Don't get hung-up on darts averages!

Hi Guys

I have come across many players who claim to have 80-90 averages and yet when i have seen them play, i have seen alot of 26's and 45's, and then 12-16 darts at a double. Whilst its true that 

Practicing at home is different i would very much argue that very few players average 100 at home and only 45 in the 'pub' or league.  

i would like to hit upon something  which i find annoying, and that is players getting hung up on averages and whats more alot of the Fictitious averages that get bandied about.Personally i say, ignore what others are claiming and concentrate on your own averages, but more importantly your finishing. 

If you lie to  yourself about your play, then your only cheating and hurting your game!

I myself don't get hung up on averages, as such, only as a reference point for improvement. I can say right right now that my average is around the mid 65's. That's an average. Some practice legs will be 85-90, and others will be in the mid 50's, so i cant call myself a 80-85 average player as the consistency and overall scores don't reflect the bigger picture.  Indeed i have had a 100+ average before in a few matches, that however doesn't make me a 100 average player, and to consider myself as such would be a delusion. Do i have the potential: yes, do i have the consistency: no!

In-fact taking advantage of mistakes and capitalising when it counts is far more important, than averages, especially at lower levels.  I can certainly attest that when i was playing pub level in my area that no one was hitting 100 averages, no one was hitting 9 darters, and i only had one person hit 180 against me!, whats more averages weren't even counted (probably for the best).  The killer in all matches was the finishing, a fair few could hit decent scores but then lose having had 16-18 darts at d7 for example!

I think that players should forego what they see on TV. This is elite professional darts (and sometimes even they have a bad time), and not worry about averages. Let me give an example of the 2016 BDO world championship.  I am not focusing on PDC as the majority are professional players and as such i consider the BDO to be what i should be looking at:

There's no 100+ averages, and there's plenty of 80 averages, achievable, i think so!

In-fact no one had won the BDO worlds with a 100 average and Scott Waites won 2016 with an 87 one.

Its all about taking small steps and working on your game, and doing it the right way (all of which i haven't done and it has cost me by the way). Look to up the averages, but don't get hung up thinking that you cant compete if your not hitting 9 darters in practice.  Set small manageable goals and reflect on achievements.  In 2.5 inconsistent as hell years i have gone from a genuine 38 ish average (and that's me being honest) to averaging in the mid 60's (something i thought would never come). That's a doubling of my overall average in spite of myself. 

Now, imagine with a settled set-up, confidence and practice.  It is not inconceivable that i could add 10 points to my average in 2016. Now if i can do that, that would take me close to an average of 80!, and in 2 years potentially nearly 90!

Even allowing for pressure and the changes in playing environment this will give a good shot at any tournaments entered, however the key is hitting those doubles!

So ultimately back onto myself,anyone who has read my updates may think:

"hey the guys delusional, he wasn't exactly Taylor in the pub scene so why aim higher"Its a fair point, however considering i was new to darts, quite literally changed darts and setup weekly (sometimes even prior to the match with no prior try-out time)  and also was suffering from back issues i won 14 of 34 singles matches  (41%) (excluding cups) and barring  3 matches  i had darts at a double to win the rest, so quite literally if i'd stuck with one setup i could conceivably have won 31 of 34 (91%) or more, which would paint an entirely different picture.

Anyway, 2016 is the year to get serious with it. I have a setup i am going to stick with (more on that later), and will keep you updated on my progress.

Thanks for reading

Luke