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Dart Tips

  • Action: many people think or talk about taking action and of getting what they want, but few are prepared to take action and make it happen...
  • Barrel: if you have the best grip, you are going to get three things: control, consistency and accuracy. If you do not have the proper grip, then those three items go out the window no matter how much knowledge you have and practice you perform.
  • Grip: you are ONLY going to get the BEST GRIP from a grooved dart. These grooves incidentally, need to be wide enough for the skin on your fingers to get into.
  • The elbow: stays in position when moving the dart backward; and at some point in the acceleration phase starts to go up. The elbow should not stay fixed during the throw. A fixed elbow forces you to release the dart earlier.
  • The shoulder: is the only point in the whole dart throwing process that does not change its position. You must not move your body while throwing. The only throwing action comes from your arm.
  • The wrist: a wrist snap will make the dart go faster and you will be able to put less force in your throw. This will improve accuracy. The danger in the wrist snap is that it is one more thing that must be controlled which becomes one more source for error.
  • Aiming: focus on the target, not the dart. Most dart players aim naturally, but surprisingly some beginners do not do it right from the start. It is a must DO, so do it.
  • Readiness: don’t shoot unless you feel really ready. Ready means you are confident, focused and relaxed.
  • Release: if you are having problems with your release, you are not raising your elbow or following through. This is the critical point for your wrist-snap. The hand must be in the correct angle to the forearm here. If it is too far, your dart point is down at the release point.
  • Follow-through: the best way to follow-through is to end up with your hand aiming at the target. Do not let your arm drop after the release.
  • Stance: your body should be in perfect vertical alignment from your ankle to your wrist. Work from the floor up and have your ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, and wrist all on the same vertical plane.
  • Lunging: is one of the worst habits, as it affects the entire body and throw. Lifting the foot even partway from the floor deprives the body of good balance during the crucial moment of follow-through.
  • Be confident: this will allow you to relax. To become confident you need to get in THE ZONE. Do not worry if one of your darts (or even if a lot of your darts) goes astray. Keep to your game plan.
  • Warm-up:before important league matches and tournaments. this is where you want to get rid of any possible technical problems. Remember... this is a warm-up not practice!
  • Commit to your target: throw the dart and enjoy the glorious sound of the dart hitting the board!
  • Expect to lose: striving for perfection is unrealistic.
  • Focus on each dart game separately: each dart opponent is different. Try to keep your dart game the same while respecting your opponents differences in speed and technique.
  • Imagery: an imagined experience is as valuable as a remembered past experience! You often do things best when you have done them before, and so, this process helps create the quality performances you truly desire.
  • Inner strength: involves strengthening resolve, dealing with failures, and introducing strategies to handle whatever comes your way, efficiently and comfortably.
  • Participate: in golf, bowling, shooting or billiards as these activities require the same mental skills as darts. Playing these sports acts as mental cross training for players who want to improve their mental game.
  • Practice: everyone plays better in practice. Quantity and quality of practice coincides directly with an increase in ability. If you think you play better during match play then ...YOU’RE NOT PRACTICING!
  • Solitaire: the only way to make your current personal limit your future standard is practicing alone. Practicing with partners, no matter if they are better or worse than you, only forces you to raise your limit above theirs. Practicing alone constantly forces you to raise your limit above yourself, and this limit is higher than you might dream of!
  • Do not continue a bad practice: if you are unfocused and having a really bad practice, there is no sense practising bad darts. Give it a rest and try again later.
  • Spinning the dart: is often done inadvertently, and is a symptom of uneven release. As the hand opens, if the thumb leaves the dart before the fingers, the dart will roll sideways off the fingers, causing the dart to spin. All parts of the hand should leave the dart at nearly the same time to ensure level flight.
  • The Zone: eliminate all the thoughts that hold you back. Create a relaxed yet aware mental state. This is the feeling that you are at the peak of your ability, where your game is smooth and competent, and your performance is the best it can be. Once your mind is free from distraction you are able to operate on a different level.
  • Training Darts: try using a really light weight, short dart with low drag flights to practice technique and follow-through. The concept is that the lowest mass-to-drag ratio of the dart enables the player to determine with pinpoint accuracy whether their dart is released correctly.
  • Visualization: techniques where you actually "see" your shots before you take them are powerful techniques to improve not only your practice sessions, but also competitions as well.
stop tips
play tips

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