I have heard some say that accuracy should come later and technique should come first. I have even heard that accuracy doesn’t matter at all whether a new or seasoned practitioner. This nonsense is in and of itself inaccurate (pun intended).
What does practicing rope dart accuracy initially do for the practitioner? What are the deeper purposes? For one, it is the easiest way to enjoy the rope dart. One doesn’t need to know any techniques to have fun simply trying to aim and hit various things (tree, fence, etc).
I enjoy walking. I walk to the store, the pizza parlor, my friends house. My rope dart is always with me on these walks. Back when I knew nothing about the weapon I always had fun walking, trying to hit things (stop signs and such) and have a clean retrieval. I would give myself multiple targets in a row to hit as I walked. I was having fun with the weapon before I knew how to have fun with it. I was innocent, the ability to hit something I was aiming at was good enough for me. But what was really happening? All these years later it makes so much sense:
One, my comfort level skyrocketed; I was conditioning myself to use the rope dart as an extension of my body. Two, my fingers were getting calloused and conditioned from the constant back and forth. Three, I was learning rope dart accuracy. Four, it was just plain fun, which made me want to do it a lot. Five, I was developing a heightened proprioceptic ability, a heightened awareness of things around my body (think Spider-Sense). I had all of the conditioning taken care of before I even attempted my first shoot or wrap. I had a simple but user friendly understanding. It was only now, after this conditioning, that I could really learn the rope dart.
Point being, if the rope dart is new to you practice accuracy first. It is conditioning disguised as enjoyment.
Sometimes a practitioner has to paint a house or a fence or wax a car or sand a deck to learn the technique.