Practice routine (second half)

After I have finished straight throw training I play a round or two of 'cricket' to concentrate on accuracy. This is the Dartscorer software version of the game aiming for 20,19,18,17,16,15 and bull. If I score less than 14 I repeat the round because this score is equivalent to two singles per target, which based on my experience is the minimum accuracy to avoid a sound whooping in a pub game. I am actually aiming for the treble bed each time I shoot, so in a way is preparation for hitting big cover shots and set up trebles in matches. It could be argued that as a poor pub standard player I should forget about trebles and aim for the big number as there is a greater chance I might hit it. I tend to disagree with this theory because I think I gain more by practicing the art of aiming itself, since I am rehearsing the feeling of concentrating on a small target which is the best way to throw any shot. Awareness of this fact allows me to be realistic about my chances of hitting the trebles whilst at the same time pushing myself to throw at a small target which is a happy learning zone to be in and prevents me from frustration at failing regular cover shot trebles. Or to put it another way I can be extremely positive about chalking up '1' point for a single if I concentrated hard on the treble bed and threw near, but not in it.

The next routine I follow depends on my confidence level. If I am throwing reasonably well I will play Dartsnutz doubles routine and mark my score which the software automatically records on Dartscorer. My aim is to throw repeated darts at certain doubles so If I am really confident I will also play Bob's 27s double routine which also takes away points for missing a bed. I mention confidence since I believe it is important not to stand throwing missed darts over and over. The hitting of a double requires good technique, concentration and the total belief that you can hit the target. I also like to play against the computer starting from low numbers such as 60 and 48 to add realistic match pressure to finishing with a single then a double. It must be said that I am not totally happy about the effectiveness of my doubles routines but I wander how much of this is down to my slightly dodgy throw to begin with. I am in the process of refining my throw and I expect I will streamline my doubles routine to be quicker and easier to score, to facilitate more instant feedback and little bits of  progress within a session once I have done this. At the moment I find that my straight throw does not translate well around the board because of too much elbow and drawback deviation, so I often flail at doubles and get annoyed towards the end of a practice session. A long doubles routine seems to compound problems and I need to find a quicker routine and perhaps segue way into a new game to end practice sessions on a more positive note.