Where have i been?

I have been slowly recovering from a shoulder impingement that has prevented me from playing darts. It is around 15 months since I injured myself playing for too long in a marathon session of darts. I have been playing left handed to keep enjoying the social side of darts but there is only so good I feel I can get throwing lefty: good enough to nick the occasional leg but not good enough to get my average up to consistent pub team standard.

Anyway, thanks to profesional physio and daily exercises i am gradually getting back to throwing right handed again. I can manage around 4 legs of 501 without major problems and have been practicing again right handed. I was even able to enter a fun tournement with friends last week and I made the semis throwing predominantly right handed. I even threw a 180 in warm up, which boosted my confidence and illustrated how further on my standard can be with my dominant hand!

The interesting thing is that I think my experience learning left handed can only benefit my all round game. I feel I know more about throwing dynamics amd more importantly about the effect of expectation on ability. Often when throwing lefty I am much freer in attitude when going for game shot. Now to harness that power and relearn my throw to see if I can get my game up to my goal of pub A team standard, slowly.

Unfinished business

On Jan 1st I played a four hour darts session in the pub and the result was an rsi type injury in my throwing hand that has forced me to take time off from darts. I was intending of throwing lots of games early January and recording my averages to see if my year of determined dartedness had improved my scores. Instead I have been wearing a wrist support and have been watching my hand twitch of an evening, after moderate hand use at work for typing etc.

I am tentatively trying the odd 10 minute throw now, and will take baby steps towards regular throwing again. Whether or not I will be able to get back to my best form or not I will have to see but it seems a shame not to conclude my year long experiment. Also MVG has just thrown two 9 darters in one match so I am stoked to get throwing again:)

Where is it all going?

I have been working on grouping darts around key areas of the board which encourage straightness and improve my aiming in general. Something I have come to realise is that aiming is as much a dark art as it is a science when it comes to the human brain. By this I mean that the best players do not have a method so much as look at the target and then throw at the target. If you were to ask them which part of the hand lines up with the target etc. you would likely get an answer such as "I don't think about it." Aiming is a largely dynamic method with the brain calculating all sorts of variables and subtle changes as the throwing arm moves. In order to process all these calculations most efficiently the brain needs to be relaxed and actually unfocussed on the subject of aiming! I discovered this theory through an interesting article online (sorry I lost the link) regarding gun shooting and it also explained the perennial beginners' mistake of looking too much at the hand and not enough the target. I have therefore let go my search for a repeatable method to line my hand up with the target and some good things have happened as a result:

• Kill Bull personal best of 575
• Three double tops twice when going for double-double (which I spend 3mins on per practice)
• Usually 8 or 9 and an 11 target personal best at doubles when throwing at all 21 double targets. ie half the time I hit a double within 3 darts (equivalent to 17% success rate)
• When filming my follow through my action still looks good with only slight head nod and 90%+ follow through success. Body movement is minimal so long as I keep my height and don't over-lean.
• I hit my 7th 180 of the year too!

I have been asking myself what next when this month and my year of determined practice is up? To some extent moving house interfered with my momentum and improvement at darts but I am not sure things would be so different or better if I had stayed living where I was. I am aiming to achieve a 51 average but on a good day I just about touch or exceed this in only half my legs at the moment. I have had some bad results in the past week:losing at 501 to two good friends who I outscored but still lost to, and also losing to my computer set to 'pub b team' at 301 ds by quite a margin. If you could play back these legs however my scoring has been enough to get me to a double first in most of the 501 legs and in several legs (which would have changed the overall results) I have repeatedly wired attempts at winning doubles. The brutal and binary nature of darts is such that a few mm either way on the last dart is the principle deciding factor, unless you are playing cricket which can be slightly more forgiving of wayward darts.

I think the short answer is that I need to keep doing what I am doing which is thoroughly enjoying darts :) I also need to avoid mixing up this fun year-long challenge with midlife crisis-type life goal worries and anxieties which will probably ebb away once a certain key birthday comes around for me next year. I will definitely relax my determined practice routine in the new year, because I need to prioritise other more important aspects of my life. Treating this skill-learning task so seriously has been quite a burden at times but in the interests of proper scientific enquiry I have never gone more than two days or so without practice all year, and then only when ill or stuck away from home. I did not want to look back and blame a lack of effort on my part as ruining my chances to improve my darting ability. Anyway I still have 20 days left and better still, the world championships will be on TV soon which is what Christmas is all about!

Averages graphed

I have thrown a few games of 501 and recorded my winning averages. I should have also recorded losing games as well for a true average but I didn't know how to view and then subtract remaining points on my dodgy 501 phone app so I kept it simple. However I was starting to 'throw' or give away potentially losing games so they didn't harm my averages so in future I will record both winning and losing games! For the purposes of a quick measurement this graph does fairly illustrate my standard, and rather depressingly reveals my year long aim of  a regular 51 average is still a way off. However I have the rest of this month and all of December to try and improve things before a final test.

