When do you throw for solid numbers and when do you aim for the triple?

When I step up to the line and get ready to throw my darts, in '501 OI-DO for example, my usual modus operandi is to aim for the triple-20. My goal? To hit a ton-80, of course, until I am ready to set myself up for the out. The point is that most of the time I concentrate on going for the triple part of the number, probably the smallest area (other than the double-bull) on the board. Have I hit a ton-80? Yes. Have I hit the ton-71? Yes. Not as often as I would like, of course, but how can you hit the ton-80 if you aren't aiming for triples with every single throw?

Lately I have been frustrated with my darts. That's natural. We all go through those ups and downs and we cannot be in the zone, so to speak, with every toss of the arrows. That is what makes throwing darts so glorious when we are in the zone! If it were effortless would there be a challenge? Would the game of darts become boring? Would we remember the wins less? And how does one move from throwing frustrating and right-there darts to throwing well and winning?

The question I have been asking myself, sometimes as I seemingly beat my head against the dartboard in frustration, is when does one aim for the fat solid part of the number and when does the darter aim for the triple? All this time I have been aiming for that triple-20 but truthfully I haven't hit a ton-80 for over a year. A year? A YEAR?!!! Yes! A year. I finally had a revelation of sorts...after hitting far too many breakfasts (that would be 26 points with three darts, a five, a twenty and a single-one) and far too many total scores of 7 (that would be a five, a single-one and another single-one) I have realized that I have got to rethink my strategy. A solid sixty (three big fat 20s) is worth far more than a 7 or even a 26 on any day of the week. It is better to be solid and consistent with 60s then to be a good shot and right there. How many times have you thrown that last dart that felt really good only to realize that you missed your target even though you were close? You can be oh-so-close to that triple-20 and wire it every time but that isn't going to help you win more. Close only counts in hand grenades, horse shoes, and maybe shuffleboard, certainly not in darts. Therefore, if you want to get to your out as fast as possible, and hopefully before your opponent, then you better start throwing some consistently solid darts.

Solid darts means going back to basics and aiming for that solid-60, three consistent, big-fat 20s with every single round. Sure, we all want those three perfect triple-20 darts... But! If you are not hitting at least one triple-20 with every three darts that you throw then it is time to step back from the line, think about what you are really actually hitting (or not hitting) and go back to basics. What you are actually doing is making it easier on yourself to do better when you aim for the solid part of the number. That's because the solid part of the number is the biggest area on the dartboard for every single number. So why not make it easier on yourself to succeed and throw solid rather than missing the triple-20 over and over and over again?

When I started throwing steel-tip darts, a friend of mine gave me a practice game that was lots of fun. Take a typical light-weight cardboard drink coaster from your favorite pub and nail it to the dartboard. Literally, hang it up there with a nail. It doesn't matter where, start by hanging it right in the middle of the board, covering the bullseye. Your goal is to hit 9 consecutive darts into the coaster. As soon as you miss the coaster with one dart, start over. When you've successfully hit 9 in a row? Take the coaster down, grab a pair of scissors (do not run with them) and trim about a quarter-inch off the coaster, all the way around. You have just made the coaster smaller and it's going to get a bit harder to throw 9 darts in a row and hit your target. Hang that smaller coaster right back on to the dartboard and start over throwing 9 consecutive darts into the coaster. When you've hit the 9 in a row, take it down, trim it down again, hang it back up and start over throwing 9 into the coaster again. And again, and again. Obviously the goal is to become a better shot at a smaller area of the dartboard. Start with a big fat area to throw at, and work your way to a smaller area. By the time that coaster is teeny-tiny you are going to be better at hitting your target. Really.

I am not saying don't ever throw for the triple-20...because in the back of my mind I still want that ton-80 as much as the next darter. And I am convinced that we all have moments of greatness; in the back of my mind I continue to think that the next dart, the next dart, and that next dart are going to go right where I throw them and nail that triple-20. But when that isn't happening and I am consistently missing, I have to resist that desire for that glory-dart, start aiming for the solid fat part of the number and go from there. That, and I have to practice more.

Remember that a solid 60 beats breakfast any day of the week.
~Reporting from the line, Sherilyn AKA The Passionate Darter