Lost the ability to Play - Reason for absence!

Hi Guys

I'm very conscious that i haven't posted in a while and for that i apologize.

Basically i have tried to actively avoid all things darts and darts related (including watching on television).

The reason for this is that i have been trying to completely purge darts from my mind, and body in an attempt to 'reset' myself.

Now this may sound mad however it is basically a necessity.

I'll set the scene. About 4 months ago i was practicing well and hitting averages near 70. I returned to my old team and everything looked good. I won my first singles match and despite playing badly i was confident about the darting year ahead.

Unfortunately the seeds of what was to come were manifesting themselves as early as that match!

A few days after my dismal but winning effort i went for a  practice and it was like i'd never thrown a dart before! Now we've all had sessions like that so rather than get frustrated i put the darts away and gave myself off, knowing i had  a few weeks until the new season.

This is usually the bets thing to do as spending 2 hours winding yourself up achieves nothing.

Anyway, i picked them up again a week later and it was even worse. It took about 6 hours to go around the board on singles, doubles and trebles! something was clearly wrong!

There was no fluidity, no consistency nothing. They were literally going all over the place. not just a small veer from T20 into the 1, were talking off  board or into 12!

I took another few days off and over the next week i tried

• stretching
• warm bath
• warming the area
• avoiding caffeine

Unfortunately things were still no better and if anything  were getting slightly worse.

I tried to change:

• Position
• Throwing speed
• Grip
• wearing glasses again
• stance

At best some would work for 6-9 darts and then back to the same. Nothing would kick-start my play!

After 3-4 weeks of this i was forced to drop out of the team (my decision) and had to do alot of soul searching.

I love playing darts and competing however i hadn't just lost confidence over the shot, i'd lost confidence that id even get near what i wanted.

The climax came in my last session where i had 100 darts at bull and hit 5!

In these situations what do you do?? there isn't a pill you can buy and i wasn't able to play my way out of it??? do you just trudge down to your darts room every night and spend an hour frustarting yourself silly???

It was at this point that i realized that something in the 'head' wasn't right!

maybe i was:

• obsessing about darts too much
• watching too much
• studying it too much

I came to the conclusion that i was maybe putting myself under too much pressure subconsciously, and because i want(ed) it so bad i'd developed a mental block?

I spoke to my wife and decided that i needed to try and completely remove darts from the equation in my life (inc this blog). I needed to completely stop thinking about it which meant no practice, watching or purchasing.

I'm hoping 6-12 months off will rid me of whatever has caused the issue and i can relearn everything from the start

Anyway just wanted to give everyone a heads up and thank everyone for their emails of concern

Keep playing and watching, its the best game in the world

Take Care

Luke

My interview with the Legend and former world champion Steve Beaton

Hi Guys

The former BDO 1993 World Master's and 1996 World Champion Steve Beaton has taken time out of his very busy schedule to do this interview with me.

I am proud to present to you below, my interview with the 'Bronze Adonis' Steve Beaton:

Q1: You made your majors debut way back in 1984 in the BDO World Masters (an incredible 33 years ago) memories of that era and making your debut in that event as a teenager amongst some very BIG characters. It must have been a daunting experience?

SB: YES IT WAS A BIT DAUNTING BUT IT WAS A GOOD TO PLAY AGAINST SOME OF THE SPORTS GREATS AND TO THIS DAY I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD STILL BE PLAYING AT THE TOP LEVEL OF THE SPORT.

Q2: Who were your darting inspirations growing up (if you had any) and were there any players who had elements of the game you tried to add to yours?

SB: ERIC WAS MY SPORTING ICON BUT I DID LOVE THE WAY JOHN LOWE THREW A DART. THERE WAS A LOT OF GOOD PLAYERS AROUND WHEN I WAS STARTING AND MANY OF THEM BECAME CLOSE FRIENDS OF MINE AND IT'S STILL NICE TO BUMP INTO EACH OTHER NOW AND AGAIN AND REMINISCE.

Q3: You are 3rd in the all-time most appearances in the world championship with 26, behind joint leaders John Lowe and Phil Taylor on 28. In this time many players have come and gone and yet you have outlasted most of your 90’s contemporaries. What do you attribute your longevity to and with Lowe retired to exhibitions and Taylor retiring in 2018 will you try and break the record?

