Advanced Cornhole Strategies and Tactics | Triangle Lawn Games

Cornhole has taken the nation by storm going from a staple in backyards and breweries to tournaments and ESPN. While the casual game still accompanies social gatherings, being a professional Cornhole player is now a thing, and with it some impressive play. The top players are not tossing bags hoping it lands on the board and getting lucky when it goes in the hole. Each throw has purpose, and these top players have the ability to execute with precision. To take your game to the next level, or to just help you understand when watching on ESPN, here are some strategies and terms to bring along to your next game.

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Early in a round having board control is important. Since points cancel preventing your opponent from scoring is an important piece of a winning strategy. Throwing a blocker, placing a bag in front of the hole, makes it difficult for your opponent while leaving options open for you on later throws. A good block could force your opponent to attempt an air mail which is throwing it through the hole without first touching the board. They may try to bounce over the top of your bag, but they are risking knocking your bag in depending on how close your bag is to the hole.

In this scenario if the opponent is not confident in their ability to throw an air mail, they might throw a blocker themselves to prevent you from throwing a push shot where your blocker ends up in the hole. If this is the board scenario you find yourself in, you can now start attempting your own air mail shots or you could attempt to land a backstop shot where you land behind the hole allowing yourself to make shots more easily on future throws.

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As you position your bags around the hole you are making it more difficult for your opponent to score and setting yourself up for more scoring opportunities in the future. When down to your last bag or two it could be a good time to throw a drag shot where you try to drag the blocker or backstop in the hole if it is partially hanging over.

A round set up like this limits the total amount of points your opponent will have the opportunity to score and sets you up for racking up a bunch of points at the end as your defense turns to offense.  

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Tony Moceri is a Bellingham, WA based writer, entrepreneur and the proprietor of Yard Game Nation. Read more from Tony at https://tonymoceri.com/