As you can see only 3/17 games dropped below the magic 30 dart leg standard I have been aiming for, although one of these was a personal best 18 darter complete with a 118 finish on the bull that left me buzzing for ages! The worst recorded leg was 42 so that is a 24 dart variance between best and worst legs which is on the one hand frustrating but on the other is understandable given how difficult it is to finish a game of darts sometimes.

When it come to finishing legs I am definitely improving and usually expect to double out in 1-3 visits. I am more consistent in my throwing action and in recent weeks have on occasion even sent all three darts into a tight grouping around the double, with the third dart as the money shot. I am always pleased If I can double out in 2 visits since I have noticed that psychologically when an opponent does this to me it is pretty much soul-crushing. A 17% checkout rate does not sound amazing as a target compared to professional standards of 40%+ (on tv) but in the real world of pub darts when an opponent is playing well finishing in 3 darts is pretty much unbeatable and within 6 darts looks just as tidy since the first 3 misses did not put them off, change their action or seemingly dent their confidence at all. You know when you face an opponent that can finish without fuss you have to outscore them by quite a margin to buy yourself those 3-6 darts to finish in before they do. This is the Phil Taylor effect that used to batter the confidence of all his opponents back in early 2000s: from the start of matches players knew they had to get to a double first because Phil would not miss doubles if his confidence soared. This extra pressure to outscore Phil meant that players games would fall apart if the first 6 darts they threw in a leg were less than spectacular. To compound the pressure Phil would win the toss and send his opponents out to bat first because he knew that the voices in their head shouting 'stay straight! stay straight!' would make their darts do anything but that!

I digress a little but the point is this: a good leg of 501 for me would be down to a double in 21-24 darts and then finishing in 6. So what does my ideal leg look like and is it really regularly achievable for me? If we postulate finishing on double top then 461-21 darts is 22 per dart for a scoring phase of 66 per three darts. This means if I throw a 100, for example then I can (and often do) follow it with a 26 and almost stay on track for the scoring phase of the game (63 mean score for those 2 visits). However if the next 3 darts drift I am pressurising the following 3 darts to be 100+ which is not realistic for my standard: I only hit tonne plus scores when I am relaxed. I tend to throw at least 3 wayward visits in a leg at the moment-say 26-30-28 (84) which would mean I have thrown away 9/21 scoring darts forcing the remaining 12 to score 31.4 per dart or a 94 scoring average for 4 more visits. It is not surprising that with such variance in the scoring phases I rarely finish in under 30 darts, but that when I do I can achieve much better legs such as my fantastic 18 darter where 3 tonne plus scores of 140, 100, 118 were mixed in with low scoring, drifting darts.

In conclusion I should be trying to secure 60 minimum per 3 darts in the scoring phase to buy myself 6 darts to finish legs in. I should not be angry at the occasional 45 or 26 but if this is more than 1 in 3 then I am never going to improve my 501 scores to the standard I wish to achieve. It is time to knuckle down and work on grouping and following the dart for the next 7 weeks to see if I can keep on the straight and narrow path towards darting excellence.

Still not settled

Moving to a new house has interrupted all aspects of my life including my quest to improve my darts averages through rigorous practice and filming of my technique. However my reduced practice time has forced me to be more economical with the time I do have. I am keeping to mostly straight dart routines and trying to avoid experimenting with technique. The only change in technique which has happened gradually since the summer is a widening of my stance feet for stability, combined with standing slightly further to the left so that my throwing arm aligns more easily with the 20 bed. Recent games have seen my throw smooth out a little and my confidence improve and as such I am finishing legs with less messing around on doubles. I took out a 70 finish last night for example with 18-12-tops; beat a better player in set play 501 last week and threw 2/3 legs of 501 in under 30 darts during a nice spell of practice this week.

I am still using my dartmate wherever there is room to set up for half an hour and I look forward to sorting out a permanent oche in the new house. For now though, decorating and other home improvements will have to take precedence. Also on my mind is that I need to devise a way to measure my progress at the end of December so I can see to what extent I have met my goal of a solid 51 average. I know I am capable of occasionally throwing legs of 501 in less than 30 darts, but I was always capable of that. What I have been aiming for this year, is to routinely throw this standard of darts. It would therefore make sense to measure my averages over a large number of throws to avoid skewing the data with short term variance, so perhaps I should be tracking my results carefully over the coming weeks so I have end of year statistics which are meaningful?

That will ruin his average!

