Well the dart league has been on hiatus over the holiday season, but as you might imagine I found ways to keep at it with the darts. Some hard (but rewarding) work at the board with practice routines and even a nice afternoon of boxing day darts with some friends. 
Just maybe nothing to really write about other than to say that I'm feeling pretty consistently confident in my ability to peg out, and that my ability to do so is on a slow but steady climb.  Darts being what it is, it seems you can get better at it but it never gets 'easy'. At least not in my experience so far, but I started this past March, who knows what I'll say on the topic in twenty years?

Well some one who does have a couple of years on me at the boards, and at a very high level is American Dart pro  Anne 'Sleepy' Kramer who very kindly agreed to be interviewed by TBLACBLOG.com . 

Anne is the partner of darts legend John Kramer and is currently sponsored by Shot! darts. Check out her interview!

Anne Sleepy Kramer Interview

You know there must be something to this whole consistent structured practice thing.  Unless of course it could be argued that it is pure coincidence that my recent reaffirmation and dedication  to practice has coincided with me rattling off eight wins in a row.  It was also a good night for the team as we also pulled of a very rare win.  On the night itself on Tuesday I was four for four and managed to pull myself up to the eleventh spot in the division.  Not spectacular, but for my first season of league play I'll take it!
However, let's not get overly excited for as positive as this news is, I am still kept humble by the fact that I am only a game over .500!  I am obviously hoping to keep pushing that in the right direction, but as we know talk is talk and doing is doing.
Speaking of doing I should also make a quick note that my Wife has really picked up her game of late.  In her cricket match she and her partner came back from a six Bull deficit with my Wife nailing the red to finish the deal. She then played with me in a best of three doubles 501 and pegged us out in the third and final game.
I also won my cricket game, but not without a little concern and debate.  I was playing with our team captain (who is a great guy) and he turns to me and says "OK don't point anymore" when we had at best two darts worth of points.  I know that in general I talk more about how I am doing and not so much about the game in the broader sense, but I think this 'don't point' thing is well intentioned but misguided and ultimately harmful as it rewards one kind of poor sportsmanship under the pretense of suppressing another.  I have no doubt in my mind that there are mean spirited people who will have a game they could easily put away and win but instead will keep piling on points. This is inexcusable, but I hope not blasphemy to say I believe is very much the exception and not the rule.  The words 'friendly' and 'competition' should not be mutually exclusive, and the desire and will to win should not be confused with a bullying attitude.  I can remember early on this year when i was first starting out in darts and before i discovered Flight School I was playing a game with a couple of guys (who I can beat now) and they spotted me some points.  I was so furious I thought I would explode. I wasn't good, but I worked hard to be as good as I could be at that time, and wanted to win or lose on my own merits.  In the case of the cricket game I was in, well we are the last place team so a bit presumptuous of us to be doing anyone any favours and I think more importantly an innately disrespectful act as it implies that they need the special consideration and that they could not win if we were trying our best.  
So the trick then is to figure out where the threshold is between simply trying to do your best to win and rubbing people's noses in it. 
The answer to this is of course highly subjective, but maybe this is something each league can suggest a standard for. I think having a score that exceeds what the other team can score with three darts is one hundred percent valid.  How much more is too much?  Six dart lead? More or less?
Personally I lean towards a six dart lead being maybe in the danger zone as in most C league games that should be plenty of cushion to move ahead and win the game. I am of course open to thoughts and suggestions on this issue.

I have no games over the holidays, so who knows what boring musings or practice reports might be coming your way.

Also, if you are as happy for me as I am for winning eight in a row and want a little of that for yourself then you should know that it is no secret that I am where I am well mostly being addicted to darts, but also through George Silberzahn's Flight School which I mention often here.  I mention it a lot because well I love the results I see from it, it is free and it develops your natural and intuitive game rather than trying to make you into something or somebody you are not.  It has something for seasoned pro and beginner alike so check it out for sure! 

See you all next time. Shoot well!! 

I am all stoked and ready for my game tonight and hope to get a proper posting out to you not soon after.  I'll have to pull off a three for three night, but if I do I'll be able to possibly bring myself into the top 10 in the division!!

