You may know the game cornhole by other names—bean toss, bag toss, bags, corn toss—but no matter what you refer to this game as, it’s never going out of style. In fact, cornhole has become so popular that it’s even covered nationally by major networks.
On a more local level—your backyard, cornhole is a friendly (or a competitively not so friendly) game that brings family and friends together during holiday weekends, birthday parties, celebration events, and more. And with Memorial Day right around the corner, (May 29th), now’s the perfect time to learn the ins and outs of this favorite game from a cornhole pro.
Jacob Trzcienski, ACL pro, shares his love for the game along with his top tips to take your next game to the next level. Hint: the main objective is to have fun! But seriously, it’s much more fun when you win backyard bragging rights.
Interestingly enough, “A carpenter from the 14th century made a safer way for kids to play the game after he had noticed them trying to throw rocks into a groundhog’s hole,” explains Trzcienski. Soon after, the bags and boards were invented.
Many years later, Trzcienski explains the American Cornhole League (ACL) was started by Stacey Moore, the commissioner, and founder, who had created the league with organized events around 2015 when he realized cornhole was taken more seriously than most backyard games.
It’s safe to say the game of Cornhole stuck and is now a staple in many homes and enjoyed by millions!
Cornhole Explained
The popular lawn game is easy (and fun) to play. All you need are two players or two teams to get the fun started. Each player takes turns tossing a bean bag onto the raised and angled cornhole boards.
The goal of the game is to score the most points by landing the bag inside the hole or on the board itself. The first team (or player) to 21 points, wins!
8 beanbags (4 bags per team/players—a bag of 8 could run you about $20 on Amazon.)
Cornhole Scoring
Traditionally, cornhole is played to 21 points.
You Gain:
3 points if the beanbag lands inside the hole of the board.
1 point if the bag lands anywhere on the board.
Zero points if the bag doesn’t land on the board or in the hole.
How to Toss the Bag (Body Position Matters)
Surprisingly there isn’t a ‘perfect’ or top-secret way to toss the bag and win the game every time, as not a single professional has the same throw style. “Quite literally, everyone has a different type of throw, and some maybe even have a different rotation on the bag.” Says Trzcienski.
However, leg position is pretty important. “Now, what I prefer for everyone getting into the game is right leg forward because it takes your hip out of the way for your arm to get behind you,” says Trzcienski.
He also tells everyone to do what’s comfortable for them. This might look like leading with your left foot or with both of your feet evenly placed.
The goal is to be comfortable and have fun!
How to Handle the Bag
Holding the Bag: “Holding a bag is hands down the most important thing,” says Trzcienski. “So, what I tell the people I give lessons to is: Keep your grip consistent and stay with one, don’t change it up.”
Releasing the Bag: Your release point in Trzcienski’s eyes is what he considers a free throw. “Stay with one grip and release, if you repeat it enough it will soon turn to muscle memory,” he says.
Proper Form: In the game of cornhole, proper form is called a “flat bag”. This is when you throw the bag flat. This allows the bag to go straight 100 percent of the time, whereas if you throw a rotated bag and it lands on a corner it will not go straight 100 percent of the time. “Plenty of physics behind this game,” says Trzcienski.
Courtesy of Jacob Trzcienski
How to Train for Cornhole
The best way to train for cornhole is like anything else you want to improve on—lots of repetition. Playing solo is a great place to start. “Seeing how many bags you can put in the hole in a row is a great way,” says Trzcienski. Plus, playing and practicing alone can actually be pretty fun.
Also, by putting yourself in game situations when practicing by yourself will help, however, Trzcienski feels playing against someone helps your mental side of the game.
“Many don’t look at that aspect and I always have since I started, Iron sharpens iron, therefore, leading you to get better.” He says.
With that, repetition is key, training alone or with a partner will only increase your confidence in the game.
Placing a level one block is the most effective way from stopping your opponent from putting all four bags in. “It’s best to do it early in the game because if you miss your block, it can be an easy two points for the other team.,” explains Trzcienski.
Now if you’re down by a lot and need the momentum to change it’s a very good way to throw your opponent off.
Most of the time, it is usually means sliding the bag in, so everyone tends to throw the considered sticky side on a bag, but some bags are a lot quicker than others on each side. Flipping the bag over is when you need to push through one or two bags, etc.
Final Thoughts:
“Anyone can play and anyone can win!” says Trzcienski, and he doesn’t believe talent wins the game. “Of course, it helps to have natural ability and good genetics for certain things, however, if you put in the time and effort, no matter what it is, you will have a great outcome—you just need to stay consistent and give it time!”
