When you hear athletes talking about their performance or how they’ll win an important tournament or a game, you can often hear them talk about ”getting into the zone” and the need for extreme focus. So how do you get ”into the zone” and what is it?

Flow described on Wikipedia:
”In positive psychology, a flow state, also known as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.”

The concept ”Flow” was named by the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi and shares many characteristics with hyperfocus (hyperfocus is an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a task).

The flow state or being in the zone, is the experience of being so absorbed by an engaging, enjoyable task that has got your complete attention. You’re not thinking of anything else and you lose sense of time and self-consciousness (as you probably do with most of the games on GoDartsPro… ;)).

You can set up your training plan and a training environment to make it as flow-promoting as possible. Here’s a short guide how to get into flow more often.

When you’re about to practise, turn of phone (if you use it with GoDartsPro, just turn off your signal) and make sure you can practise without distractions. If you can, practise early in the day when your mind is fresh and you’re well rested.

You can make it easier to get into the zone by creating a ritual.
It could be to pour up a glass/bottle of water to have next to you during practise, and turn on your favourite focus playlist. Create or use a playlist with games on GoDartsPro that makes you feel you’re in the zone. Find a way of letting your brain know that you’re about to practise hard.

An important part of getting into a flow state is working on a specific task with a clear goal.
Games like Dedication, High-Score, Dead centre are good games to get the flow you’re after. Easy to use games with one clear task and goal. Focus, throw and make it count!
You’ll find it a whole lot easier to achieve a flow when you know exactly what you’re working on and why. Knowing what you’re about to accomplish also gives you a sense of control.

Practising darts with the right amount of challenge are more engaging.
Flow is dependent on finding that sweet spot between your current skills and the challenge at hand.
One way to achieve this is to engage in something called ”Deliberate practice”.
”Deliberate practice” is where every training session has a specific goal that can be measured, analyzed, and optimized to increase your overall performance. You need to push your skills to their limit (that’s what we got the Virtual Coach for). Deliberate practice, if applied correctly, can turn your potential into reality!

Most of the games on GoDartsPro are developed with “deliberate practise” in mind and to facilitate getting “into the zone”.
The games are easy to understand and use, right amount of challenge, they’ve got measurable statistics, works well with short-term and long-term goals and you’ll get instant feedback during the game session. This is also why it is extremely valuable to use the games and statistics for your training to deliberately practise towards your goals.

With a Scolia kit to track the darts for you it is even easier to get “into the zone” since all you have to do is to focus on the next throw during the whole game session.

Finding ways to maximize the amount of time you spend “in the zone” will make you more engaged, satisfied, and creative. You will feel better when you’re in flow and you’ll feel more satisfied after your training session.
Many successful people use the flow to get where they want.
So why shouldn’t you?

Get into the zone and make it count!

Play the “Flow” playlist now!

Practicing finishing in darts helps you manage pressure effectively and take advantage of opportunities when they arise. The Polish player and GoDartsPro ambassador Łukasz Wacławski contacted me about this game idea he had to combine parts from different finishing games to create a new fun and challenging game – The Checkout Randomizer!

“Keeping concentrated and motivated mindset during each training session, is the key to progress. It should never be about just “going through routines”. A player needs a certain attitude and commitment to MAKE IT COUNT for him! When I plan darts training, I like to think about analogy to video games – what makes people motivated to spend so much time mastering any game? How they are able to sit in front of the monitor for hours and hours, pressing buttons with flushed faces and eyes wide open with astonishment and anticipation?

Łukasz Wacławski and Gerwyn Price at PDC Superbet Poland Darts Masters Warsaw 2023 (photo PAP)

More and more clubs and tournaments are using digital tools to mark the scores in games of 501, and auto-tracking devices like Scolia are more common. That makes it even more important to know how to calculate the scores fast to not lose focus and rhythm during the throws. We also know that online technical solutions can have technical problems with downtime as a result. Then it is good to know how to mark (chalk) a game of 501 with pen and paper.

During a training camp last weekend I noticed that we were quite a few players that wasn’t that confident marking the games. With fast throwing players it is important to be confident and know how to calculate fast to get the chalking right. That’s why I checked old requests about darts maths and how to chalk a game, and started to create a game for it. The more you practise the easier it will be. You will both remember combinations and learn how to calculate faster. Since chalking darts games only involves subtraction, the maths isn’t that hard once you know how to think.
Give it a few tries and you will see.

