Warming up before a darts game or tournament? Some players swear by it, while others can only smile wearily about it. So is there any point in warming up before a competition or not?
As is often the case in darts, this question cannot be answered in general. In this article I will also explain from my subjective point of view, as I have already tried dart warm-up exercises myself.
But which exercises actually make sense and how should you approach dart game preparation ? The answers follow in this blog post.
Warming up: useful or nonsense?
Warming up before a darts game is one of the most discussed practices in darts. But why is that so? Two worlds meet here.
On the one hand, there are those dart players who have been standing at the oche for what feels like 50 years without having to throw a test dart. On the other hand, the sport, including darts, is constantly developing.
Certain analyzes do not ignore the sport of darts. Younger players in particular swear by the so-called “warm-up throwing” with certain warm-up exercises before a competition. But what's the point of such preparation before playing darts?
Get the right feeling when preparing for the game
In darts, the head plays a big role - if not the biggest role . It is therefore extremely important for a player to have the right feeling when throwing . You have to trust yourself and your arrows.
This can sometimes be extremely difficult as it is not always possible to be in top form. As a result, doubts about your own abilities can arise.
In order to be on point in the competition, it is advisable to fire darts at the board for half an hour or even several hours beforehand. This way you can get the right feel for the darts .
Especially for amateur players, the feel for the dart depends heavily on the form of the day . When warming up, you can adjust the visor correctly, so to speak, so that you can be there straight away in the competition.
But be careful: You shouldn't overdo it with darts training as a warm-up, because if, for example, you stand at the oche for three or four hours before the competition begins, a state of fatigue sets in and your concentration drops significantly even before the first serious match. Finding the right balance is the art in this case.
Routine and movement sequence
So when warming up, try to repeat the throw again and again - like you should always try to do with darts anyway.
In order to play darts successfully, a well-rounded movement sequence is the be-all and end-all. Especially when warm-up throwing and warm-up exercises, you will notice that not everything works as desired.
The correct posture and a repeated sequence of movements ensure the right feeling and the necessary looseness .
Infobox : So pay particular attention to where there are problems during your first few darts so that you can perfect the movement sequence as quickly as possible before the competition.
Darts warm-up exercises - from Around the Clock to the practice match
So much has been written about warming up and warm-up throwing, but a beginner doesn't always know how to approach darts game preparation.
In order to ensure a certain darts warm-up routine, we recommend always using the same darts warm-up exercises .
A quick tip on how I handle warm throwing myself. Some advanced players may scoff at this method, but I swear by it. But in the end everyone has to find out the right darts warm-up with the respective warm-up exercises for themselves - there is no patent recipe for preparation before the competition, nor right or wrong in this case.
My warm-up plan before every dart game:
- Throw on all single fields
- Around the Clock with all double fields
- Throw on triple fields from T10 - T20
- 50 darts on the bulls eye
My dart training plan or warm-up plan always starts with me throwing each single field once . Then I move on to the double fields , which I work on in around-the-clock mode .
In the third step I venture into the narrow triple fields - but only those from T10 to T20 . If time allows, I'll throw 50 darts at the bullseye . Only then do I usually feel prepared for the competition.
Warm up alone or together?
At the end the question remains whether you want to warm up alone or together . I personally prefer to warm up alone in a quiet little room.
But it's also quite possible that you'll get into the rhythm better if you warm up one-on-one with a colleague - similar to a competition . Find the best solution for you here to perform at the right moment on the oche.
Expert tip: It is important that you have a good feeling at the moment when the real match begins. Only when you are satisfied with your performance at the end of the warm-up can you leave your warm-up program and end the warm-up routine.
In darts, the competition is always a different pressure situation than the preparation for the game
The main reason why many players condemn warm-up is the completely different pressure situation in competition . Everything that was going well before can suddenly go bad and therefore only creates additional self-doubt .
You can definitely see it that way. And if you look at it like that, warming up for darts is almost certainly the wrong way to do it before a real game of darts.
However, if you approach the matter differently, you can also argue as follows. By throwing or warming up, he can gain the necessary security in order to be able to compete in the competition.
A subjective assessment of the darts warm-up
Finally, I would like to give my subjective opinion on this topic. I personally see warming up as an extremely important factor before a competition .
I don't want to deny that the head plays a big role here too. In any case, even after half an hour of dart training to warm up, in 90% of cases I have a significantly better feeling than if I started the competition straight away without having thrown a single dart.
Why is this so? For myself, I always notice that the first arrows in particular, some of which are thrown with very little concentration , have a lot of dispersion.
Little by little I get into my “zone”, a state in which I start to block out everything around me . There is no guarantee that I will reach this state, but warming up helps me achieve it with a much higher probability.
Conclusion on darts warm-up
Through the constant warm-up throwing, I notice that I am becoming more confident, my arm is becoming looser and the arrows are missing their target less and less . I usually do this alone because it allows me to fully concentrate on my own throw.
My conclusion is therefore: warm up for darts!
Do you also get involved before a darts game or a darts tournament? What are your best darts training methods when warming up or your best warm-up exercises before a darts game?
Feel free to write us your warm-up routine in the comments and give the community tips on how they can best prepare for a darts game.
You can find a specific warm-up program in our own e-book . It also includes some training tips, games, motivation and much more.
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