|
|
 I have a confession to make, and it pains me to admit this publicly. After playing darts for almost
15 years, the truth of the matter is that I am not a very good player, or at least no better than the average darter, and certainly nowhere near where I
thought I would be at this point in time. Oh, I’ve got a handle on the strategies and outs though I’m constantly learning new approaches, but you
would think that at this point I should be a better player! How can it be that the Passionate Darter just isn't a better player?
After 15 years of playing, I’m stuck in the same league division, not
advancing up and not winning any more matches than I did several years ago. I play on two teams, hit a draw once a week and compete in a few
tournaments throughout the year. I’m not burned out as I love playing. I just love this sport, BUT I want to win more matches, DAMMIT!
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got my moments and win some matches along the
way (and have even managed to pull out a Ton80 or that wining double from God knows where when I’ve needed it) but my win/loss record is about the
same as from the first couple of years that I started playing. These days, it seems I lose more than I win. (It hurts to even know that, let alone put that in
print!)
Let’s face it, if we lost ALL the time it wouldn’t be any fun and I probably
would have put down my darts a long time ago, dart friends that I’ve made along the way or not. I’ve actually got some confidence and don’t get nervous
with every match, so that’s not the problem. Now, a decade later I’m scratching my head wondering, “Why aren’t I winning more? What’s wrong?
Am I ever going to get any better? And what’s it going to take to get there?”
Well, it turns out that it all comes down to mechanics, that hard work,
determination and practice. I’ve got the determination and practice part down (after all I am the Passionate Darter and love this sport!) but my mechanics,
specifically my stroke, needs a lot of work. The bottom line is that practicing bad mechanics and a poor stroke is only going to make you better at
throwing bad darts! You might start out OK, and improve (It’s easy to improve at first because throwing darts is so new and you either improve a bit
and keep going or decide the game isn’t for you and put them down.), but trust me, it’s going to catch up with you. You WILL reach a point where you
aren’t improving anymore.
Practice or not, I’ve known for some time that whatever I’ve been doing hasn’t
been working. Even though I’ve had my heart, soul and passion in the game,
I’ve known that I need to change my stroke. And let me emphasize this, my stroke NEEDS A LOT OF WORK! So, this summer my goal has been to
change my stroke. Let me clue you in folks, this is a helluva lot harder than
it sounds and honestly, it’s a painful and agonizing process. I know I will improve and be a much better and more consistent darter with my new and
improved stroke, in time, that is (and soon I hope, and very soon I suspect my teammates hope and pray). But...at the moment I can’t even express my
level of frustration at taking 5 steps backwards while I’m re-learning how to throw a dart! When’s the last time YOU actually missed the board with a
dart or two, time and time again, during a practice session, let alone a league
or blind draw match? Ouch. When this happens at a blind draw, I just want to scream out to my partner and opponents, “I REALLY CAN PLAY DARTS.
I REALLY DO HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT I’M DOING! I've just changed my stroke!” ARGHHHHH!
At least none of my partners has suggested I start aiming for triple-14s!
Darters are generally a great group of people and have been really supportive of me. It’s most likely that I’m hardest on myself. Still...it’s a tortuous
process and my usually unflappable personality at the line has become that of a darter with a fragile ego with little confidence.
To those who have just started playing darts, do as I say, not as I’ve done
and learn how to throw a dart the right way from the get-go. Don’t get yourself to where I’m at right now because 15years from now you will be at
the point I am now, and it just plain sucks.
When I first started playing darts, I really didn’t know any better, so I just
picked up my darts and started throwing. My stroke (now my former stroke) was to stand at the line with my dart hand pointed toward the floor and poised
at a 30 degree angle out from my right leg. I would raise my arm parallel to
the floor, cock my forearm back and throw the dart. I’ve been told that I threw
side-armed, baseball style, and far to fast. Someone actually had the gonads to ask me, “WHO in the world taught you to throw like that?” “No one, it’s
just the way I started throwing!” Does anyone honestly think I would pick up a set of darts and purposely throw with a screwed up stroke? C’mon folks, of
course I wouldn’t. I may have a lot to learn but I’m not a total idiot. Another
darter, whom I respect greatly and admire for her knowledge and abilities, just shook her head after watching me play competitively a few times and
exclaimed, “I can’t believe you do as well as you do, throwing that way.”
The first step was deciding to change my stroke. No ifs, ands, or buts about
it! I picked a date, and that was the day that I was going to change my stroke, come hell or high-water. My next step was watching the best of the
best at my hometown blind draws, with their smooth-as-silk-strokes to see what I wanted to throw like, i.e. the stroke(s) that I wanted to emulate.
Next, I read as much as possible on the Internet and in dart books about dart
mechanics. Yes, there are resources out there, but you’ve got to take the
initiative to read and understand it all. Then, act upon it. I watched, re
-watched, and continue to watch the videotapes from the first live televised dart tournament here in the states from this past July, the Las Vegas Desert
Classic. Watching the videos, I am able to clearly see (especially with the beautiful close-ups and overhead camera shots) the details of how the pros
throw. I concentrate on every movement that they make, and the body movements they do NOT make. Incredibly they hit their targets most of the
time, and when they miss they are so damn close, with groups that seem to be about the size of a nail-head! A very small nail-head, that is... They must
be doing something right, because these pro-darters have sponsors and are actually making money playing darts. Some don’t even have day jobs! Darts
is their job!
Then, I had to find a couple of good darters who are also good teachers and
open to coaching me. It’s one thing to understand the concept of dart mechanics, watch great darters and their stroke(s), but you’ve got to have
some help along the way from darters who know what they are doing. The good mentors will see what YOU are doing when you aren’t aware of your
own movements. Luckily, I found a couple of excellent coaches who were willing to help me for FREE. Some dart coaches charge as much as $100
.00 per hour and more. I was also lucky enough to have a practice buddy to help keep me on track. My target “change-my-stroke” date approached and
that was it. I changed my stroke and there was no going back.
During that first week, I really wanted to give the game up for something like
horseshoes or tiddlywinks, because I could barely hit the board, and felt like I
had never thrown a dart in my life. What was once natural was now totally
foreign to me. Talk about frustration! Oh my goodness, I couldn’t believe how awful I threw! Okay, it was worse than awful. Believe me, changing your
stroke has got to be one of the most difficult things to do with your game!
Remember...you heard it here first. There is NO crying in darts when you
aren’t even able to hit the board! Defeat or not, I have NOT given up and returned to my old stroke. I’m still working at acquiring that smooth-as-silk
stroke and good dart mechanics.
So I’ve changed my stroke and at the moment I’m much worse off for doing
this. Granted, I’m not the most patient person in the world, but if you’re going to change your stroke, you better learn to be a patient person and FAST.
Yes, I am as determined as ever and I will get better. Yes, I am improving
and have consistently been making Top 4 at my local blind draws (Wow! What a concept and what a thrill!). Do I have a long way to go? You bet, but
I’m on my way. Stay tuned in the next issue of Bull’s-Eye News for the details on exactly what I’ve done and my progress. Till next time, shoot well
and I’ll see you at the line.
To read more about the Passionate Darter’s take on the wonderful world of
darts, visit her website at www.passionatedarter.com  or drop her an E-mail at ton80darts@comcast.net.
|
