How to practice?

steve_kav · 02-01-2011 10:29PM #1

Ive always had an interest in darts and always watched it on tv, Last couple of months ive become obsessed with watching it and tought to my self that id like to throw a few darts just to see if im any good. Today I went and bought a dart board and some darts and hung the board in my shed, I started throwing at treble 20 and was a long way away from the target, then I started to think about it and realised that just aiming at treble 20 isnt going to help because I need to start with a bigger target and get used to aiming at different parts of the board so I started aiming at single 1 untill I hit it then 2 then 3 and so on. I started off awfull but after a couple of hours practice I have improved to the point where 1 in 3 darts is usually hitting the single im aiming at.

I am determined to improve enough to start playing in the pub and maybe join a pub team. What id like to know is, is there any other practice routines I can use similar to the one I was doing, I would also like to know what would be the best way of tracking my progress and assuming I do continue to improve at what point should I move on to harder routines where I aim for doubles and trebles.

Thanks in advance.

Nozebleed · 02-01-2011 10:35PM

i usually play round the board aiming for the treb's. then move onto the bull for a while..this is good for finding the range/strength you should be throwing. then id go round the board doubles only. after that. i usually do 3 dart check outs starting at 80up.. no point practicing treb 20 or 19s. if your playing well you'll hit them..simple as.

greened · 02-01-2011 11:40PM

Keep doing what your are doing. At beginner stage the best pracatice you can do is to go around the board from 1 to 20 on the big single numbers. hit it once and move to the next number. Count the number of darts it takes you to get to 20. Dont worry about how many but write it down. this gives you a target for the next time, invites a bit of pressure into the practice routine and also lets you know if you are improving.
you will have good and bad days, we all do, forget about the bad ones and remember the good ones. Forget about triples and doubles and stick at this for a good while. To break the boredom just throw 3 darts at the big 20 trying to get 3 into it for a while. These two routines will allow you to develop your throw and aim. when you have developed these and are comfortable move on. Remember you have to "walk before you can run" (but i think you have realised this already which is a bonus).
Good luck and remember to enjoy!

syngindub · 03-01-2011 02:18PM

how about practicing with 9 or 12 darts.
save a lot of trips to the dart board and might be quicker for getting a rhythm going.

Jake The Fat Ma · 03-01-2011 02:30PM

Play 301 double in/out. its great for both practicing doubles and trebles.

UCD AFC · 03-01-2011 05:18PM

Out of interest how old where you(p) when you started throwing?

greened · 03-01-2011 06:07PM

Jake The Fat Ma wrote: »

Play 301 double in/out. its great for both practicing doubles and trebles.

lads read the op post. It is his first time playing darts. Double in doubleout game will do nothing for him, he is still trying to find his aim and struggling to hit single numbers. What will missing doubles do for his confidence? Let him get his aim right on single numbers before rushing him into doubles and triples.

TanG411 · 03-01-2011 07:12PM

If it's your first time throwing, then don't practise anything at all! Forget about doubles, trebles, checkouts, ton-plus hits. Just get your natural throw going. By all means, aim for targets, but don't worry about anything at all.

I wouldn't worry about 501 or 301 games either. If you want some practise, then a game of shanghai or around the board is plenty.

steve_kav · 04-01-2011 01:58PM

UCD AFC wrote: »

Out of interest how old where you(p) when you started throwing?

Im 18 and I started throwing a couple of days ago.

User Friendly · 10-01-2011 05:03PM

steve_kav wrote: »

Im 18 and I started throwing a couple of days ago.

well....................... how you getting on?

padr81 · 10-01-2011 07:09PM

Heres what id recommend. Imagine a line running right down the centre of the board from the top of double 20 to the bull.

Now aim at a point on that line half way between the double and treble 20.

Throw at this.
Score the game as follows.

3pts if you are withing half an inch of your target, 2pts if you are in the 20 and 1 pt if your inside the 5 or 1.

Aim to score 200 points with 99 darts (33 times to the board).
That works out at just over 2 points a throw.
When you can do this all the time (5 times in a row)
Set your points total to 300, than 400, 450 and finally 500.

500 points is when your ready to start "playing" as you can probably group your darts reasonably and it means your hitting on average 2 big 20's a throw.

It takes far less time than you'd think and than you can worry about doubles, trebles and stuff.

UCD AFC · 10-01-2011 10:02PM

Maybe when you're bored/fancy something different, try this (from Co Stompe on facebook)

Advise for training: practise one big checkouts for whole day. then do a different one the next. and also practise getting big trebles.

steve_kav · 11-01-2011 09:31PM

Thanks everyone this is all very helpful ive been going around throwing 1 dart at every double and im hitting 2 or 3 each time.

