Hello guys. Once more I have problem . When I concetrate on throw I cant relese dart . When I play how I can it is good ,but then game quality goes down

TrollTheLocalPatriot wrote:

Hello guys. Once more I have problem . When I concetrate on throw I cant relese dart . When I play how I can it is good ,but then game quality goes down

May be thats your problem, your concentrating/thinking too much about your throw?

Yep thats that

thinking is always bad in darts me friend.

I must agree. When you think about your throw it destroys the fluid motion of your arm. When that happens to me I will typically take 9 darts or so and just throw them at the board without caring about where they are going just to remind myself that I throw better when I don't overdo it

Only thing ya should be concentrating on it that do in the bed IMO

That all nice . But then how can I do follow thru ,and all other things you are nagging about . I cant tailor up my game . You all have manual game when you draw back stop push/or throw forward ,but I cant do that . I just have auto mode (where I dont know how it is happening , maybe I am doing it well but knowing my results I doubt it)

your follow thru should be automatic after a certain amount of practice. It should just become natural part of your throw.

It is . But maybe I am doing it wrong?

TrollTheLocalPatriot wrote:

It is . But maybe I am doing it wrong?

There is no right or wrong way IMO. Do what is comfortable for yourself. It took me hundreds of hours just to get a feel for my follow thru

But I cant do it the way all darting world says it has to be done!

TrollTheLocalPatriot wrote:

But I cant do it the way all darting world says it has to be done!

Nobody can say the way it has to be done. People can make suggestions, doesn't mean they are right

But all pros do things that are in general suggestion . I dont know player that was really great ,by doing things completly diffrent, little diffrent yes ,but completly diffrent no

So explain, what is completely different about your throw?

I cant throw /or push dart forward. I dont have control over my throw what all good player have ,and because of that I am not consistant(I think)

My 4 cents...You only focus on your mechanics during practice. And then, only if you want to try a bit of tweeking. Unless you're a newbie, you've already developed a natural style that is comfortable for you. The only two things that matter about your mechanics is 1) You have to be able to consistently duplicate it and to help with that 2) It has to be comfortable. Only by being able to duplicate your throw consistently can you access it and make small adjustments to improve your results. It's important to keep in mind that the results won't be your best while you're working on this. I can be wearing out triples on an inexperienced thrower, they'll be struggling and ask me what they're doing wrong. I'll give them some pointers on stance, grip, throw and when we start throwing again a part of my subconscious will be thinking about MY mechanics and there'll be ham and eggs all over the place! So when you focus on mechanics, don't focus on the results. Now, your darts need to be pretty close to what you're aiming for; if not, that adjustment may not be for you. Focus on the feel of the throw. Does it feel more comfortable? Your darts won't be perfect, but do they seem closer, more consistent? And can you duplicate that throw over and over? It's also important to remember that you probably can't answer these question right away. Also, don't change too much at once. When you're playing someone, you have to put all that aside and just throw. I may think about my throw the first one or two warmup tosses just to wake up the muscle memory and then I let it go. If you feel like some of your form isn't there, then you just haven't practiced duplicating it enough to make it automatic. Those of us here are of varying skill and talent. Most of us know we are capable of great darts once in a while, or sometimes, or most of the time. The biggest difference between us is consistency. I dare say everyone from the first year league player to Phil Taylor is constantly looking to be more consistent, so be demanding, but also patient.

Very well put Oche.

USMC80 wrote:

Very well put Oche.

Agreed 100%

I feel your pain Troll. I'm struggling with my throw too. The big difference I think is that I KNOW why my darts aren't going where I want. It's because I'm tweaking things in my throw to make it more comfortable for my shoulder.

So since I know I'm not going to be consistent until I find the right throw for me and practice it for hundreds of hours, I'm trying not to be too concerned about how badly I'm playing right now. And I still occasionally surprise myself with a throw like I know what I"m doing! (Had a triple bullseye last night in between HORRIBLE throws where I couldn't even hit the same quarter of the board, much less my actual target).

