darts statman

It`s a gift

The Darts Analyst received some interesting books as Xmas gifts this year. I received “Probability for Dummies”, although I had already worked out that I had a 77% chance of getting it (yes I have really been waiting since Xmas day to tell that one!). I also received a book of quotes by Vince Lombardi, arguably the best “American Football” coach of all time and I will share some of his wisdom with you over the next week or so.

No Time like the Present

OK, let`s kick off with this quote. Jackpot did his usual drift into “Jackpot Land” half way through his match last night but recovered brilliantly to win comfortably in the end. Dave ticked Lewis off for this and “Jackpot” took his criticism in his own mild-mannered and disarming way. The quote we have borrowed is a fundamental lesson for all darts players and perhaps should resonate with Adrian Lewis after last night:

“Success in darts is not so much of talent or opportunity as it is concentration and perseverance”

Hair Today but will he be Gone Tomorrow (or the day after)?

Peter Wright surprised a few `armchair` fans yesterday with his victory over “The Asset”  but it was perhaps not so much of a shock for any PDC floor tournament regulars. I have seen him play at a few of the PDC floor events and once in a professional capacity against a player I am associated with, Anthony Urmston-Toft. It was one of those classic PDC floor matches that Anthony was often involved in, just as I thought Anthony was in with a shout of winning, these really top players move up a gear. At four all "Snake Bite" took out a 100+ checkout on the bull (his second bull finish of the match) and then completed a 14 dart leg on his throw to win 6:4, quality!

What was also really impressive about Peter Wright yesterday was his interview afterwards. He was not really that interested in reminiscing about the match he had just played in or even speculating on who he would play next. He did, however, remind all of us of the necessity to not concern yourself about what your opponent did in the last match, “each game is different” we were told, good advice! His main thoughts were on becoming World Champion; he believes he can go all the way, the “Hair Apparent” for the PDC crown! This reminded me of a quote by Jimmy Connors, for the younger viewers of the blog, Connors was a handy tennis player back in the day.

“Never get negative about yourself, ok the other guy may be playing tough, he may have beaten you last time and maybe you haven’t been playing that well, but the moment you start thinking you are going to lose you are dead. I go in to every match convinced that I am going to win”.

What`s So Funny?

The PDC World Championships has so far been a tournament of mixed emotions. We admired Dennis Smith for his ability to keep believing and keeping his frustration under control as double after double was squandered during his first round match. On the other hand we had Colin Lloyd who smashed his fist into the board such was his frustration at the standard he was playing at.

Tonight we may see another way a player copes with adversity. Kevin McDine laughs when he misses. I have seen him do it at the Player`s Championship floor events and he also chuckled at his own misfortune at the last TV event he was in. During this event the commentators questioned his commitment to try and win the darts match, which on the face of it was understandable. It does look like he doesn`t care if he misses, in fact it seems like he finds it all jolly amusing.

Don`t be fooled by his reaction. Of course he cares and he will be desperate to win this match. It is just his method of shaking off the frustration and he has found this `coping strategy` works well for him. I am looking forward to this particular match, Barrie Bates is a quality player too, whatever the outcome it should be a good laugh anyway!

Quickest Throwers

In `tribute` to the three Dutch players who played last night we have a `quickest thrower` list from the Darts Miscellany

Vincent Van Der Voort       
surely the quickest of them all

Michael Van Gerwen       
Lighting fast and unorthodox

George Ewart           
A left hander, “The Geordie Typhoon”

Ronnie Baxter           
That`s why they call him “Rocket Ronnie”

Jelle Klassen           
The 2006 BDO World Champion

Tony West       
Breezed to the BDO World masters in 2003

Adrian Lewis                
He`s quick too   

Gary Robson           
Gets rid of his darts as quick as he can

Steve Hine           
Can`t hang around my muffins will burn

Thanks to Matt Bozeat for permission to reproduce this list from his book The Darts Miscellany.

Scouting for Professionals

Be Prepared! This is the motto for the Scout movement and also for professional darts players. We touched on the benefits of being properly prepared for a darts match and speculated that if James Wade wasn`t 100% prepared for Antonio Alcinas then there could be a shock on the cards. As it was “The Machine” was well oiled (in a good way) and left his “silly head” behind as Rod amusingly described the head belonging to James that ended up an alarming shade of red against Scott Waites recently. Rod was of course referring to Wade`s inclination to perhaps not consider the potential consequences of his pre-match routine. As it was James played brilliantly and left “Toni” looking ordinary.