SB: I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED THE SPORT AND ALSO I ENJOY THE EXHIBITION SIDE OF THE GAME WHICH I THINK HAS HELPED. I TRY TO KEEP FIT WHICH ALSO HELPS. WOULD LOVE TO KEEP PLAYING IN THE WORLDS AND BEAT PHILS RECORD WHO KNOWS!

Q4: You use a very specific set of darts and setup. What was the first set of darts you owned and what weight were they?

SB: MY FIRST SET WAS JOHN LOWES TUNGSTEN 22GM. I ALWAYS STUCK WITH THE SAME SET FOR YEARS UNTIL ONE NIGHT AT A EXHIBITION SOMEBODY STOLE MY DARTS AND THEN I HAD TO FIND A NEW SET. SINCE I MOVED TO WINMAU I HAVE HAD A FEW DIFFERENT SETS BUT THEY HAVE EVERYTHING ON SITE TO MAKE DARTS SO ITS GREAT WHEN YOU TELL THEM WHAT YOU WANT AND AN HOUR LATER THERE THEY ARE BRAND NEW AND ALSO CAN BE TWEEKED TO YOUR OWN REQUIREMENTS.I STILL USE 22GM BUT NEVER GET TO ATTACHED TO A SET AND CHANGE THEM WEEKLY FOR A NEW SET AS THEY ARE MADE TO SUCH A HIGH TOLERANCE THAT THEY WOULD ONLY VARY BY 0.1 GM WHICH YOU WOULD NEVER NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE.

Q5: You have been known for your fitness routines, however many have felt working out has affected their throwing accuracy. What routine do you follow and how did you avoid it affecting your performance?

SB: I USED TO GO TO THE GYM QUITE OFTEN AND DO WEIGHTS ASWELL AS RUNNING. NOW I TEND TO LEAVE THE WEIGHTS OUT JUST INCASE I PULL A MUSCULE AND I HAVE CHANGED THE RUNNING TO SWIMMING WHICH HELPS WITH ALROUND BODY FITNESS.

Q6: An obvious one, but how often do you practice these days and has age affected your physicality to practice for a long duration or is it purely other interests?

SB: I TRY TO PRACTICE AT LEAST AN HOUR A DAY LESS IF I HAVE ALOT OF EXHIBITIONS. AS I AM GETTING OLDER WEAR AND TEAR IS A FACTOR AND HENCE IT'S NO GOOD THROWING FOR TO LONG BEFORE A MATCH AND THEN UNDER PERFORMING WHEN THE GAME STARTS. 40 YEARS OF DARTS HAS IT'S TOLL!. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I WOULD PLAY EVERYDAY AND TAKE MY DARTS EVERYWHERE JUST INCASE I GOT A CHANCE OF A GAME SO THE RIGHT PRACTICE IS IMPORTANT.

Q7: Some players obsess over a missed double or performance/loss, and will hit the practice board after a match and others chalk it up to a bad day at the office as you can’t win every match. What side of the wire do you sit on?

SB: I THINK IT CAN BE A BIT OF BOTH. I THINK IF YOUR MISSING DOUBLES THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD PUT A BIT MORE PRACTICE INTO THAT AREA OF YOUR GAME AND ALSO YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL SO YOU HAVE TO MOVE ON EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT.

Q8: Darts for some reason doesn’t tend to honour its past greats in the manner as other sports and I’m surprised that the PDC hasn’t picked up the ‘League of legends’ television concept, since there is still a very clear demand to see the legends of darts (and I imagine this will only escalate when Taylor and Barney retire). Is this something you’d be interested in if the PDC went this route?

SB: YES SOUNDS GOOD BUT HOPEFULLY I WILL KEEP COMPETING FOR A FEW MORE YEARS YET.

Q9: Outside of your 2 Majors, what is your favourite win/performance? Many people think it’s your incredible performance against a still very much on top Taylor in the 2010 Grandslam when you won 16-14?

SB: THE GRAND SLAM AGAINST PHIL WAS A GREAT NIGHT FOR ME BUT UNFORTUNATELY I LOST THE NEXT ROUND AND THE DREAM CAME TO AN END. I STILL THINK I'VE GOT A BIG WIN IN ME SO I WILL HOPEFULLY HAVE ANOTHER MAJOR TO MY NAME.

