I noticed that my darts seem to go in the board at a weird angle and have been trying to correct this in various ways. I tried focussing on my elbow position, place on the oche and being more deliberate with my follow through. I can't tell if it's really helped, so decided to look at my darts set up and see if that is a potential issue.
For around 2 years I was using 22 gram Aspinall darts, which seemed to be a nice suit. Results were ok and they felt ok. Then out of the blue, my grip changed and I lost confidence in my throw. I tried a friend's set of Mervyn King darts, (again 22 grams) and this seemed to suit my finger position. They have a scalloped barrel which my fingers seem to sit naturally.
I have used these since December 2023 and have improved my game. However now and again, I have periods where I just can't get my grip. They don't have natural grip lines as many other sets do, the grip is all about settling the fingers into to grooves. Now for the most part this works for me, but it is very frustrating when my grip doesn't settle, as it makes a big difference. So I asked myself if maybe I need a new set up. Perhaps a dart with a good grip and possibly a different weight.
I have acted as a marker for the PDC in various events for about 3 years. As well as enjoying the events in general and getting the opportunity to talk to players, I always see this as a learning tool. I look at players stance and throw, but mainly (as I spend most of my time looking at the board), at the type of darts used and how they sit in the board. I looked at the point length, type of barrel,shaft and flight.
I initially thought of longer points, but I don't think that would affect my actual throw. I've a few friends that have opted for longer points, (probably due to the 'Littler effect'). but some have them have opted back, saying it didn't really change anything. I've always liked the all-in-one shaft and flight set up. My main reason is I break too many shafts and flights, and changing set up mid-game is a pain, so that's just for ease and I'm happy with that. So, I guess it's down the the barrel and grip. At one Challenge Tour, I was marking German player Franz Roetzsch. I really liked the darts he was throwing and I thought that they might be good for me. They had a grip on most of the barrel, so that could help when I have moments of mis-placing my own grip. I couldn't tell the weight so I went online to see if I could locate them. Strangely, I could not find them anywhere.
A couple of months later, I was marking Lorraine Hyde at the Womens Series. She had very similar darts to Roetzsch's. Her points were longer, but the barrel looked the same. She played really well in that game and after I asked her what darts she used. She said that her darts were custom, but could get the basic set up online.I got the chance to hold the dart and it felt comfortable. After trawling a bit further, I finally found a set from a Norwegian company. I ordered the 24 gram version, as they were the lightest I could see. I liked the darts anyway, so if I didn't play well with them, I could always just keep them in my collection.
