all of this in just in my opinion and i'm sure other beginners and more seasoned players have their own ideas so feel free to add , share and discuss. i do not claim to be a good player or to have a lot of knowledge about how to improve this is just what i think works for me.
the first thing i would say is forget about stats all together! i downloaded every app going to track and mark progress at the start and although i could see an improvement every week for a first month when it started leveling out it got me down. i would start throwing angry darts, adapting my throw or stance constantly trying to improve on the previous weeks score. when i stopped paying attention to stats what i did notice was even though i was still hitting 5's , 1's and even 18's and 12's my darts where getting a lot closer to the intended target and importantly closer to each other. so even though if i do a game on the computer now and it says i've got a 1 dart average of 16 which was what is was getting before i stopped constantly recording scores i can see that i'm getting better. a computer can't tell you a 26 score with the 3 darts spread 4 or 5 inches apart is worse than a 26 score with 1 on the wire of the t20 and one in the corner of t5/t20/20 and one the same on the 1 but your eyes can! just relax. sometimes i'll just pound away on the board not worrying about scores just trying to group my darts together and i think that is helping my game a lot. another thing to consider is that when you start being able to group your darts close to each other you will find that if you throw into the t5 then your other 2 darts may follow it. if that happens i like to take one step back and re-approach the oche again then throw my next dart.
i myself would warn against buying expensive darts to begin with. pure do loads of cheap darts . buy a 24 gram maybe then a 22 if that feels better try a 20 if it doesn't buy a 26. this way you can spend £40 on a range of weights and grips and not on just one set like i did then sold them for only £15 . find a weight and grip pattern that suits you before going and buying an expensive set. i myself tried 25g , 22g ,14g, and 18g and i'm in the right ball park now. i want to try more grips out to see if i like anything better , i really like the smooth grip but all i can find in-between 14 and 18 gram darts are target brahma which are expensive so i'll need to try other grips anyway.
another thing i would suggest is playing the weekly challenges on here as it's a great way to mix up your practice and learn new games instead of just plugging away at 01 or round the clock.
most important of all is join in here on the forum. ask questions start threads take on board what the other guys on here have to say. there are some fantastic players here at darts nutz with some great advice.
if your are new to darts and this site welcome aboard and i look forward to seeing your post.

A good informative post mate. +1 from me

Good thread Jamie and makes a great deal of sense. I think a lot of beginners want to be too good too quick, unless they are very naturally talented it can frustrate quickly and then they get demoralised if they dont think they are getting the improvements they should.

I always say to just enjoy it when your a beginner, you can start to think about it more seriously after a few months and then it depends on what you want out of it. But that does not mean to say you should be playing like a pro after a a few months. Let things develop at their own pace and enjoy the journey!

Very good advice Jamie - stats at an early stage can really discourage you. I know some people that did the flight school thing and it did nothing but dicourage them. Alot of meaningful practice over a long period of time and competing against good players is the way to improvement. It has taken me years to get to where I'm at, big difference from just two years ago. I work at it everyday and that's what it takes -it's not an easy game!

best thing I found for my game is the rings.
made a massive difference to me, that way aswell I didnt care about the scores

is that the eric bristow practice rings ?

yea.
something so stupid, its brilliant.
I think ive found the mental trick to it as well.

a plus one from me buddy. I disagree with Spat over flight school though as its not intended to compete with ones self. I encourage flight school but if it not for you you will find out soon enough.

thanks lads. i must admit i have not tried the flight school routines yet. i have signed up and looked though it. i will give it a go sometime in the future .

Jamie, you will find as you mature and your game matures that you can look at the stats without getting discouraged.

I always look at my average after the end of an N01 session, but more important to me is the number of pegs I get. I always set the computer at a level that is better than me so it pushes me to work hard on every dart.

Overall mate, some very good advice youve given there. +1 from me.

I agree with Larry about Flightschool. I used it and still do and my games gone through the roof in the past 6-8 Months. For example I hit a 24.24 avg in my Singles on Tuesday with a 22.04 overall avg on the night. Before I started Flightschool I was averaging approx. 17-18 per dart.

Last Season I Won 3 Trophies, 2 for most 180's in 2 different Leagues and 1 for Lowest number of darts in a 1001 League. I'd have never have managed that before doing Flightschool.

The Flightschool routines aren't meant to be done as a practice against yourself, but as a good accuracy and grouping exercise. It starts you off with the basics and slowly builds your game. I swear by it.

chrisbamb wrote:

I agree with Larry about Flightschool. I used it and still do and my games gone through the roof in the past 6-8 Months. For example I hit a 24.24 avg in my Singles on Tuesday with a 22.04 overall avg on the night. Before I started Flightschool I was averaging approx. 17-18 per dart.

Last Season I Won 3 Trophies, 2 for most 180's in 2 different Leagues and 1 for Lowest number of darts in a 1001 League. I'd have never have managed that before doing Flightschool.

The Flightschool routines aren't meant to be done as a practice against yourself, but as a good accuracy and grouping exercise. It starts you off with the basics and slowly builds your game. I swear by it.

ya get a + one from me Chris . I might add that with flight school in 2 seasons won 10 trophies including Top Shooter. It may not be for everyone as Spat has stated but it sure helped me.

well I hope I am not getting a touch of the dartitis, some of my darts today where just flying out my hand at weird angles and spinning and wobbling, so I stopped.

Think thinking too much about what your doing is detrimental and yet at the same time you need to think enough so you practice right, no wonder people go crazy!

haha yeah i totally get that grip . these thoughts have messed with my head. i'm guilty of over-thinking things . i suppose its like driving a car , new drivers over think things and make errors its not until you do it without even thinking and its second nature you drive smoothly

The best advice I would give to any new player is play the board and don't get hung up on statistics. When I first started playing super league all I heard was I went out in this many darts and I had a 24.24 tonight what did you have? now I was new to it and hadn't got a clue what they were on about as I just played my game and beat the person in front of me. I still play this way now and although I am told my averages they mean nothing to me if I lose, my first priority is to win then when that's done I like to win without dropping a leg and after that I like to win with a decent checkout and with all those 3 done then I will consider my averages. I have seen so many people worrying about their averages before they play that when they play and play badly they want to quit darts completely. When you get to County level unfortunately they like to put up your averages at the end of the match and it is competitive amongst the players as to who has the best and worst average but I still say a 24 winning average is far more satisfying that a 30 losing one. If you beat the player in front of you it means you played better than him or her and it's you going through to the next round if it's a comp or they have to buy you a beer if it's a league game or it's a point for your County so for me it's happy days.

Any advice you can get that can build your confidence will make you a better player. I am sure flight school will work for some and not others. I have supported and practised with many new players and they have gone on to become great players others fall by the wayside because they try to be better than me from day one and don't want to put the years of practice and dedication in to become a great player. Darts is hard work and even the naturally gifted throwers of a dart still have to put the time in to perfect this skill. Then once you have mastered the throwing side of darts then the fun begins with the MENTAL side of darts and this is where the game separates the men from the boys, but this is a whole new thread that will take hours of explaining so i will leave it there for tonight.

another good post big +1

Thanks buddy glad you like the things I write, Im not just a pretty face you know or as my wife says your not even a pretty face you know lol

Yep Kev ya spot on again my man! take another plus 1 from me pal.

Good post Big at the end of the day all that's recorded in most Leagues is whether you have a "W" or a "L".

enjoy the game!