Also had several 7 marks in a cricket game against myself where off throws weren't even close to the target. It's inconsistency brought on by working hard. It doesn't mean you "can't" throw good darts, it just means you aren't AS LIKELY to throw them while you're learning as you will be when you've settled in.

I have league tonight, and I really want to win my matches, but if I don't, I'm going to try to smile really broadly and think to myself (the reason you won is because I'm working to make my game better which is temporarily making it worse; next season I'll play the darts I know I'm capable of and a) I'll beat you and b) if you don't work as hard as I do, you'll still be throwing the same level of darts in a year as you are today: so enjoy your "victory").

At least I hope I can think that instead of "%$#%$#$@%$#%$# Mike you're throwing like $#@$#@$ what the $#@$#@ is wrong with you???$#%$#%$#%#!!!!!!!"

Chalk Is Cheap wrote:

I feel your pain Troll. I'm struggling with my throw too. The big difference I think is that I KNOW why my darts aren't going where I want. It's because I'm tweaking things in my throw to make it more comfortable for my shoulder.

So since I know I'm not going to be consistent until I find the right throw for me and practice it for hundreds of hours, I'm trying not to be too concerned about how badly I'm playing right now. And I still occasionally surprise myself with a throw like I know what I"m doing! (Had a triple bullseye last night in between HORRIBLE throws where I couldn't even hit the same quarter of the board, much less my actual target).

Also had several 7 marks in a cricket game against myself where off throws weren't even close to the target. It's inconsistency brought on by working hard. It doesn't mean you "can't" throw good darts, it just means you aren't AS LIKELY to throw them while you're learning as you will be when you've settled in.

I have league tonight, and I really want to win my matches, but if I don't, I'm going to try to smile really broadly and think to myself (the reason you won is because I'm working to make my game better which is temporarily making it worse; next season I'll play the darts I know I'm capable of and a) I'll beat you and b) if you don't work as hard as I do, you'll still be throwing the same level of darts in a year as you are today: so enjoy your "victory").

At least I hope I can think that instead of "%$#%$#$@%$#%$# Mike you're throwing like $#@$#@$ what the $#@$#@ is wrong with you???$#%$#%$#%#!!!!!!!"

Great answer!

Chalk Is Cheap wrote:

I feel your pain Troll. I'm struggling with my throw too. The big difference I think is that I KNOW why my darts aren't going where I want. It's because I'm tweaking things in my throw to make it more comfortable for my shoulder.

So since I know I'm not going to be consistent until I find the right throw for me and practice it for hundreds of hours, I'm trying not to be too concerned about how badly I'm playing right now. And I still occasionally surprise myself with a throw like I know what I"m doing! (Had a triple bullseye last night in between HORRIBLE throws where I couldn't even hit the same quarter of the board, much less my actual target).

Also had several 7 marks in a cricket game against myself where off throws weren't even close to the target. It's inconsistency brought on by working hard. It doesn't mean you "can't" throw good darts, it just means you aren't AS LIKELY to throw them while you're learning as you will be when you've settled in.

I have league tonight, and I really want to win my matches, but if I don't, I'm going to try to smile really broadly and think to myself (the reason you won is because I'm working to make my game better which is temporarily making it worse; next season I'll play the darts I know I'm capable of and a) I'll beat you and b) if you don't work as hard as I do, you'll still be throwing the same level of darts in a year as you are today: so enjoy your "victory").

At least I hope I can think that instead of "%$#%$#$@%$#%$# Mike you're throwing like $#@$#@$ what the $#@$#@ is wrong with you???$#%$#%$#%#!!!!!!!"

Same here

some good posts here by ochejockey and chalk, well done guys!

I too have been in a similar situation for some time. I started to play again at the begining of last year after 18 months out from my shoulder break.

I made the mistake like Troll of trying to force myself into a style that was not right for me, I was trying too hard to throw with a straight arm like John Lowe, I was just getting worse and worse. My problem was not helped by my constant changing of darts and also the fact I can only practice a limited time due to joint aches.

Since starting the Flight School routines this year I have become more consistent and I am throwing closer to my natural style that I had before my injury. I know for certain that thinking too much causes problems. If I think too much my throw becomes kind of stiffer and more jerky, when I don't think it just flows smoothly.

