Practice routine (first half)

I base my practice around short addictive games since repetition is important to develop any motor skill, along with an achievable target that you can get to in a short amount of time without slogging at it for too long. I warm up for a few throws by throwing the first dart and then trying to hit it again with subsequent darts, as this is a nice loosener that depends on the follow through of the arm without too much focus on the aiming point to begin with.  I then play two legs against the computer, since any darter should be able to step up to the oche and play with very little warm up as this happens all the time in pub darts. I then focus on developing a straight throw by watching some videos of players with great throws. John Lowe's 9 dart video is a favourite of mine: Lowe keeps so still when throwing and his arm moves like a well oiled piston in an engine. I try to recreate this movement and aim to score 101 or more in 6 darts. This is the classic challenge from TV's Bullseye programme and if I can do it in 6 then I know I am scoring a 50.5 average which puts me on track for the magic 51 ave. I am aiming for long term. The other game I play at this stage is to put 3 darts in the fat 20 bed since grouping darts closely together is a key skill. I then move onto try and score 50 in a turn aiming just at the bullseye, since this would equate to  around a 50 average for a turn and also prepares my arm for 'middle for diddle' sessions when winning the bull can give you a huge advantage. My next challenge is to score 9 or more in a turn hitting only single three or double three which again, keeps my arm straight and gives me valuable extra practice on a tricky area of the board. I then spend the next 5mins trying to get two double 20s in a turn since this is the most important double on the board.

I know I finished the last paragraph on a hugely contentious point so I thought I would let it hang there for a bit before justifying my statement: double top is the most important double to practice because it is a straight throw. A straight throw is the fundamental challenge of darts for me since my darts waver, wibble and weep all over the shop at the best of times. Practice on double top also supports practice of high scoring 20s which is essential to win legs, and bullseyes which can give you first throw and a psychological edge in a leg. I also find that since I can sometimes hit two double tops in a throw I feel more confident throwing just one dart into the target in a pressure situation. Not only that but I also feel more able to hit double 1 or 5 since they require very little deviation in the straight throw.

Having said all this I do recognise that double 16 is numerically the best double to end up on on a competitive game since it splits down to x8-x4-x2-x1 if you go inside and miss which in my matches is more or less inevitable. Today when practising I did not make it to the second half of my practice routine because I lost my discipline on the 2x tops game and carried on way past 5mins. I practiced myself into a deep black hole of crapness. I got further and further away from a solid throw and nowhere near the tops-tops shot I was aiming for, to the point where my arm ached and I could not hit the back of a cow with a banjo! I hope to regain my composure next time when I will also detail the second half of my practice routine and the other short games I play to hone in on the different phases of a darts match.