rhythm or deliberate
Kenneth C berman
most of my darting life I have been a single dart thrower, but in the
last year I've been working a rhythm into my throw. I am one of the top
throwers in my area and after about 15 years of throwing deliberatley, I
had fallen into a rut. I discovered that the reason was I had grooved my
throw and no longer needed the extra time to reproduce the same throw.
In fact it began to hurt my acuracy. I discovered this by watching a
tape of the last world cup championships. At that level all the shooters
are rhythm shooters. So I bleive that the proper throw is a combination
of both strategies. You want to throw with a rhythm, but only after you
have grooved the ability to recreate the same throw on every dart.
Ken Berman
Le...@oregon.com
wrote:
I pretty much agree, but I think your last sentence was the key: ONLY
AFTER you have your throw down. I would add that by then, you know
your out strategy, you are experienced enough to be able to handle the
quick math of competition, and you have years of experience throwing
deliberate to fall back on when needed. My original question regarded
relative newcomers and they, usually, have none of the tools that come
with time. IMO, they use a rhythm because it feels good and they can
hit somewhat tighter groups (so long as the target doesn't change dart
to dart).
I would not presume to argue the style of an experienced player
comfortable with his or her throw. I believe success to be more a
function of practice than technique (and I've seen some very strange,
yet very successful, techniques.) I think that STARTING with good
technique makes it easier to get better and your ultimate game will be
stronger as well. And for a starting technique, my money's on
deliberate.
Ed
dkjoe
experienced player, I've had my ups and downs, tried different things, sat
back and analyzed my successes and losses, etc. What I've discovered is
that when I'm throwing well, everything is very smooth, no stress, no
distractions, no forced concentration, no mental wandering, I'm aiming at
little dart holes in the bristles and not just the treble, and I'm throwing
with a combination between being rhythmic and deliberate. When I've reached
this point, I'm in the 'zone'. Ahhhh, the 'zone', the elusive 'zone', the
thing that all sports competitors try and conjure up on command.
In this NG, we've talked much about various things -- rhythm or deliberate,
mental concentration, alcohol vs no alcohol, stance at the oche, equipment,
etc...but one thing that hasn't come up is 'muscle memory'. Throwing 3
darts consistently requires an element of 'muscle memory'. Muscles in your
fingers, hand, wrist, arm, upper body, and to a certain extent your legs,
all contribute to each dart throw. Dart throwing is a repetitive motion
with the goal of -- precision. I'm a 'feel' player, meaning that I as I
warm up, I'm 'feeling' my way through each throw as I'm warming up. I
'feel' the mistakes of a poor throw, and I 'feel' the success of a good
throw. When I boil it down, what I'm really doing is working my way to a
certain level of 'muscle memory' whereby I minimize the poor throws and
focus on repeating the elements of a successful throw.
With all this said, I'll make one last statement which may sound funny --
Muscle memory is not something that you consciously work on, it is merely a
facet of a consistent, repetitive motion. If there's anything to work on,
work on your 'feel' for a good throw and use this 'feel' to understand what
you need to do to correct a bad throw. When you've gained an understanding
of this technique, you will recognize the contribution of muscle memory.
-Donny
Jasper Janssen
<dk...@scotchbonnet.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in
<7k16q7$ur0$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk>:
>With all this said, I'll make one last statement which may sound funny --
>Muscle memory is not something that you consciously work on, it is merely a
>facet of a consistent, repetitive motion. If there's anything to work on,
>work on your 'feel' for a good throw and use this 'feel' to understand what
>you need to do to correct a bad throw. When you've gained an understanding
>of this technique, you will recognize the contribution of muscle memory.
Even though I am only a fairly novice thrower - I started practising
some tyhree months or so ago - I'd like to add my support to dkjoe's
statement.
Right now, I don't throw well even when I manage to reach "the Zone",
but I've only found a set of darts that really feels good to throw two
weeks ago, and haven't had much chance to practice with it.
I have to say though, using this set after my old ones was a revelation.
I've practised most of the time with 18 gm brass darts by unicorn ($7 or
so), and I'm more accurate by a factor of two or so with these new ones.
20 gm 80% tungsten by Bull ($28 or so), if anyone cares.
Jasper
Phil Kindschuh
Le...@Oregon.com wrote:
> I pretty much agree, but I think your last sentence was the key: ONLY
> AFTER you have your throw down. I would add that by then, you know
> your out strategy, you are experienced enough to be able to handle the
> quick math of competition, and you have years of experience throwing
> deliberate to fall back on when needed. My original question regarded
> relative newcomers and they, usually, have none of the tools that come
> with time. IMO, they use a rhythm because it feels good and they can
> hit somewhat tighter groups (so long as the target doesn't change dart
> to dart).
>
> I would not presume to argue the style of an experienced player
> comfortable with his or her throw. I believe success to be more a
> function of practice than technique (and I've seen some very strange,
> yet very successful, techniques.) I think that STARTING with good
> technique makes it easier to get better and your ultimate game will be
> stronger as well. And for a starting technique, my money's on
> deliberate.
>
> Ed
I can attest to Ed's deliberate nature when he addresses the dartboard,
except on those occasions when he is staring at a first dart double bull
that looks as if it just might just fall to the floor any moment during
the last stages of a friendly game of "mickey mouse". Then, the rhythm
of the next two darts and his subsequent lunge for the board is a
memorable sight indeed.. ;)
phil