Ive also been trying to hit single one then single 2 etc.

Ive also been trying for big scores and im getting most darts within an inch of the target so ive set my self a goal to be within half an inch of the target as often as possible.

Ive managed to score 100 a couple of times which I was very excited about being able to do lol I know you guys wont think 100 is that great but I was happy with it especially the first time I got very excited haha.

That last post was very helpful I did 170 today and had a few awful trys where I lost count but I did it in 15 darts once which is still bad but its improvement, I find checking out 170 is a good idea because im aiming at treble 20s to start which is good practice, obviously im missing and ending up on different figures so this is helping me to learn the checkouts and maths of the game which I wouldnt get if I was just throwing at treble 20s all the time and im finishing on doubles which is also good practice, so ya its sort of a way of practicing all aspects of the game.

I will continue to practice and I am determined to get better because I really enjoy throwing darts and any more help I can get on here is a huge help so thanks guys and keep the comments coming

UCD AFC · 11-01-2011 10:17PM

Sounds like you're doing the right things!

Keep going for targets and you'll get more consistent at the singles (what I'm trying to do) also you'll improve your counting as you go. Might ask around on twitter etc. to see if there's any other tips for me+you :P

BigBenRoeth · 13-01-2011 08:53PM

I'm 18 aswell and aimed at the singles all around the board,then i moved on to throwing at 20 until i could get all 3 in the single 20 every time,then i moved on to playing shangai around the board,you should do that when you get a bit better.

martic · 14-01-2011 04:03PM

I recently (2 days ago) put up a dart board for my 5 year old son and would pick a number and he'd have to try and hit it and then move on to the next number I'd call,he's came on a lot faster than I thought he would for his age to be honest kinda shocked me lol,we're now playing clock up to 6 and the joy on his face when he "wins". I think games like clock and shanghai are great for people starting off throwing darts for the first time. I'd forget about throwing in pub teams for a while yet and just enjoy learning the game, go to the pub get a few lads in the bar to play shanghai or other games like that, better craic when you play for a euro or if you want to risk the mortgage 2 euro

P.S hope you don't forget to mention us when someday you're lifting the title at lakeside

steve_kav · 14-01-2011 05:15PM

martic wrote: »

I recently (2 days ago) put up a dart board for my 5 year old son and would pick a number and he'd have to try and hit it and then move on to the next number I'd call,he's came on a lot faster than I thought he would for his age to be honest kinda shocked me lol,we're now playing clock up to 6 and the joy on his face when he "wins". I think games like clock and shanghai are great for people starting off throwing darts for the first time. I'd forget about throwing in pub teams for a while yet and just enjoy learning the game, go to the pub get a few lads in the bar to play shanghai or other games like that, better craic when you play for a euro or if you want to risk the mortgage 2 euro
P.S hope you don't forget to mention us when someday you're lifting the title at lakeside

Ya I might get my 11 year old brother to start playing with me,

ah no I wont be going that far now, I am as you say only throwing for the craic but if I did it would be pdc all the way. So no I definately wont be at the lakeside.

Harrocks · 18-01-2011 09:00PM

I do warm up for about 30mins just getten the throw right and getten the 3darts as close together as possible.then i play a game called 29.ie 3 darts at every double inc the bull.if you hit the double say double 1 for starters say with 1 of the 3 darts thts added to the 29.one hit up=31 2hits=33 3hits=35.if you miss subtract the value of the double from 29 so if you miss with all 3drts at double 1 its 27.keep goin round the doubles til you run out of points.

greened · 18-01-2011 09:26PM

Thats a good practice game for doubles. it is call Bob's 27 (you should start with 27) after Bob Anderson who invented the routine to practice his doubles.
There is an option to play it on Dartpro and it will record your scores and show you which double is your strogest weakest etc.

Harrocks · 19-01-2011 09:00PM

greened wrote: »

Thats a good practice game for doubles. it is call Bob's 27 (you should start with 27) after Bob Anderson who invented the routine to practice his doubles.
There is an option to play it on Dartpro and it will record your scores and show you which double is your strogest weakest etc.

Yes indeed found out about it from john lowes version of bobs game.

31-01-2011 05:31PM

Didn't want to set up a new thread so said I'd post here. Just have a few questions.

I started playing around 3 weeks ago.
I've been playing for at least an hour every day since, not timing it, but i throw for a good while doing some around the clock, random target practice, throwing 20-18's. I don't just leave it at that either, I'll randomly pick them up again throughout the day, I don't just play one decent session.

