A visit to the Coaching Centre at the Darts Performance Centre

Posted: 22.09.14 in Darts Performance Centre Blog category

Our friend Charis from Global Darts paid us a visit recently! Here is what she thought of her trip!

When Paul Gillings told me he would soon be opening his Darts Coaching Centre in the New Forest on the South Coast of England, I immediately decided to include it in our next holiday in England. 

We hadn't visited the New Forest before. It is a popular holiday region in England, which can be found on the Solent just across from the Isle of Wight. The Solent is a famous sailing area while the New Forest is a region with lots of woodland and heather, one of the largest connected wood areas in England of which around fifty percent are National Parks. 

Here in the New Forest - more precisely in New Milton a small town near to the sea, you can find the Coaching Centre and the Darts Performance Centre Shop. Here we were finally able to find out for ourselves what really happens in a video analysis, what conclusions you can draw from it and how the results can help you. 

The coaching centre is in a room on the first floor of the building. Several dartboards are on the walls all with transportable oches with the video analysis equipment set up at one of them. A laptop is essential with the appropriate software and programmes to analyse the throw.

The player, in this case my husband, is filmed while throwing both from the side and front. It's important to film all three darts thrown in a shot. The complete throwing arm has to be visible during the action. When the video is taken by the Darts Performance Centre analysts from the side the entire body is captured from head to feet. When the video is played back possible sources of problems become visible. In the case of my husband it was among others a change in the position of his head.

The recordings are viewed together with the tested player and discussed. Possible sources of faults or weak spots in the throw are analysed. After that you are advised how to get rid of them. A lot of players who have done an analysis return for a further session to find out whether they have managed to improve their throw.

As in many other sports a video analysis is a revealing tool - it is an interesting experience to see how you throw and to break your throw down into its component parts. Usually you are not really aware what you do while throwing and most details will not show without the extreme slow motion. Based on the analysis one can work towards getting a reliable, technically flawless throwing technique which can cope with the pressure of a tournament.

So if you go to the New Forest I recommend you visit the Coaching Centre. The Darts Performance Centre can also be found mobile at some tournaments - not only with the shop but often with the video analysis as well - you should take the opportunity!

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The Darts Performance Centre is a resource to assist dart players of all standards play better darts. The site is arranged as an online coaching manual. There is advice on technique, nerves, psychology, goal setting, practice games, an area to log your statistics and an interactive area where your darting questions are answered by two sports scientists, one with 30 years dart playing experience. You also get an invite to our free but exclusive members only events and acess to our members only darts coaching app! Membership is £25 per year!