Q10: The travel schedule is lauded as gruelling at best and you still find time to do exhibitions. Is it just something you deal with or doesn’t it affect you?

SB: TRAVEL SCHEDULE IS HARD BUT EXHIBITIONS ARE MY BREAD AND BUTTER AND I NEED THESE TO HELP ME FUND ENTRIES/TRAVEL AND ALSO TO PAY THE BILLS ETC.

Q11: Who’s your best pal/ travel companion in darts?

SB: I HAVE HAD A FEW OVER THE YEARS BUT ALOT HAVE FINISHED AT THE HIGH LEVEL NOW. I TEND TO GET ON WITH MOST OF THE PLAYERS SO WILL TRAVEL WITH ANYBODY IF IT HELPS WITH PLANE JOURNEYS TAXI'S ETC.

Q12: And lastly, what is a typical day in the life of Steve Beaton these days?

SB: GET UP FAIRLY EARLY HAVE MY BREAKFAST AND TRY AND DO AN HOUR OF PRACTICE AND THEN OF FOR A SWIM. ALWAYS PLENTY TO DO AROUND THE HOUSE IF NOT.

I would just like to take the opportunity to thank Steve's wife Nanette for setting this up and to say a BIG thank you to Steve for taking time out of his busy schedule to do this, it has been an honor and a privilege.

Luke

03/04/2017: In friendly action tonight against our 'A' Team

Hi Guys

Ahead of the new season we are in friendly action tonight against Al's Bar 'A'.

This will be a MASSIVE match as this team takes their darts VERY seriously.

Check out the below for last season in League 2:

Yep that's right a 100% unbeaten record and whats more they won more legs than any other team in the 3 leagues and also dropped the least amount of legs as well.

The standard will be high as a number of these players play local tournaments and BDO events.

I'll be looking to put a good show on here!

Luke

Looking back at Keith Deller's Incredible 1983 BDO World Championship Win!

Hi Guys

Today I would like to take the opportunity to look back at the incredible triumph of Keith Deller in the 1983 BDO World Championship.

Deller was not ranked going into the World Championship and had to go through qualifiers to get into the first round.

In the first round he played the underrated Nicky Virachkul , won 2-1 and averaged 85.20. Now it should be noted that 90+ averages were not the norm back then with only Eric Bristow and John Lowe hitting them with regularity.

In the second round he beat Les Capewell and averaged 91.20 which was the second best average in that round behind Bristow (on 96)

In the Quarter final he faced former Champion (and darting legend) and number 2 seed John Lowe and won 4-3 with an 86.40 average.  This was a major upset.

In The semi-final he faced the number 3 seed and defending champion Jocky Wilson (another legend) and won 5-3 with an average of 85.50.

Then to the final. Facing undoubtedly the greatest player at the time, the legend and the only 2x winner at that point Eric Bristow. In what is one of the greatest matches ever Deller  beat Bristow with the infamous 138 finish , to win 6-5 and average 90.

Let’s put things into perspective.

Deller had to qualify and then in the last 3 matches play the top 3 players in the world.  No one had ever done it before and no one has done so since (34 years later). It is an incredible feat and one that I do not think will ever be replicated.

There will be many that will argue that Deller was never the number 1 player in the world, however that week he was, and no one has ever had a tougher run to the final.

Other fun facts to remember are that Deller actually won using the lightest darts for a world championship winner at 18g (a record that would stand for over a decade), was one of the youngest to ever win it 23 and it was his first appearance on television.

Legend……………………….WITHOUT A DOUBT!!!!

Get the Basics Right: Do Not Ignore Pain! Look at the long game!

Hi guys

As I have posted on this blog before, I have a catalogue of injuries (lower back, right shoulder, right hip and right wrist) which I brought with me into playing darts from previous activities.

I can’t stress enough to you that when you start playing you need to think long-term whether you are going to be able to maintain that style of 1-5-10 years.

This is a cautionary tale as darts may appear to be a physically undemanding sport however the reality is actually far different.

The classic example is stance. Obviously leaning over makes logical sense as you are closer to the board, however you have to look at the pressure that is going to put on your back and hip when done for long periods of time.

