( or) throw an‘ air mail’ and just go over yours into the hole. Normally, when they do that, they’ re going to make a mistake. And when they do, that’ s when you try to capitalize on the next bag by trying to push it. … It’ s really a fun game if you’ ve never thrown it.
““ For me, it’ s like a family atmosphere,” Shepherd adds.“ I’ ve met so many friends that I consider friends for life that I’ d have never met it I didn’ t play cornhole.”
So You Want To Play Cornhole?
American Corhole Organization players Terry Mathis and Jeff Shepherd Sr. offered some advice for novice cornhole players.
“ When you’ re first starting out, try to get your bags to land flat,” Mathis says.“ You want to make sure you’ re lined up to the hole every time. Find your place, find where you want to hit and try to hit that spot every time.
“ All I’ ll say is go out and practice, or just go out and have a good time. That’ s all it is.” Shepherd advises players to avoid getting nervous or frustrated in the beginning.“ It’ s a fun sport,” he says.“ It’ s a hobby. It’ s not life or death.”
As with horseshoes, softball or bowling, there’ s a certain level of skill that comes with practice.
“ There’ s different throws, believe me,” Shepherd says, adding that players eventually find what works for them.“ Me and Terry, we’ ve seen people who hold the bags by one little corner and try to throw it one way. I wouldn’ t recommend that for anybody, but we’ ve seen one guy that does it so long, he’ s pretty good at it. But I’ d say most of your top 40 players, they throw a flat, spinning bag.”
The ACO uses regulation boards and bags with a slick side and a sticky side. The bags are filled with plastic resin beads( bugs and rodents are less apt to snack on them over the classic corn-filled bags).
“ The bags we use are anywhere from $ 50 to $ 80 a set,” Shepherd says.
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