Just that One Throw

Dart Arts Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

As beginners we want to find our perfect game, a perfect throw that will be target-rich, consistent and perfect as humans can achieve. Herein lies my answer to this statement, look to the bulls eye.

Yea, the bull should be a beginners first and only practice target until they find and encode their perfect throw (or at least gain a modicum of consistency using the perfect throw). I choose this because to go directly to the triple twenty is the hardest throw and target to master while aiming at the  lower numbers is not focused enough. 

The bulls eye being round and literally symbolic and realistically the shape of a target makes it ideal. It is centered, small and a good solid minds-eye target that balances out the entire board so when you start to go for other targets the adjustments will be minimal at best. 

Note: this assumes you have already encoded your perfect throw movement by using the no-dart aim, cocking, rhythmic forward thrust/throw, dart release and follow through so your finger points to the intended target. 

Note II: Hey, when you use this and begin your darts are going to be horrible. You might say to yourself, this does’t work because I can’t hit anything. Realize this, the conscious mental work of any discipline means your body will not cooperate nor will your mind because you HAVE to THINK too much. The goal here is to think and let your mind create, develop and encode a instinctual like encoding that takes the throw process out of the human mind and pushes it down into the lizard mind for a natural, true, consistent and target rich throw. With patience, consistent practice and training there will come a time, unexpectedly, when suddenly you will be hitting your targets with more accuracy and consistency and without direct intervention of your thinking mind.l

Focus on the bull:

• Focus on the aim.
• Focus on the body and arm position at the aim and during the throw.
• Focus on those other areas with your peripheral maintaining your focus on the target of the bull.
• Focus on a state of positive relaxation in the mind-body-mind then feel that relaxed state all the way from the feet at the oche line up to the tips of your fingers holding your dart. 
• Focus in a relaxed cocking, flow and rhythm of the launch and finally to the release and follow through. 
• Focus on consistant grouping no matter where they hit.
• Focus on consistent grouping moving closer to the bulls eye. 

What we are looking for is focus, stance at the oche line, body posture and structure, use of the hip girdle, use of the shoulder girdle, and an arm position and movement until the final release and follow through of the dart throw. 

It will be discussed again and again throughout this book that there are many, many, many things one must bring together as a whole, holistic, unconscious instinctual process to consistently throw perfect target-rich darts to master the discipline of the dart arts. 

One of the many reasons I call this the dart arts is because the process one shall follow to achieve expert/master status is an art form expressed through the physical manifestation of the entire body-mind-body spirit of the dart game.

It is not just a game but a discipline that takes as much effort, focus and ability as any other discipline from the martial arts for self-defense, to the sport I liken and compare the dart arts too in golf and in other mainstream sports such as football, basketball and golf. 

Take your time, take it just one throw at a time and make sure your focus is on perfecting your dart throw and leave the winning and losing focus to … itself for a perfect throw will lead to winning and without any conscious thoughts of distractions can enter your mind let alone distract you from your throw.