01/15/02 The Psychological Edge...

It's been a great week for darts - I wish all weeks were this good! I started off the week by hitting a Ton-80 in a match. I wish I could say I hit so many of them that it's no big deal, but truth be told, it is a big deal. Then, in league on Monday I played pretty well in my Cricket matches and had an 8-dart 301 game against my opponent. It feels good when your opponent tells you that you shot good darts, and you've actually won the game. Next, a couple of more web sites linked to the passionatedarter and that made my day. The word is getting out about the site and I've actually got an increasing number of hits per day.

Tuesday night I stopped in at a dart pub that I haven't been to before, for a blind draw (Time Out West on Tuesday nights). The darters were very high-caliber and it was humbling to play among such good shooters. There's nothing like competition. My partner (Dayton) was a good shooter and didn't obviously roll his eyes in the back of his head when he realized he had drawn a woman shooter (at least not that I could see...). We ended up splitting the pot for 1st and 2nd, so I felt pretty good. And then today, today Arachnid delivered my husband's Christmas present (okay, so it's a little late) which is a refurbished Arachnid 6300 electronic board with the coin changer removed, and a free play button added. Yes indeed, my husband will be the envy of all his friends. He doesn't have a clue as to what it is, so I'm excited for him to get home tonight (shhhh).

On with the column...a common theme that you will see throughout this dart site is the importance of having the mental edge. Having that mental edge is what makes the expert player different from the average player. It makes all the difference in the world and having that mental edge will help distinguish yourself as a better dart player.

Having that mental edge means not letting distractions get the best of you. You've got to be able to tune out the bar scene, the music, the noise and the other darters. When I first started playing darts I used to be very intimidated by darters who wore a "dart shirt" with their name embroidered on it. After playing pretty regularly I realized that the dart shirt doesn't necessarily make the darter, and in order to be good you cannot be intimidated by those things. Though not a sports psychologist, I do believe that a good part of the game is having that mental edge.

How many times have you seen a good darter lose a match? It happens. The darter most likely lost the mental edge. Or, have you seen two excellent darters play and not be sure of which one would win? The darter who loses that mental edge and misses first will most likely lose. So how do you get the mental edge? Conditioning and visualization. Conditioning will come with regular play in all sorts of situations and by playing competitively. The more you play in different draws, leagues and tournaments, the more comfortable you will become. You've got to make every moment at the line feel like just another moment in time with only you, your darts and the dartboard in your thoughts.

Visualization is another way to mentally prepare yourself for your next round, next match, next draw and next tournament. And the great thing about visualization is that you don't have to be in front of the dartboard to visualize. Visualization means mentally picturing yourself at the line and throwing the diddle, playing your game, and winning of course.

There's even a term for that moment in time when it's obvious that you've got the mental edge or the psychological advantage. It's called a "white moment" and it's the exact moment in time, in the midst of a game, when psychologically you know that you are going to win the game. It doesn't occur after hitting a certain number or hitting a certain score. You may not even understand the white moment concept until you've experienced it, but again it is that exact moment in time when the power of the game shifts and psychologically you have won the game. That means your opponent has lost the mental edge...

So, the message for today is condition yourself and visualize the perfect game. Work on acquiring that mental edge so you've got an advantage over your opponent. Good luck, and see you at the line.