The idea is to sit down with a piece of paper and mark the scores as they are presented in the game, but you can of course practise doing the calculations and verify that you got it right. You can download the GoDartsPro -01 score sheet here and print it:

Click to download

Set the different delays for the game to suit your speed to calculate or press any key to pause/play (or click the pause/play button top right).

Here are some well known help how to do the subtraction calculation easier.
Always start with the numbers in the end and subtract them one by one as in the examples below.

If the score is close to 100, it can often be easier to first calculate using 100. Let’s say the score is 437 and the player score 95, and we normally have this calculation:
437
-95
An easier way is to first calculate 437 – 100 = 337 and then we know that 100-95 = 5 to add, which gives you 337+5 = 342.

Many of us are also having extra difficulties when it comes to calculations requiring changing hundreds.
In cases like 284 – 87, it is often easier to think in two steps like this: 284 – 84 = 200 and then – 3 = 197 (minus 3 for the rest after taking 84 from 87). Or 142 – 49 in steps like 142 – 42 = 100 – 7 = 93 (minus 7 for the rest after taking 42 from 49).

Not all scores will be that easy to mark, so we need to figure out a way to calculate other scores as well.

More complicated calculations need to be handled in a slightly different way.
If the number on the 2nd row (subtrahend)is bigger than the number above (minuend) we need think different.

Here’s another example:

If the above didn’t make it any easier for you, there’s another way to think and calculate.
Start with the numbers in the end but do the opposite and take the number on the 2nd row (subtrahend)and do – with the number on the top row (minuend).
That gives as a number that we need to subtract from 10. We then need to add the 1 to the next number we calculate.

Don’t get scared by all the calculations. If you practise calculating and counting like this for 10-20 minutes per day it will soon be a lot easier. But if you still can’t figure out how to calculate you’re left with hitting only 100’s down to a finish and make it easier for yourself and the chalker… 😉

Click here and try Chalk Master today!

The PowerSwitch game has been around on GoDartsPro for quite some time and it is a popular darts training game for many players to sharpen their switching and scoring skills. I played it many times recently and felt a new option to the game would be a great feature to add some extra pressure to the game.

In PowerSwitch your targets are treble 20, treble 19 and treble 18! If you hit a treble, you stay on that target with your next dart. If you miss a treble use your next dart for the next target. 3 points for trebles and 1 point for singles.
You only score on the target numbers 20,19 and 18.

Examples:
First dart hits T20 = 3 points (stay on T20)
2nd dart hits S20 = 1 point (next target is T19)
Last dart hits T19 = 3 points

First dart hits S5 = 0 points (next target is T19)
2nd dart hits T7 = 0 points (next target is T18)
Last dart hits T18 = 3 points

The PowerSwitch bundle option borrows the game logic from Exponential Bundle which adds a new dimension of pressure to the game which is always good training. First throw is the same as above, try to hit treble 20 with your first dart. If you hit it you continue on treble 20 otherwise your next dart goes for t19 and so on.

With the new bundle option every 2nd throw you need to score as much as possible (any field on the board counts).
When a switching throw and a scoring throw are done, these two are multiplied to get your first points in the game.

So if you for example got 7 points with your first 3 darts (as mentioned above) and you score 85 on your next throw, your total score for the first round would be 7 X 85 = 595.
With this new logic you add a lot of pressure to the scoring throw when you had a really good first switching throw. You really want to hit a big score with the 2nd throw and that throw needs your full focus.

With PowerSwitch bundle you throw 10 switching throws and 10 scoring throws in total.
Use this game option to simulate the pressure you will feel and the focus you will need in a real game.

Play the game today!

With the new Playlists-feature on GoDartsPro you’ll be able to practise more structured and less random. You can follow other members’ playlists for inspiration and take your training to a new level.

Creating custom workouts has been a frequently suggested feature since the launch of the workouts feature with the Virtual Coach. Many members has asked for a way to group their favourite games into a sequenced playlist for better flow during their training. Instead of picking random games to practise, you can now create different playlists for different needs.

At the playlists page you’ll see your own playlists, featured playlists and public playlists. Just click a playlist to expand and see the games added to it. On each playlist you’ll have a small HEART symbol and by clicking it you will toggle follow/unfollow. For each playlist you’ll also see a small PLAY symbol that will start the first game in the playlist for you.

When the first game is finished a small popup will show a countdown timer before the next game in the playlist automatically will load.
Next to the title “PUBLIC PLAYLISTS” you’ll also see a filter symbol that will let you filter the public playlists shown.