I have sometimes also concentrated too much on trying to aim the dart at the target and been frustrated at not hitting it, then after a while I get where I say "feck It" and just throw the dart and I hit the target!!???

I keep learning little things about my throw and what works and what doesn't, its just a case of practising them until the accuracy improves and they become automatic. I am also finding that just looking at the target and only thinking of hitting it and not thinking of anything else is helping me to throw more smoothly, the accuracy is slowly improving too.

Troll, I had a very similar issue. I don't know how bad yours was but mine was terrible, you can ask USMC he saw it first hand. I was having trouble getting the darts to stick in the board my throw was so mangled because I decided I was going to change it to "improve" my game and all I seemed to do is completely lose it.

It was extremely frustrating for months of my life, to the point where I was ready to give up playing because I was embarrassed to step up to the oche. USMC lent me a book called "The Art of Darts" by John Lowe. After reading the book, which I found I had trouble putting down I was once again inspired to throw and I had some new techniques and approaches to take when I stepped to the line. After I found my darts were starting to land consistently in the board I enrolled in flight school and George has helped my confidence and my accuracy more in the 6 months I've been enrolled than I have gained with years of playing.

I tell you all of that to get across this one point. I have suffered a similar ailment with my dart game but I encourage you to dig deep and persevere. It's difficult to do but try to not get bogged down on how you used to throw in comparison with how you are throwing.

Lefty ain't lying. He could barely release a dart. And when he did it wouldnt stick in the board. There are even holes in my ceiling!

Ah, yes.... the holes. Not so bitter sweet memories...

A little update after league night.

I lost my 301 game due to nerves. I didn't mind losing but I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of my team mates and competitors. I was feeling fine in warm up and even on the 9 darts right before the match. In fact my last three warm up darts were bull, bull, 25. It was wonderful.

I won the first throw with a 25. Everything was fine.

Then I stepped up for my double in and everything went to crap. Started thinking. Ok, I need to line up like this, is this the same way I was standing before, oh no my hand is shaking, what should I throw at, 20's, I know that the math says if I'm shaking to aim at the wire of T14/T11 so my averages are better... etc. etc. etc. etc.

Long story short I lost.

I went out and had a smoke after and a good talk with myself and I had an epiphany. I beat myself. Again. Because of pressure.

Then I thought, what's the most real pressure I've ever been under? How does it compare to this?

For me, it was a solo performance in front of a crowd of 10,000 people. I was so nervous that something inside me just went blank and the nerves just disappeared. It's hard to describe but it was the night my performance anxiety (stage fright) as a musician disappeared. I just floated on the music and nothing else mattered.

So I said to myself, "Mike, you've performed in front of 10,000 people. This is a friendly darts game in front of a few friends and friendly rivals for a little plaque at the end of the season. This. Is. Not. Pressure."

I finished my smoke and went back inside.

I hit the outshot on my 601 (D18 on my second dart).

My doubles cricket game was a complete demolition of the other team. They had 7 marks when my partner hit bull for the win.

And I slept like a baby.

So my advice, if this is similar to your situation, is to realize: it's just darts. Get out of your own way mate.

Cheers Chalk

Troll, maybe you've heard this hundreds of times but then again maybe you haven't. The very last thought (picture) I have in my mind at the instance of release, is my precise target. I have not fully accomplished that yet, but when I do, I'll be there. Each time that I can accomplish that without some goofy distraction, I'm there on target. It's that very last moment that is all important to me. Even during days of downside. Hope this is a helpful thought.

ShadowNotes wrote:

Troll, maybe you've heard this hundreds of times but then again maybe you haven't. The very last thought (picture) I have in my mind at the instance of release, is my precise target. I have not fully accomplished that yet, but when I do, I'll be there. Each time that I can accomplish that without some goofy distraction, I'm there on target. It's that very last moment that is all important to me. Even during days of downside. Hope this is a helpful thought.

simple Shadow but soo true. thanks for refreshing me on this point.

You cant maybe ,dont belive it ,but tips from you work , I am smoother then ever , by only playing game I like .