Darts

[Maximus Decimus]

On 11/01/2025 at 18:55, graveyard johnny said:

while not been able to do much due to the bad weather this week I got one of the spare bedrooms cleared out and got the board and arrows back out -did  watching all the skills of the PDC players over the past few weeks have any effect on me? erm no - I  still play darts like a donkey plays the violin!

 

On 11/01/2025 at 20:59, Eddie said:

You have to be natural I think. I was watching a pub league match the other day and they were all pretty awful, like most people are - anyone who says if they practiced all the time they could be in the pro game (which I’ve heard a lot) is a fool. 

As someone who has played quite steadily on and off for a few years, I can definitely second this. Tbh I probably thought it was just a case of playing a lot and I'd get better, and if I had the time to dedicate I could be as good.

There is a guy on YouTube, Ronnie Rickner, who is doing the 10,000 hours experiment with darts. He's currently 2,000 hours in. He has got better but just entered Q school and exited in Stage 1 with an average of 66. He's been better than this, but darts is like that, it isn't consistent improvement.

There are a couple of famous examples of players who say they were good pretty instantly, Gary Anderson and Adrian Lewis being famous examples. I think the number of players who have succeeded despite bizarre throws is testament to how much it is down to natural hand-eye coordination.

[Maximus Decimus]

As for my darts journey, I've tried it all over the years. When I started, I thought I'd just try to figure out a throw that worked but soon got frustrated with the inconsistency.

Then I went down the route of seeing what was good technique alongside proper practise routines and even had my throw examined. This hasn't necessarily helped scorewise (which is important) but I tend to know what went wrong. This can lead to a situation where I can't settle on one stance or style of throw and just keep flipping from one to another.

I'm definitely better than when I first got a board again 4 years ago, but I'm still in the low 50s. There have been some real shoots of improvement over Christmas, that haven't quite transferred into the average yet. For instance, I've hit 12 proper 180s in my life, and 6 of them have been in the last month.

The key is I still really enjoy it. There are times when it's frustrating but they are not nearly as often as the times I've had enjoyment out of it. I've noticed a big difference in the appeal of darts recently with family, friends and colleagues talking about playing a lot more.

[graveyard johnny]

Luke Littler brought right back down to reality - just dumped out of the Bahrain  Masters by Gerwyn Price 6-2 in a very impressive and commanding performance by Price pulling out the best average of the tournament  ever seen 

[ricky]

On 17/01/2025 at 17:26, graveyard johnny said:

Luke Littler brought right back down to reality - just dumped out of the Bahrain  Masters by Gerwyn Price 6-2 in a very impressive and commanding performance by Price pulling out the best average of the tournament  ever seen 

There's a reason why the World Championship final isn't best of 11 legs

[graveyard johnny]

question for the darts fans on here- would Phil Taylor  (in his prime) still be as dominant as he was in this era of players as he was in the previous era of players?

[Maximus Decimus]

44 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

question for the darts fans on here- would Phil Taylor  (in his prime) still be as dominant as he was in this era of players as he was in the previous era of players?

Not as dominant, but still very successful. His numbers absolutely hold up, and his ability under pressure was obviously very good.

For a bit more context, he still holds the record for the highest ever average in a Worlds final, and his lifetime average is over 100.

Edited February 2 by Maximus Decimus

[graveyard johnny]

Littler crashes out of the world masters now to Clayton - the Emma Radacanu of darts maybe?

Edited February 2 by graveyard johnny

[sam4731]

4 hours ago, graveyard johnny said:

Littler crashes out of the world masters now to Clayton - the Emma Radacanu of darts maybe?

Nah. Emma Raducanu fell off a cliff after winning the US Open. Littler won 10 titles last year including 3 majors and followed it up with a world championship win. Also there's no shame in losing to Clayton. He's a good player, a 4 time major winner himself.

Also in his first two rounds he won both matches with an overall leg win rate of 14-1.

He'll be at the top end of the game for a long time to come and will win plenty more of the top titles.

[graveyard johnny]

Adrian jackpot Lewis - prepares to make his return to the darts scene after a 2 year break that he claims was well needed but has to start off again in the modus series and work his way back in to the world rankings if he can 

[OriginalMrC]

8 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

Adrian jackpot Lewis - prepares to make his return to the darts scene after a 2 year break that he claims was well needed but has to start off again in the modus series and work his way back in to the world rankings if he can 

Hope he manages to do it and he's still young. But I think with darts once you lose what made you a great player it's very hard to get it back and he's got a long long way to go.

[LEEDSLADGONE SOUTH]

On 23/01/2025 at 09:06, ricky said:

There's a reason why the World Championship final isn't best of 11 legs

Is it because the crowd would be absolutely paralytic by the end ? 

[Eddie]

On 02/02/2025 at 14:24, graveyard johnny said:

question for the darts fans on here- would Phil Taylor  (in his prime) still be as dominant as he was in this era of players as he was in the previous era of players?

Yes, as he would have all the advantages that current players have and would be even better than he was. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

I didn’t see it but did the Glasgow crowd take things too far then?

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

I didn’t see it but did the Glasgow crowd take things too far then?

I watched it off and on with the right. Didn’t notice anything in particular

[ricky]

They were awful at the end of Cross–Littler (booing Cross while he was throwing) and Humphries–Littler (whistling all the time)

[gingerjon]

On 15/02/2025 at 06:51, Gerrumonside ref said:

I didn’t see it but did the Glasgow crowd take things too far then?

They have history.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/darts/35024363

[Gerrumonside ref]

4 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

They have history.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/darts/35024363

Thanks for this.

[sam4731]

So Beau Greaves has won 2 challenge tour titles and now a development tour title this season. Is it safe to say that she is the best darts player without a tour card?

[graveyard johnny]

one of the biggest nights of the darting calendar tonight as the premier league reaches its conclusion

the bookies favourite is Littler but I reckon any of the other 3 are in with a chance if they hit form 

[ricky]

The MBEs must have done their concentration no favours

[Maximus Decimus]

The World Cup of Darts is something that fans enjoy and definitely a bit different.

However, for some reason it is held in Frankfurt with a significant number of empty seats, and it has been for a few years.

They must have a deal because surely they could host it somewhere where they would appreciate it more.

[Maximus Decimus]

What. A. Final

[Eddie]

11 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

What. A. Final

Superb, and great to see one of the underdogs win the tournament also. 

[OriginalMrC]

It was a great tournament with players showing a lot of emotion and determination  to win

Proud of the Northern Irish boys for getting the win. They were so emotional afterwards, it clearly meant so much to them.

[graveyard johnny]

On 16/06/2025 at 12:25, OriginalMrC said:

 

Proud of the Northern Irish boys for getting the win. They were so emotional afterwards, it clearly meant so much to them.

so it did