When you’ve clicked a playlist it will expand and show the details for you. Top right you can copy the link and share with your friends. Just click the play icon to start the playlist or back to minimize the playlist again.

When you’re creating your own playlist you have different options to add the games to the playlist. If you are using a computer, the easiest option is to just DRAG-AND-DROP the games in the list where you want them. You can also easily change the order of the playlist by dragging the games and place them in the right order. For some games, there will also be different OPTIONS available. If you select any options these will be preselected for the game and can not be altered. Under the list of games you will also see a select option “– Find game to add”. Here you can search for the game you’re looking for and add it to the end of your playlist.
Just click the name to change it or click the icon next to the playlist type to give your playlist some other category.

You can also create a playlist or add games to an existing playlist from within the games available. Just click the HEART icon in top menu to expand the quick links dropdown.

To the playlists >

The playlist feature is now available under a BETA status and will be regularly updated.
More than 50 games can be added to playlists and more games will have support soon as well.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions on how to improve the playlists feature even more.
Also let me know if you find any issues that needs to be fixed.
I’d appreciate if your post these things directly to me and I will respond as fast as possible.
Either as email to info@godartspro.com or direct message on FB or Twitter.
And enjoy your darts!

Thanks!
-Anders
Founder of GoDartsPro

Many players are having consistency issues and can not group the darts in a solid way. To get more consistent you need of course to look at your stance and throw and see if there are anything that can be adjusted. There are plenty of videos on YouTube explaining and showing how to stand, balance and throw in a proper way.
But you should also practise more grouping games to build up a strong consistent throw.

With the BIG SINGLES game you need to hit the big single of the numbers 1-20 and the level you choose at start decides how many hits you need to continue to the next number. Your aim is to finish the game with as few darts/throws as possible. Several members have requested a game based on big singles around the board where the rule adds pressure to the training. I gathered all the ideas, tested it on my own a few times and created the BIG SINGLES game on GoDartsPro with the following levels:

ADVANCED LEVEL 3 hits = move to next number 2 hits = stay on current number 1 hit = go back one number 0 hits = go back two numbers INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 2/3 hits = move to next number 1 hit = stay on current number 0 hit = go back one number BEGINNER LEVEL 1-3 hits = move to next number 0 hit = stay on current number 6 missed darts in a row = go back one number

(Big singles are the fields highlighted in the dartboard above.)

So for the ADVANCED level you need to hit all three darts in the big single to move on to the next number.
If you hit 2 darts in the big single you’re staying at the same number. If you only manage to hit one big single you need to get back one number and if you miss all three darts you need to get back two numbers on the board.

By adding the punishment when you don’t manage to get the number of hits required to move on, we build up the necessary pressure to the game. This pressure force you to focus and make sure that every dart counts. If you miss the first dart, try to recompose and focus to hit the big single with the next dart.

This game can therefore be tougher than you think even if we’re only throwing at the big singles.

Many players like to use different “around-the-board” routines as the ending part of their warming-up routine.
Use this BIG SINGLES game and track your darts to see how you improve.

Play the game today!

Many darts players suffer from a weak throw. Luckily there are many ways to improve this area. A weak throw is quite a common problem. Here we go through a few things you can do to strengthen your throw.

Many top professional players were before their career pro IE carpenters, bricklayers, painters, plasterers and similar – so they have used their hands quite a lot. Even though this is a very personal matter, we would like to encourage you to do so as well.
No, we don’t mean body-builders nor gym bunnies, but something using your hands and getting them stronger.
The basic move you would like to get stronger would be the opposite move of your normal throw, which would be the biceps. You don’t need to build a beefcake style of a lump, but it’s always helpful if the opposing muscle group is strong.
So we recommend that you get a couple of hand weights and do the series of biceps say 8 – 7 – 5 repeats (break of 30 seconds after each), thrice a week, without needing to grind like mad, but still “feeling the force”. For someone, this could mean 4-5 kilos weights, with somebody stronger 12 kilos or even more.

We went through one game of six darts practice last week. If you did it, you’ll certainly know what I am talking about. It will make your hand a bit more powerful.
We recommend you doing this on Mondays and Tuesdays just to get your throw back to normal before any important competitions, which are mainly held on weekends.

