Wednesday & Thursday Tournament Round-Up – A Strange Week on the Oche

 This week has been one of the strangest I’ve had in a while when it comes to tournament darts. On the practice board at home, things had actually been going pretty well. I’d started a new routine that seemed to be helping: smoother throw, tighter grouping, a bit more confidence. But as soon as I stepped into match mode… the mind took over.

Wednesday – Under 55 Average Tournament

This was a tough one mentally. From the very first leg I found myself overthinking everything — my grip, my release, my stance, even the rhythm of my breathing. All the usual noise in my head decided to crank itself up to maximum.

Somehow, I still made the quarter-finals, but if I’m honest that was more down to other people's mistakes than anything brilliant from me. Midway through the night I reverted back to my usual grip, which helped a little, but by that point I just wasn’t relaxed.

Even though the stats say:

Average: 38.02

First 9: 51.41

3 x 100+ scores

…my head just wasn’t in it. I was ready to go home long before the darts allowed me to.

Thursday – Open Tournament

Thursday was better .Not perfect, but better. The standard of the field was higher, as it usually is at the Open, but I felt a bit more settled compared to the night before. Still, the wandering mind was there again.

Despite that, I put up a respectable showing:

Average: 44.80

First 9: 45.30

1 x 100+ and 1 x 140+

4 legs won

There were moments where the throw did feel natural, but they were too few and far between. I’m realising more and more that my next big barrier isn’t technical , it’s mental. I genuinely believe I can throw to a half-decent standard, but the match environment keeps switching the brain into “overthink mode”.

Mind Games – My Real Opponent

Right now, the battle isn’t with opponents. It’s with myself. At home I can throw freely, instinctively, without analysing every millimetre of my grip. In matches, I need to find that same calm, that same simplicity.

So if there are any hypnotists reading this… I’m only half joking!

Another week ahead, another chance to reset. I know the technical side is improving; I just need the mind to follow.