I have put to the back of my mind escalating ‘analysis paralysis’ regarding dart throwing technique and instead I have been thinking about how I can improve my average with a more structured change of practice routine. I am throwing at my target 51 or better average some of the time so to improve my average I need to reduce or eliminate the worst mistakes I make and let my good games take care of the rest. In recent legs of 501 my worst legs were thrown in 45, 44, 41 darts so I broke the legs down into sections and analysed my mistakes. Common themes were as follows:

·         A poor start-this gives any opponent a psychological advantage from the word go

·         Only 3 scores of 60+ in the scoring phase of the game

·         Drifting, mostly to the left, sometimes to the right

·         Very low scores in 150-90 set up range-as tension increases in the arm I guess

·         Accidental awkward set up shots hitting an odd number to leave a difficult finish

·         Double trouble or splitting a nice double with a wayward dart and making it more difficult than it was

In response to this analysis I propose to work more mindfully on the different phases of a game:

·         Scoring-I suspect drifting is  likely caused by a combination of rushing, bobbing of the head and as yet undiagnosed technique issues so I should continue to video my follow through aiming at 20s and other straight throw targets

·         Initial set up phase-perhaps throwing in random legs v computer during sessions to simulate the beginning of a game and the need to ‘settle in’ quickly. I could rehearse the timing and rhythm of my setup so it always looks the same no matter which phase of the game it is

·         Scoring phase- work towards a standard of 5 x scores of 60+ out of 8 visits (=58 ish average) or 350 in 18 darts. I need to play a game which counts accuracy on 20s and rewards 3 in a bed.

·         Setting up phase-to prevent nervousness approaching a finish I need to play more setup games such as legs of 170 vs computer or 120s in 9 incrementing the finish to reward success.

·         Doubling-to avoid blobbing on high pressure finishes such as 1 double 1. I should work on so called ‘muscle-memory’ of this particular nasty or 3 darts from 5 or 15 which are also ugly out shots that can ruin your average. I also need to work on concentration gathering before shots as I can get into a negative rhythm where I no longer expect to hit the target after a certain number of misses.

My new long practice routine now looks like:

·         Warm up and visualisation of throwing technique

·         101 bullseye challenge-10mins how many successful games in a row?

·         Or 20s routine on computer-I have not done this before so no PBs to date

·         FTS score/film 20s

·         FTS score/film bullseyes

·         3mins aim to hit double-double on double top

·         Gathering/visualisation

·         Cricket aim to score 14+

·         Doubles routine record score aim to beat PBs (10-12 successful shots regularly is my long term goal 14 = PB, best score 182 since I stated using the proper scoring system)

·         170s vs computer 4 legs or 120s play for 10 mins note finish number ( go up or down for success/miss)

·         Awkward finishes from 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15: how many in ten mins?

Aiming theory

I am now faced with the prospect of some time off from darts and this could not have come at a better time because I suffered total collapse of my game the other day. I could not hit the proverbial cow's backside with a banjo and my head has been in a complete spin as to how to combat this. What started out as a slight question in my mind about the best oche position (central or sided) has quickly escalated into the belief that I need to systematically get to grips with all the tiny elements of the throw I have so far neglected. Namely:

• Eye dominance-do I need to line up the dart and target more with my eye, or at least a point on my hand for reference
• Aiming- do I need to align and focus the dart (shooting theory) or the target as I have been trying to do. My natural inclination is to focus a part of the hand initially then the target on release but I have also experimented with focussing the target only but is this correct?-I need to find out or at least settle on a method
• Breathing-do I need to consider a breathing rhythm a la Phil Taylor to exhale and then throw for maximum stillness?
• Oche stance-do I need to experiment further with extreme oche positions or invest in a proper sight-right?
• Grip-I have always taken John Part's advice ('Part's darts' which I cannot find the link for) that the grip will evolve naturally if you take care of the other aspects of the throw but I could try a change to a more precise pencil grip and see if one or two fingers on barrel is best
• Rhythm-I suffer from overthinking the third dart so much that I need to devise a steady rhythm that works for me
• Wrist cocking-to what extent do I need to angle my wrist back?

As you can see I have gone completely mad: I actually like my stance, follow through and the overall progress in the smoothness of my throw and it is only one bad match has sent me into a spin. I may have just over-leaned for one session ( I do this when trying too hard) and thrown wobbly darts accordingly and so may not need to analyse everything and change my throw!

Looking at the list I have just concocted the most fundamental issues would seem to be aiming and grip. I could spend a session messing with grip and see if I am able to throw with alternative grips but I expect that forgetting about grip will end up being the best option. Aiming I have to admit is a key issue that I have been deferring sorting out and need to tie in with oche position as one affects your perception of the other. I could spend a couple of sessions throwing say, 100 darts from extreme left and right positions and the record the results. I should note not just targets achieved but also the angle the darts go into the board, since this will reveal which is the most consistent throw. I have done this sort of thing before but only with moderate shifts in oche position so more extreme shifts could well strengthen or counter my existing theories on the matter. I will also read up on how to exploit eye dominance because a lot of darting theorists are so sure that you must draw the dart back in front of your dominant eye but Tony O'shea for example has thrown a 9 dart finish drawing to his shoulder. Raymond Van Barneveld is another example that counters this theory because Barney draws to the side of his face and I am pretty sure feels the weight of the dart as his aiming mechanism instead of lining everything up like many armchair experts recommend. I think the best aiming method for me will turn out to be the one that gives my right (dominant) eye the best view of the board and allows my thumb to pull back towards my shoulder blade and then follow through with my arm in a straight plane: whether or not I can get the thumb or the dart in alignment with my dominant eye remains to be seen.