When I started I adopted the Bobby George leaning over stance:

Now this is great for moving you closer to the board however at 16 stone (220 lbs) this played havoc with my back and right hip. After 1 hour of practice I was a mess. Now some of it is due to old injuries, however it is not a naturally comfortable position to adopt and hold and it caused me to have to take regular breaks from playing such was the discomfort after (it should be noted that Bobby George has actually had to have a hip replacement). 

Now this may not necessarily apply to you early on, however it will take its toll, and it may be an inopportune moment:

Picture the scene, it’s the first leg and I’m playing a blinder, hitting decent darts, not scoring below 60 and have hit a couple of 100’s. I’m on d16, and I outside wire 2 darts. The third I overextend and force it, it goes in but my back goes with it!  My right leg is now wobbly due to my back, and every time I throw I get a back spasm. Of course I lose the leg so now it’s the decider and I’m sweating buckets due to the pain. I’m frustrated with myself, however I win the bull and somehow manage to stay ahead, until stupidly I miscount and leave d16 again where I should have left d20. I do the usual

D16 –hit 16

D8 –hit 8

D4 –hit 4

And then

D2-hit 2

And then onto D1.

It then became a farce as my opponent had got into the match, but had equally messed his finishes up and was now on d1 himself.  It became the definition of bad pub darts as we both through pineapples at the board and missed about 30 darts at D1 before I hit it and won!

I could barely walk the next day and every time I tried to practice my back and hip killed me.  The end result is that I had to then take several weeks off of playing.

I struggled for the longest time to change my mindset on stance as whenever I tried to change it I was less effective as I was further away and this went with the path of least resistance.

The older I have got though, it has become more apparent that if I want to play this sport into an older age and what’s more take it to the next level I need to adopt a stance that will enable me to practice for long periods and play longer matches.

John Lowe told me a comfortable stance and clean release will keep your game good for decades and you only have to look at how good he still is at 70 odd to realise this.

I therefore decided to look at other players who stance isn’t as lean centric and you only have to look at the stance of:

Phil Taylor

John Part

Gary Anderson

Who have a combined 21 world titles between them to see that you don’t have to make yourself as close as possible (yes MVG at the moment is winning everything with this stance but at 27 he is already experiencing hip, wrist and back issues – and injury rather than an opponent may be what ends his run at the top) With that sorted I have had to look at my throw I was and still do get shoulder problems and  I have had many occasions whereby I haven’t been able to throw with any kind of accuracy whatsoever which can be both incredibly frustrating and disheartening.  

This has usually been the result of:

•          Throwing to hard
•         Over extending
•         Ignoring fatigue
•         Sloppy technique

I have found that for me it is far better to have 1 hour’s good quality practice than 3 hours rushing every dart at the board. For the longest time my form would dip after the first hour and this would lead to frustration and poor results. Stepping away is the hardest thing to do however you are getting NOTHING from 2 hours of practice if your arm is tired and your technique has gone! Building up stamina and taking my time is the key thing that I continually ignored and I have wasted hours and hours of my life practicing with zero benefit.

So the key thing is to not ignore pain and discomfort. This is one sport where it ISNT no pain no gain and for longevity it is important to absolutely minimise the wear and tear on your body.

Listen to your body, pay attention to any pain or discomfort and don’t be afraid to step away from the board when your body tells you (pain, loss of accuracy). 

Anyway I hope this helps guys

Luke

20/3/17: 180 with 16g brass

Hi guys

180 with brass 16g darts, medium nylons and standard flight flights

Interview with 3x World Champion, The Legendary 'Darth Maple' John Part

Hi Guys

The legendary 3x World Champion John Part took some time out of his insanely business travels schedule to do this interview with me.

John Part was the first oversees player to win the BDO World Championship, the first overseas player to win the PDC Championship, and the player responsible for halting Phil Taylor's incredible run of cosnecutive World Championships (1995-2002) in 2003.

It should also be noted that excluding Phil Taylor, Part is one of only 5 players to win the World Championship more than twice (the others being Bristow, Lowe, Van Barneveld and Martin Adams).

It is both my honor and privilege to bring you this interview:

Q1: You are a fan favourite and known as one of the most genuinely nice guys in the sport (who no one has had a bad word to say about).  This makes you an ideal role model and ambassador for both the game of darts and any company you are associated with. Starting out who did you look up to if anyone?

