The Secret Formula...

Like many of you I struggle to improve my darts. I have found bits of wisdom here and there as I read, listened to others and experimented with my own techniques and understanding of this sometimes frustrating game. In all of this, I have discovered the secret formula for success. The secret formula is...

"There is no secret formula."

Good darts come from a combination of everything; grip, head movement, elbow placement, stroke, concentration, alignment, visualization, body movement, mental attitude, hand position, release point, wrist snap, stance, alignment to the board, aiming techniques and so on and so forth. Then there are other things to consider: darts, shafts, flights, tips, weights, shapes, surfaces, lengths and much more.

To understand all of this it really helps to have some good training. But training is a very personal affair. First we must be able to train. How many hours a day can we spend in front of a dartboard? Then once training begins, what constitutes "good?" After all, practicing bad habits only serves to reinforce them. We all need good coaching. But how in the world are we to find a good coach, perhaps one of the guys at the local watering hole? How about SEWA Darts.com? A lot of the top players have websites and information about playing well and there are always the dart related books and magazines. The information to help us train is there but where are the coaches?

When it comes to coaching, we are pretty much on the same oche. It is very hard to find a good coach. Lucky for us lots of players are willing to give advice and share what has worked for them. But different people tell us different things and the reason for this is simple, "people are different." What works for one person may not work for another. The one little insight that made 180-degree difference in one person's game may mean nothing at all to another. With all the information available and no one to really show us how to use it, it is easy to get frustrated. So, having a positive mental attitude will be a big step in the right direction.

A positive mental attitude can be our greatest asset in acquiring the knowledge to play this sport well. Learning to play darts is a bit like solving a puzzle. We need to figure out how best to put it all together so that the results form a total picture of a good dart player. Putting it all together is part of the frustration of this sport but it is equally a part of the fun. Solving the puzzle is a big part of why this game can be so addictive. And in our search to solve the puzzle and make the best darter we can, we continue our search for the secret formula.

Karl Hartmann










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