Darts Miscellany

Thanks to Mike from Sheffield who came out of the hat to win a copy of the Darts Miscellany. Mike`s list was in celebration of the sponsorship by Ladbrokes and here is his collection of bookmaker`s phrases.
11/8    Up the Arm
3/1    Carpet
100/30    Burlington Bertie
10/1    Cockle
33/1    Double Carpet
2/1    Bottle
100/1    Century

Aim and Fire

There were some brilliant analytical points picked up by the Sky team last night in areas that all standards of players can benefit from. Sid picked up on “The Prince of Wales” hitting the big number and then in a split second he had hit the double 12, leg over! This `rhythm` as opposed to momentum is a valuable weapon for a darts player. The key to it knows in advance exactly where your final destination is and being a skilful counter like Burnett or Whitlock is vital.
From a psychological viewpoint this method does have its benefits, there is no time for the anxiety to grow, there is no time to consider how vital the shot is and thus increasing the stress and for Richie Burnett this `natural` way of playing worked for him.
However, tonight we will most likely see the other side of the coin. Steve Brown advocates an approach we are also fans of at the Darts Performance Centre. He will stop when there is an important double to be hit. His method is to attempt  to completely relax and then focus solely on his objective of hitting the double, then he throws.
Then to add further fuel to the “what is the best approach` debate we have Jelle Klassen. He hasn`t just got his foot but his whole body in the “Burnett camp” when it comes to the contemplation of the shot routine! We will probably be all left pondering once again tonight at some point that if only Jelle slowed down a fraction when it came to hitting the double he may be a more effective player. But that`s how he plays.

So what is the best approach? Well first of all we would recommend getting your counting sorted out and not to throw a dart until you know exactly where you are heading. After that it is down to the style of the individual player and also whether they possess the skill of being able to shut out stress and anxiety, if you can at least you have a choice of which style to adopt.

A German Text Book

John Gwynne admired the German Jyhan Artut last night for his focus, we agree, despite the fact he lost. His throwing technique may not be `text book` but it`s not far off but he is like a statue when he throws. His eyes did not move from the target until the third dart hit the board. Also, there was not any “unnecessary” shuffling up and down the oche by the German, he let his skill and his darts find their destination, now that is text book!

Are You Ready? Are You Sure? You Definitely Haven`t Forgotten Anything? OK Let`s Play Darts!

We reported before the start of the tournament that the key to successful or more accurately profitable betting is to back the value bet. James Wade plays the other `new arrival`, the dynamic Spanish star Alcinas tonight and the Spaniard is a 5 to 1 to prevail. The other piece of `sage` betting advice we proffered was that the odds generally reflect the chances of the likely outcome, hence the principle of `value` when the bookies potentially over-rate or under-rate a player`s chances!

So what could swing it for Alcinas to make him the value bet, other than the fact he is a brilliant player, as is ‘the machine’? It is the penultimate game of the night so the players may not be on stage until 10pm, which is a long time to prepare. Maybe the value will be with the player whose preparation has been the most meticulous, the player who has remained calm and focused in the build up to the match. Another method could be perhaps monitoring exactly what they have eaten and drunk prior to the game. The value will be with the player who hasn`t gambled with his pre-match routine!

LastMinute.Com

It is obviously imperative to ensure that the hours before the game are spent wisely as we have just alluded to. However, and as “The Power” revealed earlier this week his preparation for this tournament started months ago. This did not surprise us at all, this is how champions prepare for tournaments. We were asked recently by a client of the Darts Performance Centre how to prepare for a `grass roots` tournament and we recommended a routine which is most likely very similar to how Taylor prepared for the World Finals.

We recommended that preparation is split into three phases. Phase one covers `good housekeeping`, for example paperwork, travel and hotels, a planned practice schedule and some mental training. Phase two starts the night before the tournament starts or the first game. This covers a good night’s sleep as well as the nutrition requirements for the day ahead and ensuring that, via the correct mental preparation, the player is at the  optimum level as they go to throw the first dart. Finally, phase 3, reflection and post match analysis. There are no short cuts if you want to be the best...

A full tournament preparation schedule is available at www.dartsperformancecentre.com

Darts Performance Heroes – A New Series – Number 1

Der Der Der Der Hashimoto – What a guy!

When the Going Gets Tough, Sky Make their Excuses and Leave

Andy Hamilton V Dennis Smith was the opening game of the night and it probably had half the audience contemplating switching channels if they were listening to the negative propaganda emanating from the TV. Sid wasn`t impressed, he wasn`t even the man with a glass half empty, he had already tripped over a black cat and spilt the contents of his beaker such was his gloomy reporting of this match. Dave simply chose to ignore the match even took place, match, what match?  However, isn`t this the type of game that pundits, coaches and even the players post-match should earn their money analysing?

