How Long is This Learning Curve?

Posted: 27.06.13 in Throw Like A Pro Blog category

Aidan has had enough of notching everything down to a learning experience!

 I am starting to get sick of notching everything down to a ‘learning experience’!

Two tournaments in the last two months and on two occasions I have failed to come off my board. Let me stress, in just under two years, having played approximately 10 singles tournaments, I have only come off the board twice. So it’s not like I am expecting to qualify for quarter finals every time I show up.

But... Last night I had a real chance. I should have qualified. No excuses, no wind blowing, there was nothing wrong with the darts, my opponents were more than courteous on the oche... I just BOTTLED IT!!!

The format was simple; 20 players, four boards, five players on each board. Top two qualify to the Quarter’s. Anyone who has been following my progress will know that for the last 12 months I have been juggled between a 12g and 14g dart. While I have been comfortable with them, it never felt 100% right.

I longed to be able to throw a heavier dart. And two days before this recent singles tournament, I found a way to do so. The Darts Performance Centre Elite range of darts are certainly that, the 23g arrow is beautiful. And now I have a comfortable, repeatable, relevantly accurate way to throw it. So everything else has been binned!

So playing this singles tournament having only thrown the 23g dart for two days, I suppose I should be happy with winning two games on my board. The first game was a nervy one, although I seen it through 2-1. The second encounter was against an opponent who was this year’s singles champion, and someone I wasn’t expecting to beat.

I did manage to take a leg from him however, adding to my tally of legs. My third fame was the big one, a battle between second and third place. I knew if I won this, I was best placed to qualify second off the board. I went 1-0 down, having scuppered darts at D20, D10, D5, D2 and D1. The second leg was better, starting with 140, 100, 100 and a 56 checkout ensured we were going to the final leg.

The scoring was ok, but what was more encouraging was my concentration level. I was focussed at the oche. When I wasn’t throwing, I stood behind my opponent with my eyes glaring at his heels. NOT AT WHERE HIS DARTS WERE LANDING. It got a bit tense at the end, but I landed the double first to give me one foot in the Quarter-finals. Cue a mental collapse!

The last game can only be described as my worst nightmare. It’s a little confusing, but... the final two games of the group were played on boards side by side. I knew if I took a leg from my final opponent and the person in third place lost 3-0, I would go through. Knowing this drained my concentration. I kept looking at the board beside me. I seen that he lost his first leg, but so did I. He won his second leg, which meant I would need to come from behind to win 2-1.

I was better than my final opponent, but my darts were about as useful as a chocolate kettle. I lost 3-0. Gutted is an understatement. Yes, there are a huge amount of positives that I will take from this night. And I know where it all went wrong, which helps. I just need to build up the winning mentality, the confidence. I want winning experiences, not learning experiences!

................................................................................................................................................

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 23g DPC Elite Performance 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