Hello qldman-ga!
There are a lot of sites out there talking about darts! The challenge
was to find information that was not only from a credible source, but
also useful to you. I have put together what I think will be a nice
set of references that you can use to improve your practice
techniques, concentration, and breathing, as well as references to
specific exercises aimed at muscle groups used in dart throwing.
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PRACTICE ROUTINE
I found a lot of sites and articles that said to excel in darts you
have to practice . . . a lot! There are also many sites with examples
of practice routines. I picked out some of the more useful and
detailed ones for you to look at.
Dave DePriest is an accomplished American dart thrower. He has won
several U.S. amateur and professional competitions and is heading to
the international arena now. He has a website with a lot of useful
information, including links to different practice exercises. Here are
some excerpts from an article on his warm-up routine that I found
especially interesting.
?Step One ? Stretching
I like to perform basic stretches to loosen up the major muscles and
tendons associated with the dart throw. This greatly reduces the time
required throwing aimless darts at the board in order to get loose or
?feel the dart.? . . .
Step Two - The Loosen Up
In this phase I generally just throw darts at the bull?s-eye or 20
wedge. I?m not pushing to throw great darts. Basically, all I am
concentrating on is getting the proper feel of my throw. . . .
Step Three ? Grouping
I work on grouping darts. Again I am not stressing to hit strategic
targets only to get the darts close to each other. Generally, I throw
the first dart at the 20 wedge and no matter where it lands I then
attempt to land the next two darts as close as possible to the first.
. . .
Step Four ? Targets
During this step I concentrate on increasing my focus and picking off
targets. The specific target priority changes according to the next
event. . . .
Step Five - Game Situations
I like to focus on specific shot combinations during this time. My
goal is to simulate crucial situations in matches. . . .
Step Six- The Psych Up
This is the time I use to take a mental inventory. I use a lot of
positive self-talk and set my mind to the competitive mode. In
competition, I try to time this to peak immediately before my first
match.?
http://www.davedepriest.com/warmup2.htm
For a list of articles about practice techniques see:
http://www.davedepriest.com/articles_practice.htm
Ken Berman has an article on strategy for darts, including a brief
comment on warm-up. Here is a short description of his routine:
?Another form of practice that is largely overlooked is warming up.
Having a specific warm-up routine will help your confidence. A key to
good accuracy. For instance when I warm up the day of an event I throw
100 20's, 30 darts at each cricket triple, including bulls , and throw
at every double on the board until I hit it. That way I know later in
the day I won't find myself on a number that I have not already shot
at. When Calvin Peters warms up He throws at every double and does not
move onto the next until he hits 2 out of 3 darts in each double!?
http://www.crowsdarts.com/dprosdoit.html
Here are two more articles discussing various practice routines.
http://www.100megsfree.com/thedartdog/practice.html
http://www.100megsfree.com/thedartdog/practice_routines_by_thedartdog.html
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CONCENTRATION AND BREATHING
Numerous resources refer to darts as primarily a mental activity.
Improving your concentration and focus will certainly remove obstacles
to playing as close to your best as possible. I found a few links with
specific ideas on improving concentration. I also found some
information on using breathing techniques to improve your
concentration levels.
Using visualization techniques where you actually ?see? your shots
before you take them are powerful techniques to improve not only your
practice sessions, but also competitions as well.
?I like to concentrate on ?seeing? winning shots, overcoming
situations that have been difficult for me in the past. Winning the
particular tournament or event I will be involved in. Visualization
will be a much more powerful tool for you if you take it past the
level of just imagining yourself hitting a target.?
http://www.davedepriest.com/visualization.htm
Here is a small study performed recently evaluating the effects of
biofeedback and stress reduction on a motor task. In this case that
task was dart throwing. Students in an aerobics class were compared to
students who were in a stress reduction class. The stress reduction
class also learned a technique called Peak Achievement Training, a
PC-based neurofeedback program designed to teach users when they are
improving brain focus.
?Exploring effective stress management interventions could combat
potential deleterious effects imposed by competitive pressure by
mentally and physically tuning the performer to respond with a quiet,
ready mind. This state of readiness would minimize the cognitive
processing of irrelevant information and distracters at the time of
motor initiation, processing that would essentially degrade
performance and is more characteristic of beginners.?
http://www.peakachievement.com/articles/Article-BioCompEnvir/biofeedback-on-learning-and-stress.htm
Here is an article with tips on improving your darts game. Many relate
to improving your mental approach to your game. Some of the tips
include:
*Practice, but don?t over practice
*Play your game, regardless of how your opponent plays
*Relax
*Expect to lose once in a while and avoid the expectation of being perfect
http://www.sports-training-advantage.com/darts_coaching.php
Yoga is one activity that can help teach you to relax and breathe
properly. There are a number of videos and DVDs as well as books and
classes where you can learn different yoga systems and techniques.