Whenever things get severely bad, you can always start playing around with your throw, if it’s damaged and gone totally unbalanced. Change the set for the heavier, for the lighter, just play around. This could be called “rebooting”. You can use anything up to 5-6 sets at a time and just start throwing with them almost aimlessly – for example aiming inside of the treble ring. Wear your arm totally off by tossing the darts as long as you can, say maximum 15-20 minutes.
Do this two days on the trot and then have at least 3 days off the board. Whenever you come back, you’re up for a surprise…

This is one of the best ways to get rid of the most general weakness of the throw. Just stand back from the oche at least a meter (or yard) and try throwing as close to the bull or treble 20. The thing with this is that you need to give it some time. So don’t give up easily! The more you try the better is the all-round effect! Still don’t do this at a time more than half an hour.

Naturally, you can combine these practices any way you wish.

Enjoy your practice!

Mikko Laiho (RIP)

There isn’t anything in the world as satisfactory as hitting 180. Except for hitting them a few times in short intervals! So should one practice only hit 180’s or perfect scores? The short answer to this one is an absolute NO.
If you don’t happen to be MvG or Phil Taylor…

Instead, you should aim for the two-hits-per-throw area. That’s much easier and still as effective – the frustration factor doesn’t occur anywhere near as often if only going for the maximums. Also hitting the maximum score can be next to impossible for the majority of players.

The Palace of champions is full of one kind of players: Those who can get to a finish and then finish it. Simple as that. So scoring as heavily as you can is essential. Imagine that you’re hitting continually say 140, 125, 140, 137, 140, which would beat 180, 180, 100, 100, 100!
Of course, this is for the more advanced players, but anyone who wants to improve should at least try to get these 2/3 hits and even ground the whole practice on these.
So for example you could go the doubles around the board 2/3 or the trebles 2/3. It is a doable and very effective practice.
But how to get there? How to be able to hit two tiny targets with your three darts only? To be honest that’s not easy.

This is a delicate issue, but please don’t jump on me yet. Cheating is absolutely allowed to give a little bit of handicap to the players who aren’t at the level of best. And it’s good for your mind. Even though we are true believers in pressure as a tool when practicing, cheating gives a little trim to your game, and it kind of balances and adjusts your practicing. After all, we all have our bad days in the office, right?

You can use four or even five or six darts – am hoping that every one of contemporary players has got two exactly similar sets nowadays – when trying to get through this weeks practice game. Of course if you have been playing a while you shouldn’t need to use any extra darts.

This is a nice little game for all level of players, who have read the above. So please, if you think this is too hard to achieve with three darts only, don’t hesitate to use some extra darts. Even novices can make progress to their power scoring with this Hit & Run –game. No marking is required.
Your aim is to hit two different trebles in the same go, to advance further. So for example treble 1 and treble 2 in the same throw. When you get it, your next task is to hit trebles 3 and 4, in the same go etc. Your goal is to get through all the way from treble 1 to treble 20.
And you can use the “Burn Dart” –rule: If you hit your target with your last dart and the next throw’s FIRST DART also hits, you’re done with this target. Or you can use more darts than three if you feel to do so…

Enjoy your practice!

Text: Mikko Laiho (RIP)

Due to the fact that development in darts is a slow process – all of the top players have been playing for over 10 years before reaching their top game – patience is a very important virtue of a darts player. So you need to know what are you practicing and why, so learn the game before tossing it to the bin!

Probably the most famous top players practice game in the world would be this simple and effective game. You need to hit two double 1’s with your three darts, then two double 2’s and so on. We call it “Dual Double”. It will take – naturally depending on a player’s normal throwing rhythm – say 30-45 minutes county-level player to get done.
Advanced players does it in 20-30 minutes. Top pro will use at least 15 minutes for this game. But it is absolutely natural that you get stuck in one particular double. All that grinding! You could end up banging the same double for 15 minutes or so!

And same pro player who goes this through today in 20 minutes flying colours can’t get it done tomorrow in 50!
These daily variations in form and accuracy are normal, and you should always consider yourself well-trained if you manage to do any practice routine at a normal time – today.

Learning any practice game is essential. You need to know which level you’re achieving easily, which is your standard, and how long time it normally takes to get through the wanted goal.
The best way to learn a new practice game is just playing it, that’s obvious. Play it ten times and see what’s your best score, or what’s the best time you can without rushing do it. Then repeat that next practice day and see if you could break the records you made yesterday.

Then leave it be for a few sessions, and try again. You’re now learning your level in this game, you’ve done your self-assessment, which is vital to your road to pro.

This is a very effective but hard practice game for gaining accuracy with the doubles. This is a “Hit & Run” game so no marking up needed. You need to have two doubles in one bed before you can progress – in one throw. You’re using only the even doubles. Starting with double 2, then double 4, finishing on double 20.