How long does it generally take to improve aiming to the point where you can comfortably throw singles?.
I don't think there's much point playing 501 for now since I can't really hit where i want and it makes it messy when i get to a finish below 20 as a miss will lead to a bust and if I'm stuck on an uneven number i could spend a few goes without even getting a shot at the double.
I have the odd game on n01 to improve my counting but it's rare.

Also in relation to my throw, I'm starting to feel as though i have a tendency to throw slightly left.
I read to not try to aim for example aim for 1's if you throw to the left and to try throw at 20.

Would moving a bit right be the best thing or should i continue throwing from centre?.

I'm still not 100% on it, but when i was doing target practice on 20's the last day i was hitting a lot of 5's just in the marker, i moved right and took out my last 3/4(i throw 20 and see how long it takes) fairly quick, then onto 19's and was having the same problem with just pushing it slightly into 9's, moved to the right again but this time a little bit further from the middle(to compensate the extra distance to 19 from middle compared to 20's) and i noticed a marked improvement in my remaining darts to reach 20.

Noticing it again now while warming up on Bull, tendency is to push it an inch or two to the right off centre.

Is throwing from the middle that essential?... should i stick it out for another while or move and get

Harrocks · 31-01-2011 09:45PM

Allways target what your looking at consentrate on the target.Keep your stance the same and from the same spot on the oche each throw.Stick with it and make notes of how your doin if your getten better or not.I personally think your mood on the day can effect how you throw.

Lemegeton · 01-02-2011 02:13PM

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Didn't want to set up a new thread so said I'd post here. Just have a few questions.

How long does it generally take to improve aiming to the point where you can comfortably throw singles?.

as with any skill it comes more comfortably to some people. so its hard to say.

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Also in relation to my throw, I'm starting to feel as though i have a tendency to throw slightly left.
I read to not try to aim for example aim for 1's if you throw to the left and to try throw at 20.

I'm still not 100% on it, but when i was doing target practice on 20's the last day i was hitting a lot of 5's just in the marker, i moved right and took out my last 3/4(i throw 20 and see how long it takes) fairly quick, then onto 19's and was having the same problem with just pushing it slightly into 9's, moved to the right again but this time a little bit further from the middle(to compensate the extra distance to 19 from middle compared to 20's) and i noticed a marked improvement in my remaining darts to reach 20.

Noticing it again now while warming up on Bull, tendency is to push it an inch or two to the right off centre.

Is throwing from the middle that essential?... should i stick it out for another while or move and get

never aim at anything else other than your target. that stuff about aiming to the left to correct a right slant is bull**** and a bad road to go down. as for your stance there is no rule saying you need to stand central. lots of players stand to left or right hand side of the oche. the main thing is that you develop a consistent stance and throw. when you have a stance and throwing action that feels comfortable stick with it and accuracy will come with practice. there is a tendency when you start out to second guess yourself and try copy other peoples techniques but thats a bad idea. its all about developing your own form. keep your stance and your foot placement consistent and the same for your throw.

once you have a consistent action stick to it and accuracy will come with time and practice.

02-02-2011 03:39AM

Lemegeton wrote: »

as with any skill it comes more comfortably to some people. so its hard to say.

Taught there might be a general guideline based on how much your playing every day.
I'm playing a good bit each day taking in a bit of everything.
I do doubles, singles, bull, trebles etc..(so i'm doing constructive practice)
I don't think it's something I'll get bored off, if I was going too it would have happened after the second week, so my workrate will continue at a high pace for the foreseeable future.

never aim at anything else other than your target. that stuff about aiming to the left to correct a right slant is bull**** and a bad road to go down. as for your stance there is no rule saying you need to stand central. lots of players stand to left or right hand side of the oche. the main thing is that you develop a consistent stance and throw. when you have a stance and throwing action that feels comfortable stick with it and accuracy will come with practice. there is a tendency when you start out to second guess yourself and try copy other peoples techniques but thats a bad idea. its all about developing your own form. keep your stance and your foot placement consistent and the same for your throw.

[/QUOTE]

I didn't adjust my aim, just my stance but i found just by moving a bit to the right i was hitting better, whereas from the middle i was always putting them an inch or so off centre to the left.
Anyway I'm still baring it out from dead centre and just hoping I'll get better at throwing straight.