JP: Bob Sinnaeve was the marquee Canadian player of the 1980's and his efforts proved it was possible to compete with the big bad British. Bob Anderson epitomized the playing style I wanted to emulate and was closest to who I identified with as a player. 

Q2: You must literally have millions of air miles, do you ultimately think all the travel impacted on your performance and how did you manage to cram in practice (I’m sure Air Canada didn’t have dartboards up)?

JP: It's funny you only mention the air miles, because I have a very large amount of driving miles under my belt as well. There is no doubt travel has consumed and constituted a large portion of my darts efforts. I've tried to look at it as being like a trucker. You deliver goods, but only after putting in time on the road. Practice was done but certainly had to be sacrificed at times. 

Q3: An obvious one, but how often do you practice these days (and your routine) and has age affected your physicality to practice for a long duration?

JP: As a devout every day thrower for decades I have adjusted my philosophy to reflect my age and condition. Part of practice was about building confidence and I now have that because I feel I will be physically 100% and ready when I do play with practicing more intermittently. To date, I am quite pleased with the results since I changed my philosophy. I practice now mostly by playing against a friend. Sometimes now I just throw at treble 20s for a while, as I feel the scoring phase is a must to have a chance in today’s game, and I'm very confident finishing in any case.  

Q4: What was the first set of darts you owned and what weight were they?

JP: I believe the first set I purchased myself were by a small company called Cove and were 26, maybe 27 gm. A long tapered barrel which was the style that I adhered to for quite some time.

 Q5: You recently indicated a return to full-time competition and re-signed with Unicorn, when some had surmised a quiet slip into retirement, after missing your first World Championships in 23 years. What has been the catalyst for the change of heart?

JP: I didn't actually. I may play less, but with more purpose, less pressure, and an intent to inflict as much damage as possible. I'm delighted at winning a tour card and ensuring I can participate as I see fit. I burned out a bit trying to do it all, and I've learned from that. I still have something left.

 Q6: You showed your class with getting the Tour card the hard way, do you think there is any mileage in past world champions being given automatic tour card holders (as a mark of respect) by the PDC?

JP: No, I think its fine as it is. I do believe past World Champions should be invited to participate in the World Championship if they so desire. I always remember fondly watching the golf Masters, and seeing the great champions still get to participate, no matter how unlikely they would succeed. 

Q7: Darts for some reason doesn’t tend to honour its past greats in the manner as other sports and I’m surprised that the PDC hasn’t picked up the ‘League of legends’ television concept, since there is still a very clear demand to see the legends of darts (and I imagine this will only escalate when Taylor and Barney retire). Is this something you’d be interested in if the PDC went this route?

JP: I love playing and competing. Also, I'd love a chance to become a thorn in Phil's side once again, so sign me up.  

Q8: You have had an amazing career, and outside of your 4 Majors, over 40 (documented, so apologise if it’s more) other open or tournament wins. Other than your Majors what is your overall favourite win or most memorable performance (if you have one)?

JP: My most recent PDC win was the only U.K. euro tour event ever played. It was called the PDC U.K.Masters, and it was fully attended by the top of the World ranking table. I beat Kim Huybrechts, Gary Anderson, Mensur Suljovic, Simon Whitlock, Adrian Lewis and Stuart Kellett. Not too shabby, looking back now.  

Q9: You are considered in many circles to be the best commentator and pundit in the business. You also started very young, in 1995 when although a World Champion you were still quite new to the scene and in your twenties. Was this always something you always wanted to do and gravitated to?

JP: I watched plenty of sports growing up and had got to know all the various commentators and styles of the North American sports scene. I was very familiar with the formula for a good commentary team without ever imagining I would be one day doing it.To this day I'm critical or admiring of my fellow broadcasting professionals as I watch anything. With experience I have become much more respectful all-around of the profession.  

Q10: And lastly, what is a typical day in the life of Mr John Part these days?

JP: Isn't it strange that if you take the space out from between 'a' and 'typical'  that it has the opposite meaning? Most of my days consist of a plethora of these types of observations. Maybe it's because of the pot of black coffee that I start each day with. It goes from there.  

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Part for this opportunity and to wish him all the best in the future.

Luke