Enduro
Darts practice.
How to improve faster.
Take your practice seriously and dedicate quality practice time every day. Here is how to build a training week that hits doubles, high scores and checkouts, and the games to do it with.
120+ training games · Free to start · Practise in 60 seconds
So you want to get better at darts?
Practice is the only thing that separates a pub player from a stage player.
But how do you start to practise darts to improve as fast as possible?
Many people get their first experience with darts at a pub drinking beer with friends and shooting some darts. But if you want to improve and take your darts skills above the bars and the beers you have to take your practice seriously. In darts, it's just as important (or even more) as in every skill sport.
It is far better to practise an hour a day than 7 hours each Sunday.
That means dedicating quality practice time every day, varying what you work on, and tracking what comes out of it. The four skill areas below are the backbone of a good training week, and every one of them has games on GoDartsPro to make the session focused and fun.
A good mix of everyday
darts training routines
Four skill areas, and the games that train each one. Pick one game from a couple of areas per session and you have a complete practice week.
Practise Doubles
The shots that actually finish legs. Train them regularly and build a strategy for the numbers you keep missing.
Practice Outs
Finishing from a real score, with the setup shot, the switch and the pressure that comes with it.
Practice High Scores
Trebles on 20, 19, 18 and the Bull. A consistent high scoring player is more likely to win the leg.
Practice under Pressure
During match play you feel the pressure all the time, so it is good to be used to throwing with something on the line.
Practising darts needs focus and intention
Do not just randomly throw your darts at the board or only try to hit triple 20's.
You need to dedicate quality practice time every day. It is far better to practise an hour a day than 7 hours each Sunday. For each dart, it is important to focus on your dart throwing technique. Slow down and think the throw through. Spend time with different practicing routines and your overall scoring will improve.
Leave 301 and 501 for the pub
Play 301 and 501 with your friends, at the pub, in the league, or at the PDC finals.
You should instead practise groupings, switching targets and different checkout combinations, so that you will get experienced at hitting the required shot every time you aim and throw the dart. That's why there's a lot of different training applications on this site.
Track it, or you are guessing
By varying your practice methods you will keep focus better as well. Another important thing is to track your progress when practicing. With graphs and statistics (the new Performance Center) showing your improvement will make you more confident which will also affect your scoring in a good way. It will also help to reveal parts of your dart game that need special attention.
Another important thing is to practise regularly to get your muscle memory settled. It's way better to practise one hour per day than to practise seven hours each Sunday.
Enjoy the game
But there are more ways to practise darts. The most important thing is that you enjoy the game and love to throw darts. Reading about darts and watching darts games on TV or Youtube is also a good way to get better in darts. If you get inspired reading about darts or watching a darts game it is more likely that you'll enjoy the next practice session and that's a good start to get better in darts.
Warming up before training darts
15 minutes. Every session.
Warming up is as important in darts as in any precision sport. Start using a specific warm-up routine will also help your confidence. Many players start warming up by just trying to hit the 20's. If you do, don't immediately go for the triple 20's.
Get the arm loose
Just focus on getting your arm loose, follow through your throw and release all tensions. Just throw the darts and focus on the technique.
Switching targets
Switch targets for every dart for another 5 minutes of your warm-up routine. For example T20, T19, and T18.
If you don't do a proper physical warm-up it is difficult to really focus on your throwing technique.
Practise High Scores
A consistent high scoring player is more likely to win a game.
You really need to hit high scores to get really good at darts. That's why it is crucial to practise your treble 20's, 19's, 18's, and Bull's.
A fun switching game (167) that is easy and quick is to hit one dart at treble 20, one dart at treble 19, and the last one aiming for a bullseye. Do this 10 times and count your hits.
If you are in a match and can score 20 or more than your opponent you will have a great advantage when you come to finish. It may often mean you will have the first try for the double, even if you didn't start the leg.
Practise Doubles
Regular practice plus a strategy beats hope.
It's a terrible feeling to have a large lead in a 501 game but still end up losing because of missed doubles.
You need to practise your doubles regularly but having a good strategy will also improve your accuracy.
Practise Checkouts
Aim for doubles that keep halving cleanly.
It is also important to practise with some kind of competition or pressure. During match play, you will feel the pressure all the time so it's good to be prepared and use to throw under pressure.
It is also great practice to aim for double numbers that can be divided by 2. If you have 32 left and hit a single 16 you can aim for double 8 instead. And if you then hit a single 8 you have another try at double 4. If you start by hitting double 19 and instead hit a single 19 you're on an odd number and need at least two darts to finish the leg.
How to become a good darts player
Practice makes perfect is an old expression, but that's what it's all about.
You need to take your darts training seriously and really try to focus on your dart throwing technique, polish the flaws, and vary your practicing sessions. A lot of players set up a camera to film the throwing and study it in slow motion. That way they can compare the throws of the first, second, and third dart.
Use our applications to make the practice sessions focused and more fun.
See what your practice is actually doing
Everything you have ever logged on GoDartsPro, gathered in one place and turned into something you can act on. Sessions, darts, active days and form, plus a view for every game down to the single dart. This is the Performance Center!
Visit the Performance CenterEverything about practising darts
How often should I practise darts?
What should a darts practice session contain?
Should I practise 301 or 501?
How long should I warm up before practice?
How do I know if I am improving?
Do I need special equipment to practise with GoDartsPro?
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