Practise
Why practise? Well basically this is a time that you can have to improve your game, practise out shots and focus on weak areas of your game. It is as important to practise hitting big scores as it is the double and finishing combination. Remember a game isn’t won until the double is hit (most games).
Like most sports or games warm up before a games is important. Unlike pure athletes you are unlikely to pull a muscle or suffer injury playing darts, however a good warm up routine will prepare you for a match, it will help improve your match games and improve your confidence.
If you feel your arm is a bit tight, before you try to throw stretch your muscles by extending your arm while turning it. Flex and twist your wrist hands and fingers. All of this will help loosen your arm for throwing.
Practise - High Scoring
It doesn’t matter what standard of player you are but hitting high consistent scores in a game is an essential part of the game. A consistent high scorer is more likely to win a game than one that occasional hits a 180/140 then 60 / 45. We have all been there at some stage but how do you improve? Practise of course and here are a few games I play to improve my game
A good game to help you practise is to set yourself a target for hitting 60+, 80+, 100+, 120+, 140+ and dare I say the magic 180! Set a target against each score, lets say 10 you now have a virtual opponent! Start by trying to hit 60 or more with three darts if you hit 60 or more you score a point if you fail to score 60 then your virtual opponent scores a point the first to ten wins!
This sort of practise will help you focus on your scoring you will be play a virtual opponent that is consistent and as you win more move the target up. For warming up don’t set you target to high.
If in a match you can score 10 - 20 more than the person you are playing against you will have an advantage when you come to finish, it may mean you will have the first shot at the double, even if you throw second in a leg.
Practise - Checkouts
Although I have placed a checkout chart on this site to help people not sure of finishing there are more way to finish than I have illustrated and in fact many of the two dart out shots would not be considered by players when they have three darts in their hand. But it is important to practise finishing as much as heavy scoring. If you can’t hit doubles consistently then you will lose more games than you will win even if you are a heavy scorer.
There are many ways to practise doubles, you can play a game of round the clock hitting each double in turn and set a target of the number of darts you take to hit them all then try to better yourself by beating the previous score. This practise is fine but I would concentrate more on doubles that break down easily and the higher numbers example:
20, 10, 5
16, 8, 4, 2, 1
18, 9
Most games you will see played are finished on these doubles, why? Two reasons:
1) They breakdown easily that means if you hit the big number as apposed to the double you will still be on another double.
2) High score finishes often involve high doubles.
Practising doubles.
I suggest you first choose a double lets say 16 and then set a time to score as many of the doubles as you can within the time. A 10 – 15 min on a practise session should help you improve your chances when it comes to a match. If you can hit any double within two darts you are at a good standard.
Another way of helping you finishing is to play a game where you have to hit a number or combination of numbers before the double. An example of this could be 33 hit number 1 then double 16 once you hit it more the number up to 35 and practise all the finishes. This will improve your ability to hit all sectors of the board as well as doubles.
Practise game called '27'
Another good game for practise is called 27.
27 is the number of points you begin with. Your first three darts are for double one, and so on until twenty and then bull. For each hit you get the value of the double hit (three double fours would score 24). If you miss three darts at a double you lose the value of that double. If your score reaches zero you lose. A good score is 400, and a very good score is 600. Once again, keep a record of your scores and your personal best.
Boards
The game of darts is all about hand eye coordination. Some board manufactures also produce boards that have half size doubles and trebles the aim of this is to help you improve your accuracy. If you have ever played on a Manchester log leg board then you will know what I mean. The doubles here are approximately 3mm wide! Playing on these boards will without question help you improve you game on standard board. But if you don’t have a board like this then you can help improve you accuracy in the following way.
Targets
Close grouping of darts is always considered a good thing as this shows consistency of throwing, but when you are throwing for trebles and doubles some times darts my cover / block a clear view of your objective and focusing on smaller area is necessary. I have found you can enhance your accuracy by placing a sticker or match stick in an area of the board that you want to hit. Here you aim for the sticker or match stick, your focusing and hand eye coordination will improve. If you are very skilful use a non safety match and try lighting from your throw (Don’t worry it won’t set the board on fire!)
Match warm up
If you can play others that are equal or slightly better than you before a match then this will help you when you come to play but if that’s not possible the have a virtual opponent. Set a game target i.e. number of darts to finish a game your virtual opponent will always hit. If you are a consistent 60 scorer set your target at 24 darts this sounds a lot when you look at the pro’s playing but I have watched and played in hundreds of pub and club games and you will be surprised how many games are won in 24 darts or more! Your objective is to score 501 and finish on a double within 24 darts. If you are of a standard that hits regular 100+ then set a target of 16 darts. A 16 dart game is considered very good throwing. The same rules apply score 501 with a double finish and see how many you win against your virtual opponent. If you are playing a 24 dart game and winning most or all bring the target down to 21 dart (i.e. a throw less and so on). This way you will feel some pressure to hit consistently.
There is no substitute for match play, the pressure is on, you either perform on the night or you don’t. Many good players can hit the big scores in practise but can’t when it comes to matches. I believe I fall into this category. Nerves and others expectations can all add to the tension and any tightening of the arm will inhibit your throw. The best advice I can give is arrive early so you can have a good practise before your match, play the game through your mind and concentrate on your scores not your opponent's above all enjoy the game, we can’t all win all of the time.
If you have any effective practise routines that you use why not post them on the forum.
Practising Trebles
Here is a nice easy warm up game that helps improves your accuracy around the board.
Many people play around the clock to help improve their accuracy around the board and this is also a good game for beginners to play as it focuses on different individual targets. But here is a variation which I call 180!
First of all this warm up game or practice game is not about scoring 180’s it is about practising trebles around the board. The practice game can also be played as a game against an opponent or on your own.
How you play.
Your basically throw three darts at each number in turn aiming for the treble i.e. 3 darts at number 1 or treble one. If you hit a single one you score 1 point if you hit a treble you score 3 points the most you can score in any throw is 9 points. Regardless if you hit a single or treble of the first number you move to the next number in this case no 2 and repeat the feat. A single 2 scores 1 point and treble scores your 3 points. You continue around the board until you have completed all twenty numbers and then add your total. If you manage to throw three trebles on each throw your will score 180 hence the name!
If you are playing this game by yourself I suggest you set yourself a target i.e. 60 points. This means you only need to hit three singles in each number to achieve this point’s target. If you are a regular player set this target higher I suggest 75 – 80. Alternatively keep a running total of your scores and aim to better the score the next time you play. You will be surprised how this basic game will improve your overall game.
Doubles should you hit one only score 1 point and you can only score on the number in turn.
To give you a guide on your performance:
Playing as a Game?
If you play the 180 as a game against friends then you can add an extra dimension to it.
180 can be play with 2 or move players but this extra dimension can spice the game up a bit more.
If a player fails to score on a number in a round of three darts then their score becomes frozen and they proceed no further. Other players continue until 20 or until they miss a number and become frozen. The highest total wins.
* courtesy of www.darts501.com
