Welcomer to Questforqschool.com

 

> Welcome to QuestForQSchool.com!

I started this blog to document my journey as a darts player — the highs, lows, and everything in between. You’ll find honest reflections from local tournaments, practice sessions, and my ongoing effort to raise my average and sharpen my mental game.

Alongside my personal progress, I’ll share stats and analysis from the wider darts scene — from Players Championships to under-the-radar talents climbing the ranks. My goal is to learn, improve, and eventually earn a spot at PDC Q School, and maybe inspire a few others chasing their own darting dream along the way.

Whether you’re here for stats, strategy, or the story, thanks for joining the journey.

🎯 Paul Philpot

QuestForQSchool.com

Why Darts Players Obsess Over Averages. And Why It Doesn’t Always Matter

 Walk into any darts tournament and you’ll hear one number more than any other: the average. Players track it, fans quote it, and commentators celebrate it. In darts culture, your three-dart average is seen as the ultimate measure of ability.

But here’s the twist: winning tournaments rarely requires the highest average.

The Myth of the Average

I ran a quick study across major events and found something surprising: the player who lifts the trophy almost never tops the average chart. Why? Because darts isn’t just about scoring big—it’s about timing, finishing, and handling pressure.

Averages can be inflated by easy wins or dead legs, but when it comes to crunch moments, checkout percentages and composure matter far more.

The Data: 11 Players Championship Events

I looked at the first 11 PDC Players Championship tournaments in 2025. Here’s what I found:

• In 0 out of 11 events, the winner had the highest tournament average.
• In most cases, the highest average belonged to a player who didn’t even reach the final.
• The gap between the winner’s average and the top average was often 5–10 points.

Why Does This Happen?

• Matchplay -  Scoring Power
  Darts is about timing. You can average 110 in a first-round blowout, but if you crumble under pressure in the quarters, you’re out.

• Short Format Variance
  Players Championship events are best-of-11 legs early on. One bad leg can hurt your average, but not your chances if you win the big moments.

• Mental Game
  Closing out legs under pressure matters more than hitting big trebles when you’re cruising.

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So, Are Averages Pointless?

Not at all. Averages are a great indicator of scoring consistency. But they’re not the ultimate measure of ability. In fact, they might be the most misleading stat in darts if taken in isolation.

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Takeaway

Next time you hear someone brag about their average, ask: 'Did you win?' Because in darts, winning beats averaging every time.

Semi-Final Run – Signs of Progress

 A better night at the oche this week as I made it through to the semi-finals of the Wednesday Night Under-55 Average Comp, and for the first time in a while, things actually felt like they were starting to click again.

I used my new Michael van Gerwen 22-gram darts, and they really did make a difference. The old problem of slicing darts to the right was much less noticeable. It might still be a bit psychological, but even so, the grouping felt tighter and the throw smoother. I hit a fair few 100+ scores and even had a look at a 13-dart leg, until double 12 decided it wanted nothing to do with me!

Still, I came away feeling much more positive, and even picked up a bit of prize money, which always helps. My average (41.13) still needs work, but the overall performance showed definite progress. It feels like I might finally be emerging from that little black hole of form.

Next up is Thursday’s event, and with a slightly tougher field, it’ll be a good test to see if this improvement is the real deal.

Little Stat Thing

 

So with 3 big TV events coming up, I thought I’d look at some stats and see which players may be going under the radar, who has had a good season and some surprises to look out for going into 2026.

I started looking at who might win the PDC World Darts Championship and if there was any correlation with current form . Turns out there isn’t really.  Players that win the Grand Slam or Players Championship Finals, don’t necessarily go on to win the World Championship, even though it would seem that those would be the ‘in-form’ players

However only on a handful of occasions has the winner of either of these competitions gone on to win the World Championship.

So, that got me thinking, is it more about overall performance in the year that should be taken into account? Stage and TV experience would also come into play, but that is subjective and opinion based. I’m sure I could dig out specific stats for that, but I thought I would just stick with performance stats over the year.

