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" No one knows the exact history of cornhole, the lawn game involving tossing small bags at rectangular, wooden boards with a hole in them. Some say Germans invented it in the 1300s. Others claim that the Native American Blackhawk tribe started it when they stuffed dried animal bladders with corn and threw them around for entertainment. If you&amp;#039;ve ever played cornhole, however, you&amp;#039;re probably not thinking about any of that while throwing bags. You&amp;#039;re most likely pondering some combination of the following: &amp;quot;This is absurdly fun&amp;quot;; &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t see why I can&amp;#039;t day-drink all the time&amp;quot;; and &amp;quot;How the hell can I get better at this?&amp;quot; Luckily for you, we interviewed a couple guys who can help with that last thought, just in time for lawn-game season. Mike Whitton is the president of the American Cornhole Association. Eric Hinerman is a professional cornhole player with five years under his belt, and the director of certified officials for the American Cornhole Organization. The ACA is focused on the amateur aspects of cornhole and the ACO is all about expertise, complete with pro tours. If you really want to be the best cornhole player, we suggest you heed their advice.   Get comfy. &amp;quot;The first thing you have to do is find a comfortable stance and throw that works for you,&amp;quot; says Hinerman. The most common stance and throw is to step forward with your opposite foot and then launch the bag with your dominant hand. But some people stand still, and others step and throw with their dominant side. Whatever your method, make sure your throw is fluid, &amp;quot;like a golf swing,&amp;quot; explains Hinerman.  Don&amp;#039;t be greedy. Whitton advises amateurs to keep things simple. &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t think about the hole,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;Concentrate on putting the bag on the first six inches of the board and using the velocity to slide it into the hole. People who shoot for the hole usually miss.&amp;quot;  Relax, idiot. As with any sport, once you&amp;#039;ve played enough times, the main obstacle to winning is all in your head. Hinerman estimates that about 90 percent of losses occur because of a &amp;quot;mental breakdown,&amp;quot; and Whitton agrees. &amp;quot;When you think too much about the game, you tend to tighten up a bit,&amp;quot; Whitton says. Try to breathe and have some fun. After all, you&amp;#039;re throwing a bag at a board. It&amp;#039;s not exactly the most intense undertaking.  Spin that thing. Hinerman tells me that a flat, spinning toss is vital to getting the bag where you want it to go. Unfortunately, he says this is the step that takes the longest. It might sound odd, but picture the bag as a Frisbee. You wouldn&amp;#039;t throw a Frisbee end over end, would you? Only if you don&amp;#039;t like having friends. Otherwise, you&amp;#039;d want a nice, flat throw with good spin. This is how you should be throwing your bag.  Fling Four Ways. There are four shots that every cornhole player should master: The slider, blocker, push, and air mail. As Whitton explained, the slider is landing the bag on the front of the board \u2014 about six inches from the hole \u2014 and sliding it in. The blocker is dropping your bag near the hole in an effort to prevent your opponent from using the slider. The push is nudging your bag into the hole or knocking a blocker out of the way. And the air mail is the most exciting (and most difficult) shot \u2014 sending it right into the hole.  Practice. Both Hinerman and Whitton told me that as with most things, practicing is the only way to get better. So take all this advice, set up the boards, grab a cold beer from the fridge, and get out there.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/health/how-to/a22660/how-to-play-cornhole/>