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Jeff MacIntosh
Captain
Four Horsemen
120 Posts |
 Posted - 01/09/2009 : 4:28:08 PM
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DartGuy,
I am a fairly average dart player in the range of 23 & 2.3 over my career with a consistent increase in my ability. I have been having trouble hitting my marks lately.
I am of the throwing philosophy of very little movement and moving parts when I throw. When I am throwing well, I tend not to have to much trouble with the trajectory of my throws. Lately, I have been missing quite a bit left and right as well as up or down. I have usually been able to correct up and down with the velocity of throw, but, missing left to right (more so left) leads me to believe I am having a mechanical issue with my release or some kind of arm inconsistency.
I tend to throw a 2 1/2 to 3 inch draw. When I try to correct I sometimes miss just a hair to the right. I have also been having problems missing low (feels like I am short arming and the board is too far away) and when I try to correct I miss high. I know this seems like normal problems, but, I have played very well in the past and want to continue to improve. This does not happen all of the time, sometimes I play very, very well. But, I'm tired of getting frustrated, and I would like to be more consistent. Can you give me any practice techniques or things that I could work on to straighten this out? I would appreciate any advice you could give when you have some free time. Thank you for your time.
What you are experiencing, is a 'morphing' of your throwing movement. You have gone beyond the apex of where you can consciously correct your throwing movement with something like 'sighting' to make up for how your throwing motion has changed. You are now finding that the same adjustments don't work the same as they used to because now you're motion has changed.
There are a couple of things you can do. If you are throwing low and left then there are a host of things that can be going on...
Rolling your shoulder
Leaning too far forward
Releasing too late
If you are throwing all over the place...
Body movement
Inconsistent elbow position
Inconsistent follow through
Looking off target as you throw.
If you start low left, you then throw high right because you are overcompensating and overshooting your target. This is common. One thing you should NOT do is compensate by changing your hand speed. The timing of your release is what needs to change. That is one of the things that is the hardest to detect because you are not studying your own hand when you release, you are focusing on the spot on the board you are trying to hit, and those darn darts aren't going in the direction you are looking.
The other part of the equation is...when you are missing, are you missing consistently in one spot? If so, that is a good thing that can be cured by stance, and starting hand position. Sometimes when I miss a bull low, I will bring my hand up about a half inch from where it was the first time, and try my best to use the same throwing motion. If all goes well, my dart should land that half inch higher from where I started.
If you are not consistent in where you darts are landing, then you are trying to 'find yourself' in the middle of your throw, and you are NOT throwing in a consistent motion. I myself am learning this the hard way. Back when I was hanging out a Sadie's playing three times a week, I could rely on sheer muscle memory to be accurate. Over the past 6 years, my average has consistently dropped because I haven't played as much, and that muscle memory has faded on me. That means I now have to rely on throwing mechanics, and aiming just as much as I do 'feel'.
Have a partner watch your throwing motion to determine...
Are your darts leaving your hand in a consistent manner?
Are your trajectories consistent?
Is your follow through the same each time?
Are you making any movements during your throw you are not consciously aware of?
You may find you have picked up a 'tick' in your motion you aren't even aware of, and nobody else has stopped to notice. Try to work on one thing at a time. If you try to change too much you won't be able to figure out which part fixed the problem in the event you revert back in the future.
Start with that, and see where it goes from there. |
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Jeff MacIntosh
Captain
Four Horsemen
120 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2009 : 11:15:17 PM
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DartGuy,
I would like to keep improving in order to help my team even more than I already am. It may be just the type of person I am I guess. I haven't really been beating myself up too bad I have just been noticing these flaws here and there. When something like this pops up in the middle of a match it could mean the difference of 2, 3 or more games depending on the length of the flaw.
I really believe I may be releasing late. If aiming at the bull the majority of darts (75%~) are missing bull high left by 2-3 inches or on the exact same line but, anywhere from 3-5 inches low. It feels like on the some of my poorer shots that the dart never has a chance to hit the bull from the instant I release it. I've also noticed that if I open my shoulder towards the board (square up my shoulders to the board) that I have been able to return toward my normal trajectory and correct the problem. Does this sound likely to you? If I am releasing early is there a technique or drill that I can use to correct this? Or is it just work on the timing of releasing earlier?
Here's a couple things to think about...
I really believe I may be releasing late.
If you are releasing late your dart is already on a downward trajectory. Earlier you mentioned that you try to correct this by throwing harder. Not only does this exacerbate the problem, but it gives you an even smaller window to change trajectory because now your hand is moving faster through the window of time you have to release. You have to trust yourself to let go of that dart a little sooner, OR change the start position of your hand and maintain the same throw.
If aiming at the bull the majority of darts (75%~) are missing bull high left by 2-3 inches or on the exact same line but, anywhere from 3-5 inches low.
Sounds to me like you are throwing across your body, or line of sight on your release. I am guessing you are right handed. A lot of times people roll their shoulder, or tilt their elbow, and their hand goes from right to left across their field of vision, and then their release is based on your eyesight towards the board which is at a completely different angle than how your body is moving.
I also noticed that if I open my shoulder towards the board (square up my shoulders to the board) that I have been able to return toward my normal trajectory and correct the problem. Does this sound likely to you?
Yes, by squaring your shoulders to the board you are limiting the capacity your arm can move across your body. But you are also changing how you naturally use your eye to 'sight' your target, and the angles are closer between the two.
If I am releasing early is there a technique or drill that I can use to correct this? Or is it just work on the timing of releasing earlier?
I think you mean if you are releasing late. I think you first need to have someone watch you to see if you are leaning forward, or exhibiting some other kink in your throw. Sometimes, a downward shot can be fixed simply with posture. Make sure you have a teammate who is willing to watch you when you are shooting WELL. Otherwise that person is not going to know what is wrong when you are having problems. The illusion is your eye is telling you your release is happening when it should. But if for some reason you are leaning too far forward, raising your elbow, or tilting it outward, or even moving your head, that is going make your dart drop. Also, if you have a front heavy dart and you are dropping your release that will magnify the problem. |
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Breaking Down Your Mechanics
