Searching for a rhythm

I had a Eureka moment yesterday when I theorised that the way to smooth out the rhythm of my throw might be to put some music on and try to set up, aim, pull back and throw in time to the beat. Since I am a musician I figured that all I have to do is train to a well known song then in competition I can imagine the song and then throw to the beat in my head. I know this sounds a little bit like over-thinking the throw but since I am trying to resist pausing on drawback I need all the creative ideas I can muster to beat this cursed lack of smoothness!

I experimented today with this idea of a measured drawback and  on a hunch I started by listening to "That's the way I like it" by KC and the sunshine band in my head as a potential song that would provide the right tempo.  I tried to put to the back of my mind the fact that I dislike disco music as a general rule, and how desperately uncool the KC song would be as a walk on tune if I became hooked on it! The initial benefit of this method was a glorious lack of thought and pure instinctive throwing for 5-10 mins as I pumped darts into the board with a 'four to the floor' measured throw of 'arm-aim-pullback-shoot' type pattern exactly with the beat. I quickly discovered however that a dart throw is not completely even and that the 'arm' and 'aim' portions of the throw need more time than the 'pull' and 'shoot' portions with accelerate the trajectory of the dart. The need to quickly the pull back and snap follow through on the beat was also leaving me with a half finished or soft follow through which I have heard Steve Beaton refer to as 'short-arming' the dart on one of his online tutorials.

I then put on some slower groovy music on and for a while 'Fire and Water' by Free was helping me cement the first part of the throw rhythmically but the pullback and release was still troublesome, uneven and overextended, hitting my shoulder again. In fact the slower speed was allowing my brain to kick in and start thinking too hard about the throw, which is what I am trying to interrupt in order to relearn a smoother throw. I then experimented with just a metronome click to measure the beats, so I could establish a workable tempo before deciding on a song that would suit it. The closest to a satisfactory solution I found was faster 1/8th notes at 122-125 bpm and to ensure the first part of the throw gets sufficient time I count the 'arm' and 'aim' for two beats each and the 'pull back' gets only one.

Once I turned the clicking metronome sound off and practiced on sections of the board in my usual routine I found that a rhythmic approach which also allowed time to position the arm works as follows: take stance/look at target (2 clicks) position elbow towards target(2 clicks) aim/sight the target with arm at 90o degrees to horizontal(2 clicks) pull back (1 click) and then release gives me a rhythmic framework to try again next practice. I have always taken my time on the setup part of the shot but sometimes overly so, and this method could hopefully systematise my setup and lay the foundation for a more measured throw with rhythmic momentum aiding the transition to and through the drawback and release. There is of course a danger of going down the Andy Hamilton road of an over complicated throw so I will video myself throwing again soon to check my progress.