In the meantime I hope you will check out..



Dart Review: McCoy Stealth 25g Silver

It is a funny thing in darts with winning and losing and it is a lot less about getting the points on the board than it is about getting the job done.  Certainly at the level I play at and I suspect at higher levels as well, if only with less and less leeway.
Over the past few weeks I had been throwing some decent C league numbers, and even at a few points early would feel a strong advantage over my opponent.  Then I'd get a bit pleased with myself, and they would get a little chatty with me and the next thing you know they have caught up.  I'd still be ahead, but feeling the pressure and would throw at my closing number and routinely stick darts on the wrong side of the wire.  Then my opponent would waltz in and put the leg away of ten adding a 'I cant believe I won that' comment. 
From there the frustration level would build as would my anxiety once I got to the out shot. 
As you know from the previous post I was pretty frustrated with that last week, but in talking to my darts mentor George he not only reminded me to be patient with myself he made me realize that I had begun to get pretty haphazard with my practice.  So every day since then I have been doing two sets of drills, one for warm up and the second to build accuracy, and focusing on keeping the time to completion down.
I cant stress enough how important practice is, as the difference between winning and losing and between confidence and frustration is being prepared, not just to play, but to win and knowing you can make the shots.
So playing this past Tuesday I did not shoot super great numbers.  Nothing horrible, but I'm not sure I scored more than one ton all night.  
I still played three games and walked away with three wins.  Two against a player who had up until then had my number.  This is all just C league stuff, so maybe not quite time to sing any songs of legend. Heck, I still have a losing record.  I just know that I am going to stick to my diligent practice, and to have fun at darts, but also to remember to stick to the job at hand as the true enjoyment comes from a win against a great opponent. 
I have never truly been good at anything in my life.  I've been OK at a few things, but never took them to the next level.  How good will I be or can I be at darts?  The truth is, no one knows and any final destination I'd pick for myself would either be selling myself short or reaching beyond my grasp.  I am just happy to work for however number of years it takes to be the best dart player I can be.  
Will that happen?  yes it will.  As long as I can throw and my wife can tolerate my obsessiveness I know I will get there.
It is funny thing in darts with winning and losing. Recently a change came over me, or maybe more of a realization, but players who outright intimidate me now before long I will catch up to and I will pass.  
It will take time, and I will take my lumps along the way, but I'll get there.
Thanks for coming along with me so far on the journey. 


If you are interested in the practice I am doing please check out Flight School .  It is designed by American darts hall of famer and all around decent guy George Silberzahn.  It works and the only cost to you will be putting up with the odd groaner from George.  A pretty good deal I'd say.

Please post if you have any questions!  

See you all next time!!!  

The Shaft Thrower Dart team has a beautiful new logo which you can see here. The logo was designed by USMC80 over at the Darts Nutz Forum and beat out some stiff competition to win himself a set of McCoy 24g Stealth darts.  I personally use the McCoy stealth and love it!! USMC80 is getting a highly underrated dart and suspect he will love it as much as I do!
A big thank you once again to everyone who took part and of course to Pure darts for donating the prize!!  

As for updating you all on my own darts goings on, there was no actual game, but there was a doubles tournament.  Not too much to say about that, other than that the only thing less underwhelming than the tournament was my own level of play.  I think there is maybe some merit though in the notion that I need to be patient with myself and with the process as this is what I am hearing from both my wife (and doubles partner) and mentor George Silberzahn, but it is still so frustrating to see what should be within my reach slipping away.  
The answer, I think and a bit of a tough one is to keep on top of good focused and consistent practice and to not be a jerk but to not lose it to the chit chat.  I need to play with a certain intensity and focus on the goal.

It is either that or 'playing just for fun' and to me that is not fun at all.  I get frustrated, I'd say more than I should considering my lack of experience, but I want the ups and the down; I want the journey.  
I want to practice when others would be playing and to be playing when others would be resting.  

In the end , I have no idea what I have 'in the tank'.  It will be a long way to find out, years that will likely run into decades. 

One throw at a time.