There are thousands of people around the world who suffer from the dart throwing condition called, dartitis. Although there are many interpretations of this dart throwing condition, Dartitis is the inability of a person to throw fluid and deliberate darts at the dart board. While there are many things a dart player can do to correct this problem, visualization is one of keys to solving this problem. A lot of money has been spent on sports psychology for big money sports like baseball, football and golf. Golf is the closest of these sports to darts because of the psychology of perfection that is involved in both sports. Putting a golf ball is a results driven activity, just like darts. The golfer’s version of dartitis is called the yips – when you just can’t seem to get the putter absolutely right so you “yip” in the middle of your swing and ruin your putt. Dartitis is different from golf’s “yip” in that an object actually leaves your hand. So it’s much easier to over-control the dart. Perfection is a very cruel master, but here are a few tips to help you master dartitis:
Review your throw from another perspective. Have a friend video-tape your throw during a competitive match. Or have him take a bunch of digital photos of you throwing throughout the night. This will give you insight on how your swing breaks down mechanically and can lead to technical ideas on how to correct your case of dartitis. Then take some time to analyze the tape/photos instead of practicing. Create a mental picture of your dart throw you can recall when you’re on the line to take your mind off the dartitis. Taking some time off to do this “research” will also make sure you aren’t over-throwing and getting physically and emotionally drained. When you’re rested mentally and physically you will shoot much more relaxed and calm at the dart line.
Watch your dart, not the board. Change your perspective by watching your dart flying through the air and landing in your target. When practicing take 10 minutes to do the following drill: Shake out your arm. Aim at your target. Before you throw, switch your eyes to the dart in your hand and watch it fly into the board. Don’t worry about where it lands at first. Just get used to how the dart looks in the air. As you get comfortable you’ll start hitting your targets while looking at the dart. The key to this drill is to recall how your darts looked in the air when you resume throwing normally. It takes the focus off the board and should help to ease the symptoms of dartitis.
Turn out the lights. When practicing turn off the light pointed on your dartboard. There should be enough light left in the room so you can barely make out the numbers on the board. Now, throw your darts but instead of concentrating where they land, concentrate on what they look like when they leave your hand. Concentrate on the natural pace of your throw, is it slow and deliberate or quick and powerful. By analyzing how you throw your darts you can draw on this when you’re on the line and the pressure’s on. The mental picture you have of your throw should help to alleviate the “herky jerky” effects of dartitis. Click here for more visualization techniques.
Opposites attract. Throw with your opposite hand in competitive matches. I know this sounds crazy but if you’re serious about beating dartitis you have to break the psychological barrier with letting go of the dart. One way to do this is join a competitive dart league on a lower division team and throw with your opposite hand. You’ll be amazed at how much you can learn from analyzing your opposite throw. By concentrating on improving you’ll be encouraged to try new ideas on your regular throw, and revisit fundamentals you may have over-looked. It will take some time but you should see an improvement in your dart throw.