One of the most important lessons to learn if you are trying to improve your darts is a fair assessment of where you are and what type of practice/training you need.

Simply playing the same games as the professionals do or those suggested by online gurus will only help marginally if they are not suitable for where you and your game truly are.

For example, I like to try to encourage players to use their most regular formats within their practice regime. So if you are a regular County/UKDA  player you might want to play a lot of best of 7 or if you play a lot of open events perhaps best of 5 might be the most often repeated practice game. This applies whether you are playing against digital or human opponents.

However, it is just as important to remember that, in the same way a runner practices both endurance and sprint drills, you should stretch yourself and try to groove your game at each level you progress to.

A breakthrough professional that I worked with some years ago had a weekly routine where he would meet up with a few friends who were decent players but perhaps not quite at his level.

They would play best of 25 and depending on how many others were in the group they would either each take a turn or even play tag team against the ‘better player’. 

We introduced a similar, fun idea with Ian ‘Diamond’ White where several young players played a rotating best of three against the professional. It was light hearted but encouraged a consistent high standard while not getting stale.

All present enjoyed the weekly contest as the striving players were keen to take as many legs as possible from the bigger name, meanwhile he was putting more miles into his arm and grooving a very high base level to keep. There may have even been a few libations at stake on occasion.

This stamina session as I began to think of it is not perhaps needed if you are playing multiple elite events and winning several middle length formats games each time. But if you are trying to move up a level or perhaps if you are not winning enough games to get the ‘miles into your legs’. You should add a similar stint to your routine.

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AIM180 has coached/mentored multiple players to success and titles within the PDC and without.

This column appeared in Darts World Magazine in 2024