Q:  How do some players throw great darts without warm-ups and others, myself included need to warm up?

A:  Excellent question! I am in the same boat as you. When I first starting playing darts, I could walk in and start shooting and didn�t need to warm up at all. Now, it takes me a long time. Do I know why? Not really, but here are some clues.

Some think it is age, I totally disagree; many players who have been playing for a long time, like Chicago Bob and Tom Slivka, can walk in and shoot great. They also can usually stay consistent most of the night.

Others, I call them �Batting Practice Players�, can shoot great without warming up before the match, and when the match starts, they disappear. No matter what anyone says, it comes down to concentration.

Some guys and gals bring it all the time and others don�t. Focus, but don�t over-focus.

When the tournament or league play starts, many players try too hard; they have just been shooting excellent and now they want to force the darts.

This only leads to bad habits and more misses. We all do it, too.

Also, everyone is different. Some players can be in the middle of a story, walk to the line, hit a seven mark and go back to talking. Not me, I need total focus.

Some players have such good focus that a guy can be doing handstands on the next board and it doesn�t bother them, while others can hear a pin drop and it throws them off.

I shoot my best darts when I am relaxed and focused. When I am not, it is scary � I can hit the coin return shooting at the bull. Over-concentrating or over-focusing can lead to what is known as �Dart-Itis�, or what I call �Lock Jaw�. You are trying so hard you cannot let go of the dart.

Many great players have had it. Few completely get rid of it. One guy in Chicago had his bracket two hours behind because of this.

Focus doesn�t mean you stand and stare at the board for five minutes before each throw. That can get annoying. It means you get to the line, lock in and throw.

I think you can throw well without warming up if you are mentally prepared; if you have your mind on throwing darts, not your wife being mad at you or what you did wrong at work that day. It is not always easy to do.

Those are just my opinions and I may be wrong, but I doubt it.