Target-based sports have two main genres: bowling and darts, each of which have a great number of variations.
Artwork from Ancient Greece, in the form of friezes, pottery and statues, attests to the prominence of such sports in the society's physical culture.
Common projectile types include balls, darts, sticks, discs and rings.
Formalised throwing sports often have strictly defined criteria for projectiles, such as a pre-determined size and weight.
[6] The type of throw used is highly influenced by the properties of the projectile: small, heavy objects are held and pushed away from the body (e.g. shot put);[7] handled objects are swung and released with one or two hands (e.g. weight throw, keg toss);[8][9] smaller, lighter objects such as balls and darts tend to use an extended overarm technique where distance or speed is required, and an underarm technique where greater precision is required.
[7][12][13] Those that are less standardised in format tend not to have highly organised competition and instead are played in a more casual or social setting.