?Another positive result of conscious breathing is its calming effect
on the emotions, reducing fear and anxiety in the nervous system.
Regulated and mindful breathing, dynamic movement of the head,
shoulders and arms during the practice of breathing and meditation
promote concentration and relaxation.?
http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/alternative-stress-management.asp
Here is an excellent description of a breathing exercise you can do to
clear the mind, reduce stress, and improve concentration.
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/controlexamanxiety/the%20exercises/breathing%20exercise.htm
Here is another article on breathing written by a sports psychologist.
It discusses how to improve concentration through breathing exercises.
http://www.psywww.com/sports/breathin.htm
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FITNESS AND EXERCISE
In all of my research I found very little suggesting ?fitness levels?
or specific exercises designed for dart throwers. It seems that
according to the experts, mental preparation and concentration
exercises are the most important. What I did find were some references
to stretching.
?By stretching and loosening up muscles prior to throwing darts we can
reduce our warm-up period. . . . Stretching reduces stress, anxiety
and fatigue. . . . The physical and mental demands of a weekend long
dart tournament can wear down even the more seasoned pros. Stretching
helps create a better awareness of one's body. The more we understand
our individual physical makeup the better we can prepare and train for
competition. Darts is a fine motor skill activity, being able to
create and maintain a consistent and repeatable motion is paramount to
success.?
http://www.davedepriest.com/stretching.htm
The next article appeared in ?Bulls Eye? magazine, and touched on the
strain that so many games of darts can have on the shoulder. It
discusses the need to warm up properly and stretch the muscles around
the shoulder joint. A proper ?cool down? is also necessary to prevent
injury and lasting pain.
?Seriously, it means ?athletic warm ups and cool downs.? Gently
stretching your arm and shrugging your shoulder up and down for about
five minutes before throwing your warm-up darts, and do the same
stretches and shrugs after a long practice session or competition.
(Do not rotate your shoulder as this only causes more wear and tear!)
In other words, prepare your arm and shoulder so that your muscles and
joints are ready to perform, and after your darting session, cool down
and relax your muscles and joints for a safe return to normal
function.?
http://www.bullseyenews.com/feature2403-01.html
Here are three basic shoulder exercises you can do to keep your
shoulder loose and pain free.
* Climbing the wall
?Put your hand flat on a wall in front of you. Use your fingers to
?climb? up the wall (like a "spider"). As you move your fingers up
little by little, stop and hold your hand in place for 30 seconds
every few inches. Move your fingers up the wall as high as you can
reach. Keep trying to go higher.?
* Codman exercise
?Sit sideways in a straight chair. Rest your armpit on the back of the
chair. Now swing your arm slowly in circles. Make little circles at
first and then make bigger circles. Make the circles in both
directions.?
* Reaching
?Put things you use every day (shoes, coffee cup, toothbrush) on a
high shelf. This way you have to reach up for things more often. The
reaching is a good stretch for your shoulder.?
http://familydoctor.org/374.xml
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OTHER ACTIVITIES
Here is a link to another article on Dave DePriest?s website. He
discusses improving your stance to provide a solid foundation upon
which to build.
?Your stance in darts is one of the most important aspects of good
form. After all, we aren?t baseball players [that] can miss by half a
foot and still be a hall of famer. Nope, darts is a game of
millimeters and accuracy at that level requires highly tuned fine
motor skills.?
http://www.davedepriest.com/foundation.htm
Sewa-Darts.com is a site with discussion forums and other resources
for the serious dart enthusiast. There are also a lot of rules for
practice games you can use. Registration on the site is free.
http://www.sewa-darts.com/
Here is another page with some practice games, as well as comments
from site visitors.
http://www.crowsdarts.com/practice.html
This is a link to a Q&A about ?dartitis,? a condition not so uncommon
among serious dart throwers. According to the articles written here,
it seems to be a complex problem involving rigid technique resulting
from a number of psychological and physical factors.
http://www.dartbase.com/frames.php3?x=faqdartitis.htm
This site is in a frames format so it?s difficult to put in specific
links, but there is a lot of great information there. There are a few
articles on the technical aspects of throwing darts, and a Coaching
section for those needing a few more tips. This site is definitely
worth your time.
http://www.dartbase.com/frames.php3?x=andy.htm
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I hope that you find this information useful. If you have any further
need of clarification, please let me know how I can help.
Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga
Search terms:
Darts practice
Darts concentration
Breathing improve concentration
?Recommended fitness? darts
darts warm up |
