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When I was in high school, I remember hating football practice. Would that Keyport High had a
dart team. For me, practicing my dart game is therapy. It takes my mind off bothersome stuff and allows me to relax with something I really enjoy – throwing darts. On the
days when I hit well, it is pure bliss, but even when I don't play well against myself, it is still a wonderful distraction from life's little pains.
To practice with purpose, I made up a little routine described in a previous issue of Bull's-Eye News. I have since developed a chart
that helps keep track of how I throw. In brief, here's how it works.
To use this chart, you need a practice round with a numerical value. You can make up one of
your own, or you can use mine. Here's how my routine works. I throw three darts each at 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, and the bull for a warm up. Then I repeat the round for
score, counting hits on each number, with a triple counting three hits, a double counting two, and a single one. I don't count any slop in my practice round and I keep a
running tally in my head, and then log the total on my chart. After five days, a chart might look like the one illustrated below.
If you repeat the round five times, you will have a numerical average for your dart game. Why
bother? Because now you can tell if you play better with one set of darts than another, or you can analyze any change in form, flights, shafts, or what have you. You can
also strive to improve your game, and actually be able to verify if the improvement is real or imagined.
The chart also encourages practice because it's fun to maintain the chart, and it is practice
with a purpose. Because you are recording the score on paper, you will automatically focus on trying to throw accurate darts, rather than just pitching them at the board.
Besides having an average, you will also have a high score. Any time you approach your high score, you are bound to intensify your concentration. The added pressure of
trying to beat your own best round simulates real game pressure, and this is where you learn to throw clutch darts.
Just for grins, I will throw out some numbers and match them with what I perceive to be a
level of skill, based on dart throwers I have played against. You might have other ideas, and can make any adjustments you care to.
Above 30 Pro
22-30 Expert
18-21 Advanced Intermediate
15-17 Intermediate
12-14 Average
9-11 Advanced Beginner
7-8 Beginner
Below 7 Novice
The chart could also be used to rank players in forming a league, ranking players for
all-star competitions, or starting a house ladder. I have only begun toying with the chart and the average for a couple of months, but the more I think about it, the
broader the application for it becomes.
I think it would be great if one of the major dart organizations picked up on the chart and
used it to rank players. Quality points and won/loss records are of little use in comparing players in different leagues or different countries. Imagine if every player in
every dart organization had an average? You could tell at a glance how your play compared to anyone else's anywhere. The quality of play in a league could be easily
ascertained. Divisional levels could be easily and accurately established if all players had an average.
The chart is also easy to computerize on any spreadsheet program, so averages would be easy
to maintain. The number of rounds could be adjusted to conserve time and could even be used as warm-up practice before league play. I know, another set of figures to keep
track of for league statisticians. My suggestion would be to have a separate individual take care of the average sheet. Anyone with a computer could easily key in the
numbers. If you are interested in the idea, email me at ihuntsnook@aol.com and
ask for a computerized version of the chart and I will happily e-mail it to you. It's formatted in Microsoft Excell. Play well!
Captain Fred Everson is author of A Dart Player's Guide to Winning Darts, which is available from Bull's-Eye News, PO Box 321, Pickerington, OH
43147 or here online at www.bullseyenews.com for $14.95 plus $5.95 for
shipping and handling. (Mastercard or Visa)
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