Burn-Dart rule: This is to avoid “burned darts”. If you have missed first two darts, aim still well with the third, because if you hit with it AND also next throws first dart, it is counted “two in the bed” and you can move on!

More advanced players can use all the doubles from 1-20 + Bulls’eye.

Top Pro–candidates can play this game without the Burn-dart rule and Future World Champions can play this without any hits on the singles in a successful two-doubles round!

Text: Mikko Laiho (RIP)

One of the most asked question must be “How to deal with my nerves?” If I could give a straight answer which would help everyone, I’d be a rich man. But there are ways to keep focused even under tremendous pressure, and they can be learned.

a) Make yourself think all the way through, that you will win this game and stick with the thought no matter what
b) Visualize yourself hitting the winning double instantly when you get the chance – repeat this many times during the match
c) Winning or losing isn’t the matter of life and death, so be happy if you ever get a chance to win it – and then go back to part b!
d) After poor throw try to forget that immediately and get prepared for the next, better throw.

a) Every time an opponent shows disappointment take it as an extra dart
b) Never show your feelings through the match
c) Every time you hit your objective be happy and stay aggressive – if you feel well there’s no need to hide that! But keep cool still though

a) Breathing

i)Always breath in and out before any important throw – the deeper the better, but remain breathing out as priority, this reduces your adrenalin levels

ii)Try to stay steady with breathing

iii)Make a routine out of proper breathing, internet is full of advice

b) Keeping hands worm

i)Shake your hands if they feel stiff

ii)Americans do often shadow throws behind their opponents, I like it!

iii)Your fingers should always feel easy, you can make fists and burst them open to make them feel better

c) Aiming

i)Try to focus on the certain part of the target, may it be treble, double or even single. If your darts stay flights up, try to hit the upper part of the middle of the treble – if they saty flights down, aim for the lower part of your target

d) Body language

i) Always look like a winner, no matter what happens

ii) Leave the sportsmanship to dodgy guys – raise above that

iii) Hold your head up!

iv) Take a breather and pace your throw even slightly slower than usual, hurrying when pressured normally makes more mistakes than surprising hits

Text: Mikko Laiho (RIP)

Darts is all about the right mindset. Naturally you need a proper practice and hopefully your throwing action is easy, strong, steady and economical as well, but that’s more or less debatable, as top pros like Mensur Suljovic and John Henderson have proved.
So what would be the best way to improve the space between your ears?

That’s not that difficult, you need to practise such games and routines that you enjoy. They need to be suitably challenging, their difficulty level must be right for you and you need to like to do them. So you need to gain some WINS under your belt. Might they be just a little wins. A win might be just a proper score or getting through your favorite routine swiftly. That’s how you learn to win because your biggest opponent and nemesis has always been and will be forever yourself.

So you need to win yourself before winning anybody else!

If you like to play against your mates that’s totally fine as well, as long as you remember that nothing in this world beats solo practice! Try always to play against the same level of player or just a tad better than you.
In solo practise it’s preferable to play two kinds of games per day, not many more. I suggest that you plan your routines beforehand and think ahead rather a week than a single day.

Grouping, doubles, and finishes are the basic main groups we all know, but there are also many different kind of things that counts as darts practice as well. We could talk about ‘best–of–games’ against a single target, say you missed your last league match 6 darts to Tops so you want to beat it in your next session. Play against double 20 say best of 11 (first to 6 wins/legs). If you consider yourself a pub player you get a point every time you finish 40 points (D20) by normal 01-game style so if you hit single you have 20 (D10) left and so on.
You get it, it’s 1-0 to you. If you don’t the imaginary opponent gets a point. If you can finish it twice in the same throw, you get 2 points, and so on. If you’re a superleague or county player, you can make the rule of missing that the opponent gets 2 points. ‘Best of –games’ can also be played against 201 for example. If you’re a normal player, play against 12 darts. If you play superleague, use only 9 darts. If you’re a county-level player, what prevents you play against 221 or 241 as well?! Use your imagination and be fair to your true level because the more you win, the more enjoyable all is and the good old cranium resonates positively from inside!

These are essential practice routines to get your personal rhythm to a state of FLOW or ZONE. You need these games every day you practise. Mikko’s MegaTrain is a good example of a brilliant top-level Hit & Run -game, but if you aren’t on that level yet, I’d strongly suggest you to do some more humane games from our ‘Starter-Pack’ {{LINK}} section. If those feel too easy for you, don’t worry, you belong to our exact target group and you better just adjust StarterPack games a little bit more difficult.

