Coaching Clinic 42

Posted: 21.01.15 in Coaching Clinic Blog category

We change direction with our coaching blog and focus on our favourite subject-practice.

Practice Makes Progress

This is our 42nd coaching article and the first of 2015! The first 41 focused on highlighting all the skills that are needed to play better darts. Psychology, technique and of course feedback from you, the players that strive to improve and want to pass on some of your advice and tips to others.

After 41 months we thought it was time for a change of direction. Our Practice Makes Progress campaign and Practice Book have been a great success. So we thought we would spend the next 12 months focusing on practice and practice games.

A small warning though. We didn’t call our practice campaign Practice Makes Perfect for a very good reason. If you have flaws or issues with your technique no matter how much practice you do all that will happen is that you will make these flaws a “natural” part of your game.

So please do ensure you are not making any daft errors when you throw then you will really get the benefit of your new practice regime.

When and How

Get one sheet of A4 paper – Mark on it the 7 days of the week and the 24 hours of the day. Fill in the gaps with work, sleep and family commitments! What’s left? Hopefully there will be gaps-use them as your practice time!

Golden Rule

4 things you need before a practice session begins – A board, a set of darts, pencil and paper. You must keep score of whatever game it is you are playing. Put a date on it, the game and your totals. Stick them in a folder and as the weeks go by they will tell you if you are getting better.

What To Practise

We will show you games that focus on the skills needed to win a darts match. Power scoring to get you to a double in as few darts as possible. Counting correctly so you end up on the double you want and then the crucial bit, hitting the double once you have got there!

If there is an area that needs sharpening up then focus on that area. Use your paper and pencil to jot down what area you are focusing on, what games you are going to play and the scores!

All Set?

Let your practice campaign begin!

To get you started why not get some idea of the standard you are actually at. You can then repeat these games in a few months’ time and see if your stats have improved.

Power Scoring: Throw 9 darts, 10 times. Mark Throw 1 through to Throw 10 on your paper. Mark your total points for the 9 darts for each of your 10 goes.

Add the 10 totals at the end and keep a note of it.

Counting to a finish: Start at 301 and see how many darts it takes to get on a double. Coaching Point-is it the double you want? Are you sure you are going the best route? Do this 10 times and keep a track of how many darts it takes to get to a finish.

Doubles

Write 10 random checkouts between 65 and 85 on a sheet of paper. Keep a note of how many darts it takes to finish each one.

Happy New Year and Happy Practising!

Best Practice pic courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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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!