How to practice Darts

How often, how much? This is one of the standard questions I get from players. The general answer is of course not surprising: As often as possible, as much as possible.

But how many people have 8 hours or more per day they can use for practicing darts? Answer: Maybe the pros and some of the unemployed, but hardly anyone else. So you get your personal answer - use as much time as you can or are willing to afford. If this is 8 hours per day, great. If this is 1 hour, okay.

However long this time is, you should use it right. 1 hour of intense, aware and motivated practice is better than 8 hours of boredom and so-so arrow tossing. And, as in the headline of this paragraph, frequency is more important than quantity. An example: Player A does 7 or more hours of practicing each Sunday and nothing during the rest of the week. Player B practices half an hour on workdays, 2 hours on Saturday and then enjoys a lazy Sunday. Guess who uses his time better... yes, frequency is more important than quantity, so player B's regime is much better.

Try to practice each day of the week, with not more than 1 or two days off. Even if you can only spend 20 minutes on workdays this is good practice, although you should then plan at least one longer practice session on weekends, let's say more than 2 hours if you are serious about improving your game. The frequency postulate can also be used for doing two or more short practice sessions on one day. E.g. play for 15 minutes during lunch hour if you have the chance to, and for another 15 minutes when you come home. German top player Andre Welge used to get up 20 minutes earlier in the morning to get some additional practicing before he went to work. Not anybody's strategy (at least not mine, I REALLY hate getting up early), but a good one.

Then, not only is frequency better than quantity, intensity also is. Do your practice sessions on a concentration level similar to your matchplay level. If you find your concentration or motivation dropping during a longer session, go for a pause. Again 15 minutes up to half an hour are okay for such pausing. You can and should also pause if your motivation drops during a practice session, and also when you are unhappy with your game. Better stop and try again a while later with new motivation and awareness. Unconcentrated and unmotivated practice is bad practice. Pro Rod Harrington told me he doesn't practice when he has no fun doing it. In darts there is no use for forcing oneselve to practicing. If you don't want to, don't do. But of course, if you aren't eaeger to get to the board again after one or two lazy days you will hardly have the personality to become a strong player. In many other sports self-torment (mostly to gain muscle power) is a necessity, but not in darts. Darts is touch and coordination, not physical suffering.

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