Darts practice: time, breathing and focus

Darts is one of the only sports where practice can be done in the comfort of your own home, rain or shine, and buck naked if that’s how you do. But practise you must! No matter how good you get, there’s always room to improve. With that in mind here are three handy things to think about for your next session. Cheers to Alex Roy and Warren Parry for the tips.

Setting time limits, by Alex Roy

“When practising, set yourself time limits. I start by going around the dartboard on doubles from 1 to 20 then the bullseye. I try to hit them all within 10 minutes. Then starting at 80, go for out shots from 80 to 100, but you can’t finish on the bullseye. This means you have to hit more trebles and doubles. It will be bloody tricky to start with, but after a while, it will get easier. At first, it will probably take at least 30-40 minutes. I can do this in 10-15 minutes now.

After doing both games, I then start on the twenties. I throw and try and score 80 or more in two darts. If I do this, I throw the last dart at the double 1. If I hit all three, I repeat this but go at double 2, with the last dart and so on through to double 20. It’s very hard to do, so I give myself a time limit of 30 minutes. Try all these games. and trust me your game will improve by 50%. Remember that finishing is how you win.”

Breathing techniques, by Alex Roy

“When you practise, do it alone. While an afternoon throwing darts with friends is a good time, the practice that will improve your darts game is the time without distractions or worries about anyone seeing that wild throw! Concentrate on your breathing, keeping it steady and slow. And before you throw the first dart, in your mind’s eye, see it hit the dartboard exactly where you want it.

Don't just spend an hour trying to hammer the bullseye, try these techniques to improve your dart game: Pick any spot on the board, and throw. Try this all around the board, and see how often you hit where you intend. Another good practice technique is to throw the dart, and then no matter where it lands, try to hit that spot again. Thanks for reading my tips.”

Consistency and focus, by Warren Parry

“It might seem obvious, but my big tip is to concentrate on your approach. One of the key things to shooting consistent darts is approaching the board the exact same way every time. If you change your approach, you change everything and you make it harder to aim well. Find a mark on the oche; concentrate on your target before you start the throwing motion.

A huge mistake that many dart players make, is leaning too much towards the dartboard. This puts your body off balance, leading to an inaccurate throw. Accuracy comes from a balanced stance. Leaning too far not is worth the few inches gained. Accuracy follows balance.”

Any questions, tips or comments you would like to share? Comment below.