ndy ‘The Hammer’ Hamilton on the PDPA Practice Board.

Andy Hamilton tells Fanzone what he gets up to on the Practice Board and what Practice Routines are used.



Andy hits that winning double !

“Practice makes perfect so they say, i don’t know about that but i try my hardest to get things right by lots of practice either on my own or with another player. I try to put in at least 2 to 3 hours everyday at about the same time that i would practice for a floor event or at night if it is a tv event which is what i am doing now to get ready for Blackpool.

Some players don’t need to practice as much as others, but i am one of those players that need and want to practice all the time, i love the game and want to be the best i could possibly be.

I have a routine for my practice sessions starting with a warm up to turn my arm over (the muscles need to loosen up, must be an age thing ha ha !) I then go in to practicing finishes doing 80 – 120, then do as many 180′s in a certain time frame. Then back to finishes 121 – 170, i also do round the board just getting 2 darts in each double. If i am practicing with a partner we will play some games of 501, 34 legs yesterday with Mark Hylton, very good session and was exhausted by the time i got home but well worth it, we both played some good darts and that is how i want to feel after a practice session.

There are lots of different games you can play on your own, you need to try different things to stop yourself getting bored and to keep your mind focused and i always give myself a target of doing certain things before i finish a practice session such as hitting as many 180′s in 15mins and will always finish a practice session with a 180 and leave the darts in the board for the next day, thats if i have been practicing on my own at home.

Well lots more practice to get in before Blackpool, BRING IT ON !”



Practice makes Perfect !

Boredom is the enemy of solo practice so I vary me practice routines, after I do my regular ones.

See, I hate in when people leave their darts in the Board!!

I like doing the 61-100 finishing routine and have managed to get up to 35% conversion.

For those that don't know it, it's basically start at 61 and you have 3 darts to finish it and go all the way through to 100.

It's a great way to practice your finishes and if you're not good at the counting or finishing aspect of the game, this one gets you tuned in and gets you used to your favourite way of finishing.

When I first started the routine I was on 10% conversion, my aim is to get to at least 50%. Let's face it if you were just 50% on your doubles, you'd be ecstatic, but to get a 50% on finishes between 61 and 100 is fantastic darts and will Win you more games than you lose.

You'll be surprised at how many times you end up with 2 darts left in your hand for a double when practicing this regularly.