Introduction
How do you become more accurate at throwing a dart? Practice more? Swop darts every few months or copy the action of "The Power or "Wolfie”? There is an alternative! The Darts Performance Centre has been researching dart players using their dominant eye to aim their dart and the results will improve the accuracy of your throw.
Tell me more
Aiming your dart at the target (the board) is similar to aiming a gun at a target. If you sight the dart with your strongest eye, imagine the dart has a tiny telescopic sight on it and this will give you a path for your hand to follow.
Which is my dominant eye?
If you are right handed then usually your right eye is the most dominant and vice versa. To find out for sure try this test:
1. Point at an object a few metres away and stare at it.
2. Close your left eye if the object you are staring at stays still you are right eye dominant. To check, close your right eye and the object will appear to jump to the left. For left eye dominant players the opposite will happen.
Is it as simple as that?
There are some other really key points to take note of to improve your accuracy. Make sure you are central to the bullseye on the oche. If you are central you will be throwing from exactly the same spot each and every time you throw a dart. This will help with your muscle memory as well as allowing your body to pivot to whatever double, treble or single segment you need.
Sight Right can help
Some More technique Tips
For the best results of improving your accuracy also ensure that you also:
• Use your back foot used as an "anchor”
• Experiment with your front foot, even bring it round as far as 90 degrees (the side of your foot against the oche).
• Your head is still
• Your body is still
• There is a smooth release of the dart • You follow through fully after release and finish up pointing at your target-just like this
Have we pointed you in the right direction?
Here is what three players thought after trying out our methods:
"As long as I line up in the new position and throw my dart and follow through the tendency to drift into the 5 or 1 beds wasis significantly reduced.”
"I have recently switched to lining up dead centre on the oche putting my dominant eye slightly to the right of the bull, I seem to be more confident with this setup and so far it's upping my average in practice"
"Amazing, just hit my first (witnessed) 180”
What next?
We will be offering some tips for players with `cross dominant` vision as well as going into more detail of the other technique tips we have mentioned in this issue of the Red Dragon Darts Performance Centre Improvement Tips newsletter.
