It takes practice to improve

By David Fatum

Lately I have had a number of people approach me asking, �How can I get better?� My short answer usually is to practice but the real answer is you need to practice correctly and have a simple, consistent throw.

Often when I tell players they need to practice, they respond with, �I do, I play league or tournaments four nights a week.� Let me start by saying, playing league is not practice and playing league too much may actually hurt your progress. League is just that, league. You show up, throw a bit, hang out, drink a couple beers and get your rounds in so you can go to your big tourney in the spring or summer.

With tournaments, unless you throw a lot between matches and advance far into it, you do not throw that many darts. Now if this were the way to get better then everyone would be playing well but that is not the case.

There have been a few articles in the past about the mechanics of a throw so I do not need to belabor the point; but simpler is better. The more moving parts you have, the more that can go wrong when you are under pressure.

I have seen numerous crazy styles that may lead a player to moderate success but can never hold up in tight situations or be consistent enough to achieve the highest level. If you look at the best players in the world, you find very similar styles among them. There is no hopping, no lunging, no big lean into the board and definitely no jerky release.

You will find them to be very still with just arm movement and an extremely smooth release. Here is a little drill you can try to see how simple and stable your throw is. Stand on one foot and throw your darts. If you feel like you are going to fall over or you are spraying all over the board you may want to consider changing how you deliver the dart.

When you practice it is important to have goals, not to just stand there and throw aimlessly. You may want to start by hitting all three darts into the same number before you can move on to the next number. Do this going around the board and keep track of how many throws it takes to complete the board. Then the goal of the next session is to improve on this result and set a new standard to achieve. Also, you may try to hit 50 bulls and see how many darts it takes and then try to improve on that in following sessions.

Without a goal and a routine you are not going to use your practice time effectively. As you notice improvement your confidence will begin to grow, which will raise your performance even higher. You should only practice as long as you can maintain concentration. A good time frame is about 30-60 minutes to begin with.

Practice is how you improve your throw, develop your hand-eye coordination and gain confidence. Leagues and tournaments are where you demonstrate it, not improve it. Use your practice effectively to refine your throw and you will improve your overall success with it. So keep the practice interesting, record results and challenge yourself to take your game to the next level.