In a number of ways this match was as fascinating as a Whitlock or Anderson 180 fest. The majority of the watching and darts playing public would have far more empathy for what Hamilton and Smith were going through; two good players who completely lost their way and had to `think on their feet` to try to get a win. Smith demonstrated his pragmatic nature and served up a good lesson for all players- despite systematically missing the double his pre-throw routine didn`t alter. He twizzled his dart and blinked and threw, he also didn`t show any emotion as dart after dart missed, a brilliant lesson for all players despite the end result of course. Hamilton adjusted his tempo and this was picked up by Sid`s co-commentator, who appeared to be slightly more interested in proceedings. This change of strategy appeared to get Hamilton back into a `rhythm` he was happy with and he booked his place in the second round.

OK, I have pulled out the positives for each player and let`s leave it there and move on, but why not? It would too be easy to sit here and grumble.

Goals Win Darts Matches

My ears pricked up last night when the targets of Steve Evans were discussed last night. He had set himself a target to qualify for the World Championships this year (which he achieved) and his next target was to `make it` next year. At the Darts Performance Centre we encourage all our clients to set goals and have targets. We much prefer process goals though.
An example of an outcome goal has already been provided – a player whose goal is to win or to achieve one very specific target.  This goal potentially motivates a player for a short period but each loss is considered as a failure. In addition, an outcome goal describes no specific strategy to improve a player's ability or their chances of winning. Players of all sports are often told that if they play well they will win and achieve success. However, this is typically not true as many other factors influence the outcome of a competition (such as opposition ability, officials' decisions, and conditions).

Process goals specifically address the skills that are required to increase the likelihood of winning. As a consequence, the achievement of a process goal is not related to whether a player wins or loses a particular match. However, consistently meeting process goals will improve the playing ability of competitors and increase success. With process goals there can be some degree of flexibility, whereas with outcome goals you will either win or lose. Crucially, the meeting of process goals is down to the player, not to situation or opposition performance. As a result full credit for meeting these goals can be taken by the player.

There is a fantastic interactive tool on our website for first of all identifying what areas need to be addressed and then how to set a strategy to achieve these goals. It`s not too late to get “The Outlaw” a membership for Christmas, it`s a steal at £25.00!

Hit Your Targets

At the Darts Performance Centre we advocate players setting goals and striving to hit their targets. Colin Lloyd took this concept too literally last night and actually punched his target in a fit of frustration. His resulting injury was displayed on TV after Dave sensed blood. “It`s all part and parcel of a darts match” Lloyd offered by way of an explanation.

Exactly one month ago we discussed the need for match referees to have their role defined. This was after the incident in the King-Henderson match when the official in charge seemed reluctant or powerless to intervene in the altercation over whether Henderson had is foot over the oche.  It was a similar scenario last tonight, the ref didn`t know what had hit him (fortunately it wasn`t Jaws) after the temper tantrum from Lloyd or what he could actually do about it.

The cry for Lloyds to be disqualified is an overreaction and the punishment would not fit the crime, not in this modern era of sport anyway. The nearest comparison to this type of behaviour that is officially recognised as outside of the “laws of the game” is racket abuse in tennis. Umpires have the power to deduct points for this offence during a game and the governing body also can fine players post-match. The deduction of points is a powerful weapon for the match referee to have in his armoury and would at least give him the chance to land a metaphoric body blow to any player guilty of “dartboard abuse”.

Darts Miscellany

Thanks to Matt Bozeat, the author of the Darts Miscellany for permission to display one of the trivia lists from his new book. We have reviewed the book and have a competition to win a copy. Please email us your darts related trivia list to be entered for the draw.
Before they were famous:

Phil Taylor        Maker of Toilet Chain Handles
James Wade        Car Engineer
Kevin Painter        Ground Worker
Gary Anderson        Grate Builder
Andy Smith        Tree Surgeon
Wayne Mardle        Accountant
Michael Van Gerwen    School Boy

What are the facts of the matter?

Adrian Lewis was criticised last night (fairly in the opinion of the commentator dishing out the criticism) because of his carelessness with his third dart. Lewis then sent a wayward second dart towards the board and closed with another treble 20 with his third!

The problem we have with this type of analysis is that it is very subjective. Where is the evidence that proves Lewis is is a consistently poor exponent of the third dart throw? There is no evidence if you look at his 9 dart average, Lewis has the second highest (104) from all of the first round games played so far (consistent power scoring), a doubles percentage of over 42% and wiped out a player 3:0 who scored eight- 180`s and twelve-140`s. You cannot achieve that with two darts.