This Time Next Week/Year Rodders

Posted: 08.10.11 in Tournament Analysis Blog category

Semi-Final night of The Grand Prix-video analysis is here, Dolan strolls slowly into the final and Rodders gets an invite!

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Video Helped The Darts Star! 

In a blog earlier this week I alluded to an alliance I built up with Sid when I was studying for my Performance Analysis degree. Sid appeared chuffed that his “under-stackers “were inspiration for my final essay. He also mentioned my thoughts on “The Machine” and positive self-talk and of course Wayne and his palm trees

that were all footnotes in his Sky Sports blogs.

Subsequently the darts analysis work of myself and Andrew Humphrey has mainly slipped under the radar of any media attention. We have been focusing on the grass-roots of the game. We have attended tournaments, coached a pub team for six weeks as well as issuing video analysis reports via our online coaching site www.wecoachdarts.com.

Earlier this week I was excited to hear Brendan Dolan tell the darts world during one of his post match interviews that he had in fact studied videos of his throw.  He used the data he had to make some tweaks to his technique as well as his throwing strategy. One key point he corrected was the care he was taking over his first dart. This work seems to have paid off.

It most definitely alerted Rod Harrington to the merits behind video analysis. Rod is the “voice” of the players. They don’t always like what he has to say-especially with issues in darts such as fitness and alcohol. However, his views mirror ours on these two areas in particular and now we can add a third area of agreement to the list: video analysis.

Rod brought up Dolan’s self-coaching and study of his videos and nonchalantly mentioned how studying a video of your throw was the way forward, “every other sport does, so why not darts”? Why not indeed Rod? I got so excited I forgot how to use the English language correctly as I practically self-combusted on twitter repeating several times the significance of what Rod had said before apologising for “over tweeting” on the topic:

What I meant to say was : Don't forget Brendan used video analysis to improve his technique:"he`s a believer".  Please forgive me its been a long road!

I suggested to my colleague Andrew Humphrey we should go and give Rodders a video analysis session to show him what we can do!  

This time next week Rodders ....?

Brendan Dolan

Brendan Dolan is the latest “hero” of The Darts Performance Centre. Any player who can reflect on his technique, analyse, correct and then make the changes become automatic gets our respect! There are lots of areas to admire in his game. One part I like has nothing to do with how he prepares to throw (which is text book) or how he actually throws (which is pretty good too).

This area is his relaxed walk to the board post throw; he sways from side to side as he moves at his own pace to collect his darts. Two things-I would take an outside punt that he uses some sort of visualisation technique. This is a skill that allows you to picture your throwing style or perhaps your dart whizzing into the treble 20. You see the “pictures” in your mind as if you were watching them on TV.

So he may be picturing any one of his darts that has gone astray in his mind and either correcting his technique or re-running the throw in his mind but this time it lands in its intended target as he slowly edges to the board to collect his darts.

Whether he is or he isn’t, his opponent is hopping around at the end of the oche waiting for his throw as Brendan completes his practised walk to the board. “The Machine” has given away his dislike of players slowing the game down and paid the price.

Dolan is smart though, he didn’t alter his own throwing style, and he also made the relatively short step to the board into a “long road” with amazing results. 

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