Practice Board Investigation

Posted: 25.03.11 in Darts Product Reviews category

The Darts Performance Centre assess whether the Nodor Champions Choice board with half size doubles and trebles can help you play better darts.

Darts Product Investigation – Nodor Champions Choice Board - Darts Performance Centre .com

The Darts Performance Centre investigates the benefits to a dart player of using a dart board with half size trebles and doubles. Can it drive you to success or will it drive you mad?

Training Aids

Analysis: Training aids are a valuable asset for players and coaches. In football there is the “mannequin wall” on a trolley so free kicks can be practised without having five or six team mates standing redundant in the line of fire whilst footballs whistle over their head or worse! In rugby there is the contraption that allows two men to replicate the weight of a whole scrum.

The Product: Champions Choice Practice Board

Analysis: A darts training aid, Champions Choice is a dart board which has half size doubles and trebles. It is made to a high standard and is robust. If it is used “sparingly” as part of a practice regime it will assist in developing a variety of fundamental skills needed to win darts matches.

How will it help?

Analysis: It will help with your aim, accuracy, concentration, confidence, pre-match preparation and help you beat the best player in your team!

Area 1 - Aim

Analysis: The board can be used to hone your technique and accuracy on the trebles and doubles. Our advice to any player when aiming their dart at their target is that they should not be as vague as simply aiming for the sixty bed for example, you should aim for a hole left by a previous dart or perhaps a tiny chalk mark in the sixty bed, Champions Choice WILL help with your aim and assist in the tiny adjustments needed to get the treble or double required even via a partly blocked bed.

Area 2 - Concentration

Analysis: The practice board will help in building the level of focus and concentration that is needed to consistently hit what you are aiming for. You MUST take the focus you use on the Champions Choice board it with you when you go back to a full size board. See our video feedback!

Area 3 – Practice matches

Analysis: Practising with a partner and practice with a competitive edge can be as beneficial as solitary deliberate practice. But what if you practise against a player or a group of players with varying degrees of skill? During a session we were involved in we put the two best players on the Champions Choice board and the rest of the squad on full size boards. This put pressure on the “better players” because they still wanted the kudos of wining despite the disadvantage they had. The remaining players also had the real pressure of thinking they should really win but... It made for a FUN and EXCITING session.

Area 4 - Pre-Match Build Up

Analysis: Have a short session on the practice board before competitive games. When you then go on a full size board, the doubles and trebles seem MASSIVE. This was exactly the reaction we had from the first person to try out the practice board at our Champions Choice experiment.

Area 5 - Confidence

Analysis: Players did report feeling more confident after using the practice board. However, you must train yourself to replicate the same intensity you experience from using the Champions Choice board on a “normal” board; if you achieve that you will definitely start to PLAY BETTER DARTS!

Report by Paul Gillings MSc - The Performance Analysis of Sport – The Darts Performance Centre.com 

The board is available to purchase here

This is Kevin from Team Kasbah, he likes the Champions Choice Board!

Here are some more opinions on the Champions Choice Board