We often hear that you need to practice a lot. But practicing during real matches and tournaments can be quite stressful and often disastrous.
That's why it's wise to practice in a safe environment, but in a way that allows you to learn effectively.
It may sound counterintuitive, but the best way to learn scoring is by using an app. Hear me out.
Many people make the mistake of eagerly buying a scoring board for home use, throwing darts, and writing down the scores. But if you don’t know when you make a mistake, you won’t learn anything. How can you avoid this?
What do you need to practice?
Here's your shopping list:
- A sheet of paper and a pen, divided into four columns (or a scoring board next to the dartboard).
- The (free) app DartCounter (or another app of your choice, but DartCounter works very well).
Set up DartCounter (or another app) for a match (501) against a dartbot.
- Throw your first three darts, calculate your score, and note this in the first column on your sheet or board.
- Calculate your remaining score and note this in the second column.
- Enter the thrown score into DartCounter and immediately check if your calculation was correct.
- DartCounter will then announce the score of the bot. Note this thrown score in the third column.
- Calculate the bot's remaining score and note this in the fourth column.
- Check in DartCounter if your calculation is correct.
Why Is This Effective?
It may not be revolutionary, but it aligns with scientifically proven learning methods. If you practice without feedback on whether your calculation is correct, you won’t learn effectively. If you make mistakes at first, don’t be discouraged. Each time you notice and correct a mistake, you’re one step closer to mastering scorekeeping.
So while you’re struggling with manual counting and writing, just go ahead and use that app! 😊