I took the Pro Tour, Challenge Tour and Development Tour and then ranked all the players combined to get an overall list. I chose factors such as season average and checkout percentage, plus a few other variables. I then ranked players based on each variable and then totalled again.

My top 10 ranked players are as follows:

Some interesting finds then. Notice how top names such Luke Humphries (12^th) , Michael van Gerwen (28^th) and Nathan Aspinall (17^th) do not appear. They have all won big tournaments this year, but overall performance has not been as consistent. Will this play a part for the rest of the season?

For me, the big surprise was seeing Luke Littler was not top.  Admittedly Josh Rock has been excellent this year, and starting to the form of two years ago, where many were talking about him as the ‘next big thing’. Even so, I didn’t think many could touch Littler, but I’ll go with my stats and wait and see.  Stephen Bunting’s great early season form has helped to his position of 2^nd, and could be interesting come the TV tournaments, where he is a big crowd favourite. 

One of highest placed non PDC Tour Card holder is Shane McGuirk. That is a surprise too. Although he won the 2025 WDF World Championship and is clearly as class act, I’d still expect to see others higher, but the figures have made him the best, based on season performance.  So I wonder if he can retain that title. I reckon the bookies may overlook him (again), as well as some pundits.

New Darts Setup – Time for a Change

 After a few weeks of mixed results, I’ve decided it’s time to shake things up and try something different with my setup.

My trusty Mervyn King darts have served me well for a long time, and they suit my grip nicely, but recently I’ve noticed I tend to slice the darts, causing them to land at an awkward angle. It’s been bugging me for a while, and I think it’s time for a reset.

So, I’ve gone back to an older set of Michael van Gerwen 22-gram darts,and so far, they feel much straighter and cleaner out of the hand. It might just be psychological at this stage, but they seem to fly better for my current throw. I’m also sticking with my K-Flex stems, which I’ve really grown comfortable with over the past couple of years.

I’ll only be taking this setup to Wednesday’s tournament, partly to stop myself swapping darts mid-event, which I’ve been guilty of in the past! For now, the plan is to commit fully and see how they feel under proper match conditions.

Oh, and yes they do look a bit ugly, so need to order some new K Flex in black or green!

Hire Me for Your Darts Events – Marker, Scorer, or Compere

 Are you running a darts exhibition, tournament, or club night and need a reliable, experienced marker, scorer, or compere?

I’m now available for hire and bring a wealth of experience to the oche. I’ve worked on exhibitions featuring professional players and am part of the marking team on the PDC Tour – including the Women’s Series, Challenge Tour, and the Pro Tour itself.

I'm also happy to support Superleague teams where marking isn't popular, and I’m available to help out at tournaments of any size,  from local opens to larger regional or national events.

Whether you need someone to keep the scores sharp, run the stage smoothly, or bring energy and professionalism to your event, I’d love to be involved.

📧 Contact me directly at: paulphilpot567@hotmail.com

New Game - And It Seems To Be Stopping The Rot

 

After a tough few weeks, I’ve been working on something new — and it already feels like it’s helping.

I’ve built a new darts practice game, and it’s actually based on the Q School qualifying format. The idea is simple but addictive: 20 levels, random targets to aim at, and points awarded as you progress through the rounds. It’s not just about throwing 501 legs over and over.It’s about focus, accuracy, and responding to pressure in short bursts.

The game’s still in its early form (see screenshot below), but it’s fully working. Over the next week, I’ll be improving the layout and making it look more aesthetically polished. Once that’s done, I’ll share a download link so others can give it a try.

What’s interesting is how it’s already improving my concentration and throw rhythm. Because every target is different, I’m thinking less about scores and more about smooth mechanics and control. I’ve only been testing it for a couple of days, but it’s genuinely helping me reset mentally — and I feel like the throw’s coming back together.

It’s been a while since practice felt this enjoyable.