Childish Dreams and Scary Darts!

Posted: 01.02.13 in Throw Like A Pro Blog category

Aidan wants to be a pro dart player, the journey is going just fine! Scary at times, but fine!

For a number of reasons lately, my outlook on our wonderful game has been changing. It has suddenly become quite a scary sport. Not because of the sharp points or the often intimidating opponents I find myself up against. But for a different reason altogether.

When I was eight or nine, I had just come off the pitch having played a mini rugby game. I had literally ripped through the defence on four or five occasions, scoring tries all too easily. It didn’t matter that I was nearly double the size of my average opponent, or the fact that at such a young age we didn’t understand the fundamentals of tackling. I picked up the ball, and ran like Forrest Gump. No one dared stop me.

Upon coming off the pitch, I turned to my dad and said: “You know, I think I’ll be a professional rugby player. It can’t be too hard. I just need to keep picking up the ball and running.” Alas, despite my father’s matched enthusiasm, my ambition to become a prop failed. But if I relay my childish expectations to darts, can I make it work?

“I think I’ll be a professional darts player. It can’t be too hard. I just need to keep picking up the darts and throwing them.”

I am open to be challenged on this, but I think I find myself in a unique situation. (Caution – Name Drop Alert) When I met up with Justin Pipe last year, I came away from that conversation with some brilliant advice, and more importantly, one major warning.

I started playing darts to become a professional. Now what kind of realistic expectation is that to hold? Yes... I am just going to start throwing, and maybe a year or two down the line, it will be my career. I will knock the worlds best off their pedestal, and take over the mantle from Taylor, Barney, Anderson and the other greats. The future of darts is safe in the hands of.... Me???

Not likely! Pipe very quickly told me to put those kinds of notions out of my head. He told me to just enjoy the darts. Enjoy being part of a team. Enjoy the fun. And for the last while, that has been my approach. It’s working.

Before all this, the way in which I evaluated a practice session or indeed a game was very different. I was very harsh on myself. I was getting annoyed all too often. See, to me we rely too heavily on expectations. In January of 2012, I may have finished a leg of darts in 18 darts. That, at my ability, is rare.

Yet, for about three subsequent months, I couldn’t understand why every leg wasn’t completed in 17, 18 or at most... 19 darts. It’s a line we hear so often: ‘It’s just frustrating because I know what I am capable off’. Yes, I was capable of a 17 dart leg at that time on that night. That doesn’t necessarily mean we can perform at this level all the time.

“Darts is all about the circumstance, the opponent, the nerves, and even at times the luck. It’s not about the past.” 

Since I have moved on from this, and taken all the pressure of myself, I have seen little improvements. I keep some basic stats of my game through different pieces of software, including the brilliant Darts Performance Centre app.

In the last three months of 2012, on the practice scores I kept track of, I hit 324 100’s in 559 legs of darts. In just one month of 2013, I have already racked up 261 100’s in 243 legs. This is just one little stat which points towards improvement.

Obviously, when the darts go well, the game is more enjoyable. But lately, I have found myself throwing so well that I have been scared to stop. A little bit of me walks away from the oche hopeful that I can recreate the form tomorrow. Not a good head space to be in, of course.

That, with time will sort itself out. My muscles will begin to perform as I wish. My arm will move only when I want it to move. My head won’t move at all. My stance at the oche will be replicated time, after time, after time. All important on the road to success!

And with the DPC App, along with some of the excellent exercises on the website to practice doubles, scoring etc, I can keep track of improvements. I might feel that a session has gone badly, but might have forgotten a decent checkout, or some nice set up scores. This stuff matters. 

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Meet Aidan

Aidan has been a fan of darts since a young age, although he didn't pick up his first set if arrows until he was 23. In that time, Aidan has been dedicated to finding out what it takes to become a professional. He plays with two club teams in his County in Ireland.

Aidan documents his ups and downs of improving his game, and explores some of the unknown, yet crucial elements of darts such as nerves, confidence and much much more.

Aidan teamed up with the Darts Performance Centre ahead of his battle with Raymond van Barneveld 12 months ago, a relationship which he admits has "helped me to focus on certain areas that needed improvement, and the support from Paul and Andy guarantees will make you a better dart player".

Aidan throws a 21g DPC dart. He loves to tell people that he has now lost count of the amount of 180s he has thrown. His highest checkout in a competitive leg is 130, 

and the closest he has come to a perfect leg was two maximums before crippling under pressure to finish out with a 15 dart leg.

His plan is simple: to be a Pro! Follow his journey right here!

Aidan welcomes any feedback, advice or questions. You can find him on twitter:

@A_Farrelly or email: throwlikeaprodarts@gmail.com