We very strongly suggest that every day you practise, you should have at least one grouping game in your program. Treble 20-hammering is 75 % of the game so you want to be very good in that. You can get better in scoring doing grouping games like all the different bundles-games on GoDartsPro, Mikko’s MegaTrain and A1 to mention only a few.

Straightforward double routines belong to every self-respecting darts player’s selection. There are many of them, pick the best one for you for today, because you can always change it for another one for another day!

We’ve got these naturally, and we got quite a few to choose from and vary your training with.
GrindOut, Catch 40, 121, Checkout Challenge, Five Checkouts, and 201 Challenge to name a few.

So our suggestion is to pick games from two categories per day and don’t forget to have a day or two off per week!
Remember, it’s up to you!

Text: Mikko Laiho (RIP)

Numerous studies tell that any kind of accuracy practice should be done with 100% concentration, and darts isn’t an exception. So how would be the best way to keep your focus?

Timing is everything in darts, but also in practice. An average match lasts approximately 25-35 minutes, and if you transfer that to solo-training that would be somewhere of region of 20 minutes.

So practise fully focused for about 20 mins. After that have a break of 5-10 minutes and you’re good to go again. After two short sessions you are best to have a proper break, say 30-45 minutes before throwing again.
Then you get the rest your body and mainly mind requires.

I’d say there’s absolutely no need to go ever over three hours per day in solo practice – but if you’ve just begun to play or you’re very young you might exceed even that time to time.

The older you get the more attention you should be giving to your 100% fully focused training.

Your body and your mind needs rest

After 3-4 days of intense practice, you also need to stay away from darts completely for a whole day.
The day away from darts can do magic for your inspiration and hunger to practice fully focused again.
That can be really tough since we’re all passionate about darts and eager to improve.

Use the games on GoDartsPro to keep your focus!

Enjoy your darts!

Now you can challenge yourself, your friends and all other members in different challenges on GoDartsPro.

We start with the game ‘100 darts @ 20’ and the challenge runs through August. Attend as many times as you want and your highest score will be your contribution to the challenge.

The scores are saved for each throw so if you abort and leave the game before finishing it, your challenge score will be the score when you left the game. Next time you start the game from the challenge your current session will be resumed and you can continue from where you left.

There will be more challenges with different games and rules soon so this is just a small summer start.
Each challenge will have its own rules and settings. Some will be restricted to one try per challenge and others will accept as many tries as you want.

GoDartsPro reserves the right to remove/hide scores that are most likely entered to cheat and the member will be contacted.

Here’s the Challenge page!

There are a lot of aspects that makes any darts training drill a great game.
It needs to be:
* Challenging
* Inspiring
* Fun
* Simulating pressure
* Right level for the player

Our new doubles practice game, Doubles Lock, has it all.

You can compete with yourself on many levels in this game:
1) Finish the game – it’s quite a task itself
2) As quick as possible – play the clock
3) Score as much as possible
4) Least amount of darts used

Throw three darts at the same double and your first target double 20.
Each target needs at least one hit to move on to next target double 19. As a result if you miss the 19’s – you are back on hitting the 20’s.

When you hit the target double twice or thrice you lock that number for further play – you don’t need to go back any further.

Every time you manage to hit more than one target double, you get points. 2 hits means 50 points, three hits 100 points.

EXAMPLE:
You hit Double 20 twice, now you get 50 points and it becomes locked and your new starting-base is Double 19.
When you then continue and hit Doubles 19, 18 and 17 once each the pressure becomes massive on Double 16.
If you miss Double 16 with all three darts you’re back at your base which now is Double 19 because you locked Double 20.
But, if you instead hit Double 16 with all 3 darts you score 100 points and 16 is now your new base!

Play the game until Double 1 is done and dusted.
Depending on your player level this game will normally take 20-60 minutes to finish and it doesn’t suit for beginners.

Practice them doubles!

This must be natural to you already, but never underestimate the power of repetition. The business end of the match is always doubles.

The game of the week

Double Tussle

Your aim is to hit three double ones before moving on to double two. Depending on your level, you can choose to use either six, nine or twelve darts achieving this.

So if you’re an advanced player, you can use six darts only.

If you’re an average player – like 85% of us – please use nine darts for each number.

If you’ve begun your darts career not so long ago, please don’t hesitate to use twelve darts to do this.
Remember that you can only move on hitting each double three times.
The game should be doable in approx. 45-60 minutes at each level.
It is a simple and very straight forward game and it can make wonders to your doubling skills.

Enjoy your practice!