Ya I didn't try copy anyone else grips or stances or any of that, I have even identified my faults when throwing so I'm also working to eradicate them(not sure is it common starting off but sometimes i pull my hand back after releasing instead of following through, causes a snap of sorts and dart can go more then 2 numbers off, and also find i regularily drop my 3rd one considerably shorter then my other two especially if i missed lower with first two so trying to slow my pace and make each dart an improvement and not a step further away)

Lemegeton · 02-02-2011 08:48AM

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Taught there might be a general guideline based on how much your playing every day.
I'm playing a good bit each day taking in a bit of everything.
I do doubles, singles, bull, trebles etc..(so i'm doing constructive practice)
I don't think it's something I'll get bored off, if I was going too it would have happened after the second week, so my workrate will continue at a high pace for the foreseeable future.

thats good. what you do in your practice is far more important than how long you practice. someone could spend 3 hours just throwing at T20 and someone else could just throw for an hour but work on doubles, checkouts etc.. so he has the better practice.

gilberto_eire wrote: »

I didn't adjust my aim, just my stance but i found just by moving a bit to the right i was hitting better, whereas from the middle i was always putting them an inch or so off centre to the left.
Anyway I'm still baring it out from dead centre and just hoping I'll get better at throwing straight.

personally i would say if you are naturally throwing the dart to the left then move your stance to the right and stick with it. the key is consistency, if you stick to your central position and then in 2 days time decide to try moving your stance again you are just doing yourself harm.

gilberto_eire wrote: »

(not sure is it common starting off but sometimes i pull my hand back after releasing instead of following through, causes a snap of sorts and dart can go more then 2 numbers off,

yeah not following through with your arm is a pretty common mistake when starting out. its usually something that you get better at with practice.

so keep up the work rate and make your practices constructive and interesting and give yourself targets to compete against.

Niall_76 · 04-02-2011 02:39PM

When practicing alone I can hit little purple patches where I play alright for a few legs but then when I play against somebody I dont hit these patches and can be good one leg and pants the next. I'm putting it down to the wait. Do any of you wait for a while between shots when playing against the PC? I try and wait between shots when starting off but then hit a few bad shots and that all goes out the window as I storm back to the oche in frustration.

Any tips would be gratefully accepted as I would like to start playing down the pub but would probably just ruin other people's games if I did that at this stage.

padr81 · 04-02-2011 02:50PM

Niall_76 wrote: »

When practicing alone I can hit little purple patches where I play alright for a few legs but then when I play against somebody I dont hit these patches and can be good one leg and pants the next. I'm putting it down to the wait. Do any of you wait for a while between shots when playing against the PC? I try and wait between shots when starting off but then hit a few bad shots and that all goes out the window as I storm back to the oche in frustration.

Any tips would be gratefully accepted as I would like to start playing down the pub but would probably just ruin other people's games if I did that at this stage.

always. I take my throw. Get my darts, walk back, wait 8 seconds (give or take) and than repeat.

Niall_76 · 04-02-2011 03:00PM

padr81 wrote: »

always. I take my throw. Get my darts, walk back, wait 8 seconds (give or take) and than repeat.

Thanks Padr. Do you find it easy enough to stick to that? I even tried putting my laptop a bit further away so I at least have the walk but would end up legging back to throw. Even when I do delay I doubt I wait that long.

mackeire · 04-02-2011 06:56PM

this is something i try to do daily on my practice board.

around the board at single numbers (count how many darts it takes and try beat it next time). then around the board again on trebles then doubles.

hit the bull/25 twenty times.

15 minutes at cover shots. eg: 2 darts at t20 and switch to 19's with the last.

20 minutes at 3 dart finishing. starting at 65 and working up to 170. (you dont have to take out every finish, just attempt each one once and note the ones you take out).

around the board again, this time hitting the single, treble and double 3 times each.

then five games of 301. (keep the score in your head, no need to use paper to keep your score. this will help you with the maths!!) try to finish in 9 darts or less.

you can change the routine to suit yourself. see you in the pdc!!

CUCINA · 05-02-2011 05:49PM

Similar to a previous poster, no point in starting a new thread, just a couple of questions I have...
I have just recently taken up darts again after a gap of a good few years. Really enjoying it, just practicing at home, trying to get up speed.

As part of all this, I found a book at home that I bought years ago, gave it a quick re-read. It's entitled, "The Dart-players Handbook* by George Hakem. One of the things that surprised me was his belief that feathered flights provided "much more" accuracy than plastic flights...would anyone agree with this?

Also, what is the best way to sharpen the points? I've seen a guy on a site demonstrating a hand-held battery-operated device for this purpose. Are they any good?

padr81 · 05-02-2011 07:18PM

Niall_76 wrote: »

Thanks Padr. Do you find it easy enough to stick to that? I even tried putting my laptop a bit further away so I at least have the walk but would end up legging back to throw. Even when I do delay I doubt I wait that long.

For the first while I didn't now. I count roughly 8 seconds by picturing someone throwing 3 darts.

How to practice?

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